Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [politeness]

丁寧表現（待遇表現）. From social politeness ("please", "thank you", etc) to the technical Japanese grammatical concepts of honorifics and respectful and humble forms known as "keigo".

Covers everything from the social politeness such as the equivalents of English "please" and "thank you" up to the technical Japanese grammatical concepts of honorifics and respectful and humble forms though these latter areas may be better tagged as .

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When to use ください (kudasai) or お願いします (onegaishimasu) in requests?

When asking for something I seem to hear sentences end in both ください (kudasai) and お願いします (onegaishimasu). Is there a difference and how do I know when to use which?
hippietrail
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Usage of すみません (sumimasen) versus ごめんなさい (gomen'nasai)

There are several situations in which one of these words (phrases?) should be used but there's not usually a 1:1 mapping between any two languages. Get somebody's permission. English: "excuse me", "I beg your pardon"; Spanish: "disculpe" Getting…
hippietrail
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Is it proper to thank waitstaff, cashiers, etc. for their service?

In my Japanese class we were taught that one does not need to thank a cashier when they check you out or a server when they bring you your meal, but I always feel awkward remaining silent. Was my sensei wrong? Specifically: What is the usual…
Amanda S
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ありがとうございます vs. ありがとうございました

When thanking someone, what is the rule for using ありがとうございます vs. ありがとうございました? My sensei taught us to use ありがとうございました when the action you're thanking someone for occurred in the past, but I've heard ありがとうございます used plenty of times right after the…
Amanda S
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When to use 欲しがる instead of 欲しい

When does one use 欲しがる instead of 欲しい? For example, in phrases like: 先生は野菜を食べて欲し​｛いです・がっています｝。 My incomplete understanding is that the がる form is more formal/polite, but it can only be used when the subject is not currently present in the room. …
Mark Hosang
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"You don't have to be so polite." Really?

Sometimes a Japanese person will say to me: そんなに丁寧な言葉を使わなくてもいいんですよ。 This is an invitation to be less formal. But how much less formal? As I have experienced, sometimes unintentional gaffes can be committed blithely as one learns to navigate the…
Robusto
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Can somebody explain the various words and combinations thereof used for thanking?

To my knowledge there are three words which can be used in thanking and they seem to be usable together in some combinations: どうも (d­ōmo) どうもありがとう (dōmo arigatō) ありがとう (arigatō) ありがとうございます (arigatō gozaimasu) どうもありがとうございます (dōmo arigatō…
hippietrail
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In modern usage how do Japanese natives regard the differences between 外人, 外国人 and 外人さん?

As a near native speaker of Japanese, I find it annoying to be called 外人 since it seems to imply that I "know nothing about Japan" (outsider). I much prefer 外国人. In modern usage, how do native speakers regard the differences between 外人, 外国人 and…
crunchyt
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What's the difference in usage between 氏名 (しめい) and 名前 (なまえ)?

What's the difference in usage between 氏名 (しめい) and 名前 (なまえ)? I often see these two words used interchangeably, but more often than not I see 氏名 on websites. Is this a politeness difference or an actual word definition difference?
Mark Hosang
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Can polite and casual Japanese be combined?

What I mean is, is there any overlap? are you allowed to speak in a way that combines both forms of speech? like are there words that, even if using formal speech, are typical to use casual speech for and vice versa? I really struggle getting my…
Fuure
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Can you use "anata" with people you don't know well?

I have read repeatedly that the pronoun "anata" (meaning "you") is very personal and should not be used. But to say something like "Which car is yours?" I would say "Dono kuruma ga anata no desu ka?" I don't really know a way around phrasing it that…
temporary_user_name
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How would I say "Get well soon"?

Last summer my family hosted a Japanese exchange student for two weeks, and we've kept in touch with her a lot. Unfortunately, about 2 months ago I found out she had Leukemia. She said she'll recover...but it'll take a long time (6 months according…
LainIwakura
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How do I politely ask my boss for a moment of his time?

My boss is a native Japanese speaker. In English, when I have a question or an issue to bring up, I can ask "Do you have a minute?" to see if it is an appropriate time to interrupt them. In Japanese, when I tried the literal translation…
Troyen
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Politeness in examination questions

1) Why do Japanese school examination questions get more rude as the year gets higher? In elementary school ...してください。 or ...しましょう。 ... です。　...ですか。 In junior high school to high school ...しなさい。 In university ...せよ。　...である。 ...か。 2) When even…
user458
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Is it offensive to say あなた?

My teacher says that we should avoid あなた, like わたし, which could be taken off. Following this, I try to refer to the second person by the name: 加藤さんの趣味は何ですか. But there are situations where we forget the name. How can we say "You" without being rude,…
daniel tomio
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