special honorific verbs (sonkeigo): quick guide for beginners

Introduction

In Japanese, actions done by people of higher social status than you (such as your superiors, teachers or customers) have to be described with politeness and respect.

This guide focuses on special honorific verbs – a crucial set of irregular verbs you’ll use when speaking about someone of higher social status. Unlike the more general お〜になる pattern, these verbs have unique forms that you need to memorize, but mastering them is key to sounding natural and respectful in Japanese.

1. What Are Special Honorific Verbs?

Instead of modifying the base verb with お〜になる, certain everyday actions switch to a completely different verb to show respect toward the subject.

Standard verb → Special honorific verb

• 行いく / 来くる / いる → いらっしゃる
• 食たべる / 飲のむ → 召めし上あがる
• 言いう → おっしゃる

Example: Our CEO will be coming to the office today.

▲ 今日きょう、社長しゃちょうがオフィスに来きます。
〇 今日、社長がオフィスにいらっしゃいます。

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Crucially, these verbs are used to honor the person performing the action. The subject of the special honorific verb is always someone superior to you (e.g., your boss, teacher, or customer).

2. Key Special Honorific Verbs at a Glance

3. Conjugation Quick-Guide

Despite being irregular, they still follow predictable endings.

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Spoken casual forms (いらっしゃる, 召し上がる…) rarely appear; keigo nearly always stays in polite ～ます form.

4. Example Sentences

1. 社長しゃちょうはもうオフィスにいらっしゃいます。
   Our CEO is already in the office.
2. 先生せんせい、コーヒーを召めし上あがりますか。
   Professor, would you like some coffee?
3. 会議かいぎで部長ぶちょうが「A案あんにしよう」とおっしゃいました。
   In the meeting, the department manager said, “Let’s go with Plan A.”
4. スミス先生せんせいは毎朝まいあさジョギングをなさいます。
   Prof. Smith jogs every morning.
5. もうその資料しりょうをご覧らんになりましたか。
   Have you had a chance to look at the materials yet?
6. 先輩せんぱいがペンをくださいました。
   My senior kindly gave me a pen.

5. Practice Drill

Convert each cue into the special honorific form (polite).

Try writing two of your own sentences!

6. Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

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Tip: In organizations where the hierarchy is not very strict, it’s also common to say “shachou ga kimasu” (the president is coming), using the plain polite form rather than honorific language.

7. Tip: Exploring the Senpai-Kouhai Bond

Senpai, 先輩, is someone in a higher hierarchical position, meaning they are typically (but not necessarily) older than you and have more experience (at work or in life in general).

Kouhai, 後輩, is a junior individual who must show respect and loyalty to their Senpai. One way to do so is by using “keigo” (honorific language) towards them.

This system is common in school club activities among middle to high school students. A Kouhai may arrive at practice before the Senpai to prepare everything, carry their belongings if necessary, and stay behind after practice to clean up.

Also, senior/junior colleagues are referred to as Senpai/Kohai in Japanese companies. However, we don’t use Senpai/Kouhai to address someone whose title is significantly different from ours.

8. FAQ

Conclusion

You now have:

• ✅ A core list of special honorific verbs
• ✅ Conjugation patterns and sentence examples
• ✅ Practice drills and mistake-busters

Master these six verbs first; they cover most daily situations requiring honorific speech. In the next article, you’ll learn how to honorify all the OTHER verbs with the versatile お ＋ verb-stem ＋ になる structure. Keep practicing—soon keigo will feel natural, and your Japanese will sound truly respectful!