Use おる when speaking humbly about yourself or your group to an outsider.
The idea
おる is a godan verb and a humble counterpart of いる for animate presence. Place is marked by に. After a verb’s て form, おります also expresses an ongoing action or state in formal speech.
| Dictionary form | Polite non-past | Polite negative | Polite past | て form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| おる | おります | おりません | おりました | おって |
Examples
- 私は受付におります。I am at reception.
- 担当者は今、席を外しております。The person in charge is away from their desk at the moment.
- 昨日は事務所におりました。I was at the office yesterday.
- 明日は会社におりません。I will not be at the company tomorrow.
- 資料を確認しております。I am checking the documents.
- ご連絡をお待ちしております。I look forward to hearing from you.
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Watch out
Do not use おる to honor a customer’s presence: use いらっしゃいます. Some dialects use おる without humility; that is distinct from this standard polite usage.
Try it yourself
＿。（おる→ます）
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おります
おります is the polite non-past form of おる.
＿。（おる→ました）
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おりました
おりました is its polite past form.
資料を確認して＿。（おります／いらっしゃいます）
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おります
おります describes the speaker’s own action humbly; いらっしゃいます honors someone else.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
＿。（おる→ます）
＿。（おる→ました）
資料を確認して＿。（おります／いらっしゃいます）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Describe where you or a colleague is to a customer, then express an ongoing action with 〜ております.