The honorific prefixes 「お」 and 「ご」 are used in Japanese to show politeness or respect.
They are often attached to nouns, especially when referring to things related to others (rather than oneself) or when speaking in a formal or refined manner.
Contents
1. Difference Between 「お」 and 「ご」
- 「お」 is typically used with words of native Japanese (和語, わご) origin.
- 「ご」 is used with words of Chinese (漢語, かんご) origin.
Examples of 「お」 (Native Japanese Words)
- お水（おみず）= water
- お金（おかね）= money
- お茶（おちゃ）= tea
- お名前（おなまえ）= name
Examples of 「ご」 (Words of Chinese Origin)
- ご家族（ごかぞく）= family
- ご意見（ごいけん）= opinion
- ご親切（ごしんせつ）= kindness
- ご結婚（ごけっこん）= marriage
2. When to Use Honorific Prefixes
- When speaking politely or formally (e.g., customer service, business, etc.).
- When referring to things related to someone else (e.g., ご家族 refers to "your family" rather than "my family").
- Some words always take the honorific prefix, even in casual speech (e.g., お酒, お茶).
3. Exceptions & Special Cases
- Some words break the usual pattern (e.g., お電話 [denwa] is of Chinese origin but takes 「お」 instead of 「ご」).
- Some words can take either 「お」 or 「ご」 depending on nuance (e.g., お料理[native] vs. ご料理 [Chinese], though お料理 is more common).
- Some words never take an honorific prefix (e.g., 外国語 [foreign language]).