Structure
お + Verb［stem］+ する
ご(1) + する［Verb］ + する
(1) お, limited to ［する］Verbs like: 電話する、勉強する、散歩する
Details
Polite
About お〜する
お〜する comes from a form of polite speech in Japanese called humble speech. This type of speech is used to refer to the speaker and their actions. This is opposed to honorific language, which refers exclusively to the listener and their actions. お〜する is almost exactly the same as お～になる, as in it simply means する.
お〜する is regularly used with words of Japanese origin, while ご～する will be used with words of Chinese origin. The する in this compound will attach directly to the ます stem of almost any verb.
Caution
While the する in this structure will attach directly to the ます stem of verbs, this does not mean that verbs that are already する verbs will become しする. In the case of する verbs, simply change the prefix to ご.
In rare cases, お may be used instead of ご, when attached to words of Chinese origin. There is no specific rule for this, and they must be memorized on a case by case basis.
Thankfully, the words of Chinese origin that use お instead of ご are extremely common verbs. This means that you will be exposed to almost all of them very quickly. All others may be assumed to use ご.
Fun Fact
In the same way that お～になる is a more common variation of なさる (both honorific language), お〜する is a more common variation of いたす (both humble speech).
Related
Examples
--:--
ドアをお閉めします。
I (will) humbly close the door.
お任せします。
I will humbly leave it up to you.
先生の分もお取りします。
I will humbly take the teacher's share.
あなたの分もお作りします。
I will also humbly make your share.
これを彼にお渡ししてください。
Please humbly hand over this to him.
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[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
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お〜する – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (23 in total)
CGTespy
In other words…?
Also, I’d like to mention I have the same question as Brian and several others about using お〜する when referring to other people. Seems to contradict what the grammar page said: it’s to be used for the speaker’s actions.
casual
Hopefully Bunpro is working on a more long-form explanation of keigo, uchi, soto and business-customer relationships to supplement these short stubs.
Perhaps using the report/feedback function on the sentence in question can bring more priority to it.It’s not so much speaker’s actions vs listener’s actions, as speaker’s in-group vs the party being respected.
In a lot of cases the party being respected is the listener, so the simplified rule works.
In a context where a 3rd party is being respected, not the listener, and the listener is in the speaker’s circle, the simple rule “used for speaker’s/listener’s actions” no longer holds true.A little illustration from Tofugu:
CGTespy
Makes sense. Thanks!