What Is Kenjougo?
謙譲語 (けんじょうご) works in the opposite direction from sonkeigo. Instead of elevating the other person, it lowers the speaker (or the speaker’s group) to show respect indirectly. By humbling your own actions, you raise the standing of the listener or the person you’re speaking about.
💡 The relationship between the two: In Lesson 28, sonkeigo elevated the other person’s actions. Kenjougo humbles your own actions. Both aim at the same goal — showing respect — but from opposite angles. A key rule follows from this: use sonkeigo for others’ actions, kenjougo for your own. Mixing them up (e.g., using humble forms for a superior’s actions) is a serious and common error.
There are two main ways to form humble expressions:
- Using special humble verbs
- Using the お＋Vする or ご＋Vする structure
—From here on, it will be available to members only—