Polite Japanese: choosing ใงใ and ใพใ
Learn how polite noun, adjective and verb endings work, including negative and past forms, with practical examples.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
Japanese politeness and forms of address
Choose polite, plain and respectful expressions for different people and situations.
Adventure journal
Japanese politeness and forms of address
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Using ใใ with Japanese names
Learn when to add ใใ to another personโs name, when to use ๅ ็, and how to introduce your own name politely.
Read and practisePolite greetings for meeting someone
Choose a polite Japanese greeting for the time of day and introduce yourself naturally at a first meeting.
Read and practiseใใฟใพใใ: attention, apology and thanks
Use ใใฟใพใใ to get attention or apologise, and recognise how it can acknowledge the trouble someone took to help.
Read and practiseUsing ใ้กใใใพใ for a request
Make polite requests with ใ้กใใใพใ in a shop, and understand ใใใใใ้กใใใพใ when starting a relationship.
Read and practiseJapanese name order and address
Identify family and given names in Japanese order and choose a respectful way to address someone or fill in a form.
Read and practiseEveryday requests with ใใ ใใ
Ask for an object or an action using ใใ ใใ, and learn when the polite form may still sound direct.
Read and practiseJapanese thanks: ใใใใจใ and ใใใใจใใใใใพใ
Choose a natural Japanese thank-you for friends, teachers and completed occasions, with examples and explained practice.
Read and practiseBasic Japanese apologies
Learn to apologise in Japanese with ใใใ, ใใใใชใใ and ใใฟใพใใ, choosing a form for the relationship and situation.
Read and practisePlain and polite Japanese
Compare Japanese plain and polite sentence endings, choose them for the relationship, and practise matching forms.
Read and practiseJapanese address suffixes: ใใ, ใกใใ and ๆง
Learn how Japanese ใใ, ใกใใ and ๆง express familiarity or respect, and choose a form that fits the relationship.
Read and practiseAddressing people as ๅ ่ผฉ and ๅ ็
Learn when Japanese speakers use ๅ ่ผฉ and ๅ ็ as address terms, with examples of names and respectful speech.
Read and practiseSoften a Japanese request with a reason
Learn to give a brief reason with ใฎใง before a polite Japanese request, and practise asking without sounding abrupt.
Read and practisePolitely declining an invitation in Japanese
Learn to thank someone, give a brief reason and decline an invitation in Japanese while leaving room for another occasion.
Read and practiseOpening a conversation at work in Japanese
Learn Japanese workplace greetings and polite openings for asking a colleague for time, plus a phrase for leaving first.
Read and practisePolite requests with ใฆใใใ ใใพใใ
Build Japanese requests with the ใฆ-form and ใใใ ใใพใใ, and practise asking someone politely for help.
Read and practiseChoosing polite giving and receiving
Choose Japanese giving and receiving verbs for teachers, friends and favours, and practise the direction of respect.
Read and practiseSwitching to plain speech with permission
Learn to ask before switching to casual Japanese, then practise plain forms for a friendly conversation.
Read and practisePoliteness at a first meeting
Learn how to introduce yourself politely in Japanese, address a new acquaintance and close your first greeting.
Read and practiseRecognising an indirect refusal
Learn to recognise a gentle Japanese refusal from hesitation, an explanation or an alternative date, and practise responding to context.
Read and practiseJapanese keigo: respectful, humble and polite forms
Learn how Japanese keigo changes with the person acting and the listener, and practise choosing respectful, humble or polite forms.
Read and practiseRespectful language: sonkeigo
Learn Japanese sonkeigo for another personโs actions, including ใใใซใชใ and special respectful verbs.
Read and practiseHumble Japanese for your own actions
Learn how kenjougo presents your actions humbly, from ไผบใ and ๆ่ฆใใ to the ใใใใ pattern.
Read and practisePolite ใงใ and ใพใ in context
Choose Japanese polite endings for colleagues and other listeners, and practise tense and negation in context.
Read and practisePolite prefixes ใ and ใ
Learn how Japanese polite prefixes ใ and ใ accompany nouns, and practise common forms and exceptions in context.
Read and practiseRespectful actions with ใใใซใชใ
Learn how ใใใซใชใ raises the person performing an action, and practise forming respectful Japanese sentences.
Read and practiseHumble actions with ใใใใ
Learn how ใใใใ and ใใใใ describe your actions respectfully toward another person, with examples and practice.
Read and practiseIn-group and out-group perspective
Learn how Japanese speakers adjust respectful and humble language when talking about their own group to an outsider.
Read and practiseApologising at work
Learn to apologise for a delay or mistake in Japanese, explain the problem and say how you will put it right.
Read and practiseAsking permission with appropriate distance
Choose a natural Japanese permission request for friends, teachers and formal situations, and practise polite variations.
Read and practiseRespectful and humble verb pairs
Choose common Japanese respectful and humble verbs for going, saying and seeing in formal situations.
Read and practiseAvoiding double honorifics
Learn to avoid double honorifics in Japanese and choose a respectful or humble form for the person acting.
Read and practiseRecognising polite service speech
Recognise common Japanese service expressions at shops and restaurants, and identify who performs each action.
Read and practiseBusiness phone calls in keigo
Practise Japanese business calls: introduce yourself, ask for a colleague, put a caller on hold and arrange a return call politely.
Read and practiseKeigo inside and outside the company
Choose respectful or humble Japanese when speaking to a colleague or describing your team to a client.
Read and practiseRespectful passive forms
Learn how Japanese passive-shaped verbs express respect, and practise choosing them for a teacher or guest.
Read and practiseHonorifics in formal messages
Choose Japanese honorific and humble forms for formal messages, requests and replies, based on who performs each action.
Read and practiseMaking a difficult request with context
Learn to explain the circumstances, acknowledge the burden and make a difficult Japanese request with room to decline.
Read and practiseRepairing a mismatch in politeness
Learn to notice a Japanese register mismatch and repair it naturally when speaking to a teacher, colleague, or friend.
Read and practiseExpressing thanks in formal situations
Choose natural Japanese expressions of gratitude for formal meetings, ongoing support, and help already received.
Read and practiseNuance and register in formal keigo
Choose respectful and humble Japanese expressions for formal situations, and practise adjusting register to the people involved.
Read and practiseAddressing an institution in writing
Choose ๅพกไธญ or ๆง in Japanese correspondence and address an office respectfully in the body of a formal inquiry.
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