Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 7: 10/18

お～になるTo do (Honorific)

Remember not to use honorific language when speaking about yourself and your actions!

Structure

お + Verb［ます］+ になる
ご(1) + ［する］Verb + になる
いく・くる・いる ￫ おいでになる

(1) お, limited to ［する］Verbs like: 電話(でんわ)する、勉強(べんきょう)する、散歩(さんぽ)する

Details

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    Polite

About お～になる

お～になる (or ご～になる) is an honorific language expression which is used to pay respect to the actions of the person that is being spoken to/another person (never the speaker). In this expression, になる is used in exactly the same way that する would be, except that it will be attached to the ます stem of the verb that it is referring to.

The primary difference between お and ご, is that お will be used with words/readings of Japanese origin (kun-yomi), and ご will be used with words/readings of Chinese origin (on-yomi). In fact, お and ご are both represented by the same kanji. For this kanji, 御(お) is one of the kun-yomi, and 御(ご) is one of the on-yomi.

Fun Fact

Some verbs, like いでる, are used almost exclusively with honorific language. おいでになる (the お～になる form of いでる) is an example of this, and can mean 'to come', 'to go', or 'to be'. This is due to the perspective of the speaker when using honorific language, and something that we will discuss in more detail later.

Examples

--:--

    先生(せんせい)はお帰(かえ)りになりました。

    The teacher has gone home.

    ハリーポッターをお読(よ)みになりましたか。

    Did you read Harry Potter?

    父上(ちちうえ)はもうお帰(かえ)りになったんですね。

    Father has already gone home, hasn't he.

    歯医者(はいしゃ)がお見(み)えになるのは3時(じ)です。

    The dentist will arrive at 3 o'clock.

    お父(とう)さんは何時(なんじ)頃(ごろ)お帰(かえ)りになります？

    Around what time will father return home?

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お～になる – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (25 in total)

  • Daru

    Daru

    Don’t sweat it! Remember that if its taking twice the syllables to say the same thing, it’s probably keigo.

  • nikuotoko

    nikuotoko

    This grammar point is driving me nuts. Up until now I’ve broadly associated plain form with casual and -ます form with polite, and here comes おーになる to destroy that simple connection.

    Can anyone explain historically how Japanese ended up with an honorific form that looks and acts like a casual form we’re told not to use in polite conversation?

    Historically or linguistically rather than grammatically, which I understand thanks to an answer up thread - the trick I think is to stop thinking of “short form” as “casual form”.

    It boggles the mind that one ought to be polite with strangers but that polite form is optional in honorific speech.

  • nekoyama

    nekoyama

    You’re mixing up two different concepts.

    • です・ます expresses politeness vs. the person we’re speaking with, regardless of the content of the conversation.
    • おーになる expresses respect vs. the person we’re talking about and who’s doing an action.

    These can be the same person, but they don’t have to be the same person.

    "Miku read a manga" polite vs. listener respectful vs. Miku
    ミクさんは漫画を読んだ no no
    ミクさんは漫画を読みました yes no
    ミクさんは漫画をお読みになった no yes
    ミクさんは漫画をお読みになりました yes yes

    Additionally, polite forms generally only appear at the end of a sentence. Respectful (and humble) forms can appear anywhere someone does something, including the middle of a sentence three layers of re...

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