Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
To respectfully describe someone else performing an action.
🎯 Primary Function
Functions as a honorific expression (尊敬語 – そんけいご) to elevate the subject of the verb.
📋 Grammar Structure
お + ます-stem of Verb + になる (For most Godan [Group 1] and Ichidan [Group 2] verbs.)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Commonly used when talking about superiors, teachers, elders, or customers.
Informal Situations
Generally not used in casual conversation among friends or family.
Written Language
Appears in formal letters, emails, reports, and official documents.
Spoken Language
Frequently used in business settings, customer service, and polite conversations.
💡 Common Applications
Describing actions of your boss or company president.
Shows respect for your superior.
Example: 社長はもう会社に**お着きになりました**。(Shachō wa mō kaisha ni **otsuki ni narimashita**.) – The company president has already arrived at the office.
Talking about a teacher’s actions.
Shows respect for the teacher.
Example: 先生は次の授業の準備を**お始めになりました**。(Sensei wa tsugi no jugyō no junbi o **ohajime ni narimashita**.) – The teacher has begun preparing for the next class.
Referring to a customer’s choices or actions.
Shows politeness and respect towards the customer.
Example: お客様はどちらのプランを**お選びになります**か。(Okyakusama wa dochira no puran o **oerabi ni narimasu** ka.) – Which plan will the customer choose?
Frequency
Fairly frequent in contexts requiring politeness and respect.
Difficulty
N4 (Intermediate). Requires understanding of verb groups and politeness levels.
Example Sentences
社長は毎朝、新聞を**お読みになります**。
The company president reads the newspaper every morning.
先生は明日、大阪へ**お出かけになります**。
The teacher will go out to Osaka tomorrow.
お客様はコーヒーを**お選びになりました**。
The customer chose coffee.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
This form is 尊敬語 (sonkeigo – honorific language).
It is used to show respect for the person performing the action. It cannot be used to refer to your own actions.
Example: (Correct) 先生は**お話しになります**。(Sensei wa **ohanashi ni narimasu**.) – The teacher speaks. (Incorrect) 私は**お話しになります**。 (Watashi wa **ohanashi ni narimasu**.) – I speak (in an honorific way about myself – incorrect).
Not applicable to all verbs.
Some common verbs have specific, often irregular, honorific forms (e.g., する → なさる, 来る → いらっしゃる). This pattern is typically *not* used for those verbs.
Example: (Correct) 社長は今、**いらっしゃいます**。(Shachō wa ima, **irasshaimasu**.) – The president is here now. (Incorrect) 社長は今、**お来になります**。
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using お~になる to refer to one’s own actions.
✅ Never use honorific forms for yourself. Use humble forms (謙譲語 – けんじょうご) or neutral forms (丁寧語 – ていねいご) for your own actions.
お~になる is 尊敬語, used for the person you are respecting, not the speaker.
❌ Using the pattern with verbs that have common special honorific forms (e.g., 来る, する, 見る).
✅ Learn and use the specific honorific forms (いらっしゃる, なさる, ご覧になる) for these verbs.
Using お~になる with these specific verbs is generally incorrect or unnatural.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: High (尊敬語). Elevates the person performing the action.
Social Situations: Business meetings, customer service, talking about/to teachers, doctors, elderly people, superiors, etc.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. Usage is consistent across regions, though the overall frequency of keigo might vary slightly.
🔍 Subtle Differences
お~になる vs. ~れる/られる (Honorific form)
Both are honorifics. お~になる is a dedicated honorific pattern for applicable verbs. ~れる/られる is also used as passive and potential, which can cause ambiguity. お~になる can sometimes feel slightly more formal or deliberate than ~れる/られる.
When to use: Use お~になる for verbs where it is standard and a clear honorific is desired. Use ~れる/られる for verbs where お~になる is not used, or when ambiguity is acceptable, or when a slightly less formal honorific is sufficient.
お~になる vs. Special Honorific Verbs (いらっしゃる, なさる, ご覧になる, etc.)
Special honorific verbs are irregular and often considered the highest level of respect for those specific, common actions.
When to use: Always use the special honorific verb if one exists for the verb you are using (e.g., use いらっしゃる for 行く/来る/いる, なさる for する, ご覧になる for 見る). Use お~になる for other verbs where a special form does not exist.
お~になる vs. ご~になる
ご~になる is generally used with Sino-Japanese verbs (Kanji compounds) or nouns + になる. お~になる is primarily for native Japanese verbs.
When to use: Use ご~になる for applicable Kanji compound verbs (like ご連絡になる, though less common than ご連絡なさる/される). Use お~になる for native Japanese verbs like 読む, 食べる, 待つ.
📝 Conjugation Notes
Only the になる part of the pattern conjugates. The お + stem part remains fixed.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounce お as a distinct prefix before the verb stem. The pitch accent falls on the verb stem part.
🧠 Memory Tips
Visualize adding an “O” at the beginning and “~になる” at the end of the verb stem as a respectful frame. Remember the exceptions (verbs with special forms).
Practice Exercises
Convert the following sentence to the honorific form using お~になる: 先生は絵を描きます。(Sensei wa e o kakimasu.)
A) 先生は絵を描かれます。
B) 先生は絵をお描きになります。
C) 先生は絵をご覧になります。
D) 先生は絵をお描きになられます。
Choose the correct honorific form for the underlined verb: お客様は部屋で本を**読みます**。 (Okyakusama wa heya de hon o **yomimasu**.)
A) 読まれます
B) お読みになります
C) ご覧になります
D) 召し上がります
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