Meaning
お〜／ご〜 makes a word more polite and can show respect when referring to something connected with the listener.
Formation
- Usually お + native Japanese word: お名前, お水, お仕事.
- Usually ご + Sino-Japanese word: ご家族, ご住所.
- Some on-read words are fixed with お: お茶, お元気, お弁当.
When to use it
- Polite everyday vocabulary
- Forms familiar service and etiquette words such as お水 and お茶.
- Respect for the listener
- Politely refers to the listener's name, family, address, work, and related matters.
Examples
16 sentences-
ご家族はお元気ですか
How is your family?
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お名前は何ですか
What is your name?
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お茶をどうぞ
Please have some tea.
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お水をください
Water, please.
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ご住所を書いてください
Please write your address.
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お仕事は何ですか
What do you do for work?
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お名前をここに書いてください
Please write your name here.
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ご家族も日本に住んでいますか
Does your family also live in Japan?
8 more examples
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お仕事は何時に終わりますか
What time do you finish work?
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ご住所を教えてください
Please tell me your address.
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お茶をもう一杯どうぞ
Please have another cup of tea.
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お風呂は二階にあります
The bath is on the second floor.
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お金を払ってから入ります
We will pay before entering.
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ご意見を聞かせてください
Please let me hear your opinion.
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お弁当を持ってきました
I brought a packed lunch.
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ご予約はありますか
Do you have a reservation?
Important notes
- Word origin helps choose the prefix, but fixed expressions have exceptions, so it is useful to learn the whole form.
- Some instances of お and ご have become part of an ordinary word and do not always express separate respect.
Common mistakes
- Do not add a prefix automatically to every noun; some combinations are not used.
- Do not use a respectful prefix to elevate your own actions or belongings without an established language reason.
Check yourself
Pick the translation of each sentence. The wrong options translate similar patterns, so watch the grammar rather than the words.
Similar grammar
Hear it in podcasts
The pattern appears in these episodes. They open in the app with the transcript and translation.
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