Japanese grammar
What does 尊敬動詞（いらっしゃる・おっしゃる・召し上がる…） mean? Japanese grammar N4
尊敬動詞（いらっしゃる・おっしゃる・召し上がる…） means special honorific verbs.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | いる／行く／来る → いらっしゃる 言う → おっしゃる 食べる／飲む → 召し上がる 見る → ご覧になる する → なさる くれる → くださる 知っている → ご存じだ |
| Romaji | sonkei dōshi |
| Meaning | special honorific verbs |
Forming it
| Regular conjugation | 召し上がる → 召し上がります, ご覧になる → ご覧になります |
|---|---|
| Special ます conjugation | いらっしゃる → いらっしゃいます (NOT いらっしゃります) |
| Group with the same conjugation | いらっしゃる／おっしゃる／なさる／くださる → い + ます |
How to use it
Some common verbs have their own dedicated respectful word, not following a formula.
- This is a group of words that must be memorized, not derived. In return, they are among the most frequently used verbs, so they're well worth learning.
- A critically important note on conjugation: いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, なさる, くださる all end in る, but when conjugated into ます form, り becomes い — いらっしゃいます, おっしゃいます, なさいます, くださいます. This is where learners make the most mistakes.
- いらっしゃる carries up to 3 meanings: いる (to be present), 行く (to go), 来る (to come). You must look at the context to know which meaning applies. The sentence 先生はどちらへいらっしゃいますか means "where is the teacher going?".
- All of these words are only used for someone else's actions. Each word has a humble "twin" used for yourself: いらっしゃる ↔ 参る, おっしゃる ↔ 申す, 召し上がる ↔ いただく, ご覧になる ↔ 拝見する.
Examples
田中先生は今、教室にいらっしゃいます。
Professor Tanaka is in the classroom now.
お名前は何とおっしゃいますか。
What is your name, may I ask?
この写真をご覧になりましたか。
Have you seen this photo?
どうぞ、ケーキを召し上がってください。
Please have some cake.
Keep in mind
- いらっしゃいませ (the greeting used to welcome customers in shops) is this very word in its polite imperative form.
- ご存じですか = "do you know?" — when saying that you yourself know something, use 存じております instead; don't use ご存じ for yourself.
Common mistakes
-
Wrong社長は明日、大阪へいらっしゃりますか。
Is the president going to Osaka tomorrow?
Correct社長は明日、大阪へいらっしゃいますか。
いらっしゃる has a special ます conjugation: り → い. There is no form いらっしゃります.
-
Wrong私の名前は Nam とおっしゃいます。
My name is Nam.
Correct私の名前は Nam と申します。
おっしゃる is respectful and used for someone else's name. To introduce your own name, you must use 申す.
Exam tips
- Learning in PAIRS of respectful ↔ humble will help you memorize twice as fast and avoid exactly the kind of trap N4 often sets.