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Japanese Keigo (敬語): three-level systemic politeness

Japanese keigo imposes a structural self-lowering: saying "I will" instead of "humbly I will" insults the relationship.

Category : Linguistic false friendsSubcategory : registre-hierarchiqueConfidence level : 3/5 (documented hypothesis)Identifier : e0489

Meaning

Target direction : Keigo (敬語, formal politeness) in Japan is divided into three registers: sonkeigo (尊敬語, honorary politeness for the interlocutor), kenjougo (謙譲語, self-abasement) and teineigo (丁寧語, formal politeness). Each register changes grammatical structure, vocabulary and ending. Using the wrong level in a professional or social relationship leads to a breach of social contract.

Interpreted meaning : A Western learner familiar with French "vous" or German "Sie" assumes that keigo is simple politeness. But keigo is a structured system of humility: "kenjougo" (self-lowering) requires you to speak of your own action as inferior. Saying "I will" directly instead of "humbly I will" (参ります, mairimatsu) creates major dissonance. Keigo is not additional to Japanese: it's an entirely separate subsystem in vocabulary and syntax.

Geography of misunderstanding

1. The three pillars of Japanese keigo

Keigo (敬語, literally "language of respect") is not a stylistic variant of standard Japanese: it's a parallel system with distinct vocabulary, grammar and pragmatics. It rests on three foundations: (1) Sonkeigo (尊敬語, honorific politeness directed at the interlocutor): values the other, changes the verb. "To go" (行く, iku) becomes "to honor-go" (いらっしゃる, irassharu). (2) Kenjougo (謙譲語, self-lowering politeness): reduces the speaker, changes vocabulary. "I say" (言う, iu) becomes "humbly I say" (申す, mosu). (3) Teineigo (丁寧語, formal politeness): adds polite suffixes (-ます, -ません, -ました). These three layers constantly intertwine. A simple "Have you visited Tokyo?" turns into "Sonkeigo-aller-place-Tokyo-poliment-question-particle" (東京にいらっしゃいましたか, Tōkyō ni irasshaimasita ka). For a native French or English speaker, this triple layer introduces a permanent cognitive load: even with years of study, confusing a register can seem not only clumsy but insulting, as keigo codifies not a stylistic option but a relational ethic.

2. Where it goes wrong: companies, schools, informal settings

In a Japanese company, a new employee who speaks to a senior colleague without keigo will be seen as lacking institutional respect. A managing director of a French subsidiary working in Japan who applies her direct French style (without keigo) in meetings produces an immediate chill: interlocutors perceive arrogance, not a cultural difference. At school, children learn keigo as early as elementary school: they master "je vous remercie humbly" (ありがとうございました, arigatō gozaimashita) before the future. A child of French expatriates returning to Japan at the age of 10 loses this skill: when he returns, his pronunciation of keigo is uneven, generating questions from his peers. In informal contexts (a group of friends of the same age), teineigo is used to a minimum; among 70+ year-olds, keigo is now rigid towards adult children, even within the family. Tokyo-based start-ups are trying to relax keigo ("horizontal communication"): this experience shocks senior managers, who perceive it as a "destruction of discipline".

3. Historical background: imperial court, protocol, modernization

Keigo can be traced back to the imperial court of the 8th-9th centuries, when the court hierarchy demanded linguistic markers of deference to the Emperor. The system solidified during the Edo period (1603-1868), when rules of politeness towards the shogun and daimyo codified social inequalities via language. Meiji (1868-1912): rapid modernization, but keigo persists as a marker of class and education. Showa (1926-1989): standardization of Keigo in post-World War II textbooks. 1950s-80s: keigo becomes non-optional in government offices and large corporations. 1990-2000s: NHK surveys document a "collapse of Keigo" among young people; panicked debates about the "loss of civic-mindedness" via the language. 2010+ years: partial restoration of keigo among Gen Z (influenced by YouTube tutorials, educational video games). Keigo is therefore both a vibrant structure and a subject of generational panic in Japan.

4 Famous documented incidents

In 2002, an American fast-food chain opened branches in Tokyo. Employees receive training: "Be friendly, be casual". Japanese customers, especially the elderly, repeatedly complain: "They don't speak with respect". The absence of keigo is interpreted not as Western friendliness but as contempt. The chain subsequently adapted its policy, training employees in basic keigo. In 2015, a Japanese Minister of State made a gaffe at a press conference: using teineigo (formal politeness) instead of sonkeigo towards the Prime Minister quoted in his remark, he provoked a media controversy: "Disrespectful towards the PM". The incident demonstrates that even trained public figures make keigo mistakes, and that these mistakes have political consequences. In 2020, a university professor at Tōkyō University publicly criticizes the "softening" of keigo among students; an article in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper amplifies the debate, reigniting a moral panic over education.

5. Practical recommendations

To do:

• Start absolutely in teineigo (-ます, -ません): this is the neutral base, never insulting.
• Observe how you're addressed and mirror at least the teineigo level.
• Learn the three key verbs of sonkeigo: "to be/to go" (いらっしゃる), "to do" (おっしゃる), "to eat/drink" (召し上がる).
• Accept that keigo remains imperfect for years: natives expect gradual mastery.
• Use self-lowering forms (kenjougo) for your own actions: "my company" (当社, tōsha), "our humble opinion" (小社の考えですが).

To avoid:

• Never talk about your own action without minimum kenjougo (self-lowering). "I will" directly instead of "humbly I will" is a red flag.
• Don't clumsily mix sonkeigo (for the other) and kenjougo (for yourself) in the same sentence.
• Don't assume that business English "polite" translates keigo: there's no equivalent.
• Don't stop teineigo short of an explicit invitation to informal camaraderie (yonde kudasai, "call me by my first name").
• Don't forget that Japanese elders (65+) maintain rigid keigo even towards their children: it's normal, not a distance.

Practical recommendations

Neutral alternatives

• Use passive forms to bypass the choice of direct register
• Use impersonals ("It is an honor to..." rather than "I am honored")
• Communicate in English if keigo becomes a barrier, but accept the loss of relational closeness

Sources