Japanese/Grammar/Honorific prefixes

Meaning お o- is an exalted prefix. It shows respect for the individual or object to whom it pertains. ご go- plays a similar role, being attached to a separate group of words as explained below. Both お o- and ご go- can be written as 御. Translation There is no equivalent in English. In translation it is either dropped, or (when appropriate) translated as your, etc. Usage お o- can be applied to nouns, na-adjectives, i-adjectives, and verbs. Because お o is exalted, it is not used on or about the speaker. For example, お元気 げんきですか。 O-genki desu ka? is the formal way of asking "How are you." The normal response is 元気 げんきです。 Genki desu. In the first example, person A is exalting person B by placing the exalted prefix お o- in front of the word 元気 げんき genki, which refers to person B's health. In the response, person B omits the お o- prefix because he does not wish to exalt himself. Note that お o- is usually only applied to words of Japanese origin, and most Sino-Japanese words take the honorific prefix 御 ご go- instead, as in 御主人 ごしゅじん master/husband. (元気 げんき genki is a notable exception.) Examples Words that commonly use お o- or 御 ご go- include: Nouns お茶 ちゃ o-cha "tea" お水 みず o-mizu "water" お仕事 しごと o-shigoto "job" お家 うち o-uchi "home" お部屋 へや o-heya "room" お父 とうさん otousan "father" お母 かあさん okaasan "mother" お兄 にいさん oniisan "older brother" お姉 ねえさん oneesan "older sister" お祖父 じいさん ojiisan "grandfather" お祖母 ばあさん obaasan "grandmother" お子 こさん o-ko-san "child" ご主人 しゅじん go-shujin "master/husband (of the person who is spoken to)" ご飯 はん go-han "meal or (cooked) rice" Na-Adjectives お元気 げんき o-genki "healthy" お好 す き o-suki "liked" I-Adjectives お早 はや い o-hayai "early" Verbs お入 はい り o-hairi "Please enter." お座 すわ り o-suwari "Please sit." deep