Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
The humble/modest form (謙譲語, Kenjōgo) of the verb します (shimasu), meaning “to do” or “to perform.”
🎯 Primary Function
To express an action performed by the speaker (or the speaker’s in-group) while explicitly humbling oneself toward the listener or an esteemed third party.
📋 Grammar Structure
Noun + いたします / Verb (V-masu stem) + いたします (often as part of a set humble phrase like お～いたします)
N/A (Applies only to Verbs)
N/A (Applies only to Verbs)
いたしません (itashimasen)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Essential. Used ubiquitously in business meetings, correspondence with clients, and public speaking.
Informal Situations
Generally avoided, as it sounds overly stiff, overly deferential, or even sarcastic in casual conversation.
Written Language
Standard usage in business emails, official documents, and formal letters.
Spoken Language
Very common in customer service, sales, and interactions with superiors or clients.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing the speaker’s actions in a formal setting.
Used when performing an action (like contacting someone) for a superior or client, thereby lowering the speaker’s status to show respect.
Example: ご連絡いたします。 (Go-renraku itashimasu.)
Used in set polite phrases and business closings.
A standard, highly polite closing phrase in emails and business interactions, humbly requesting favor or cooperation.
Example: よろしくお願いいたします。 (Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.)
Replacing the simple polite form します after the honorific prefix お/ご.
Used to express the speaker’s action of waiting, using the humble form instead of the simply polite お待ちします (omachi shimasu).
Example: お待ちいたします。 (Omachi itashimasu.)
Frequency
Extremely high in business and formal communication. Low in casual settings.
Difficulty
Intermediate to Advanced (JLPT N3/N2) due to its use in Keigo (Honorific Language). N4 learners should recognize it.
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Example Sentences
Example #1
すぐに注文内容を確認いたします。
Furigana: すぐにちゅうもんないようをかくにんいたします。
Romaji: Sugu ni chūmon naiyō o kakunin itashimasu.
English: I will immediately confirm the order details.
Example #2
引き続き、よろしくお願いいたします。
Furigana: ききひきつづき、よろしくおねがいいたします。
Romaji: Hikitsuzuki, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
English: I humbly ask for your continued favor and cooperation.
Example #3
新しい計画を詳細にご説明いたします。
Furigana: あたらしいけいかくをしょうさいにごせつめいいたします。
Romaji: Atarashii keikaku o shōsai ni go-setsumei itashimasu.
English: I will explain the new plan in detail.
Example #4
この件につきましては、私が担当いたします。
Furigana: このけんにつきましては、わたくしがたんとういたします。
Romaji: Kono ken ni tsukimashite wa, watakushi ga tantō itashimasu.
English: I will handle this matter personally.
Example #5
資料は明日郵送にて送付いたします。
Furigana: しりょうはあすゆうそうにてそうふいたします。
Romaji: Shiryō wa asu yūsō ni te sōfu itashimasu.
English: We will send the materials by post tomorrow.
Example #6
今日一日、会社を欠席いたします。
Furigana: きょういちにち、かいしゃをけっせきいたします。
Romaji: Kyō ichinichi, kaisha o kesseki itashimasu.
English: I will be absent from the office all day today.
Example #7
会議室でお客様のご返事をお待ちいたします。
Furigana: かいぎしつでおきゃくさまのごへんじをおまちいたします。
Romaji: Kaigishitsu de okyaku-sama no go-henji o omachi itashimasu.
English: I will wait for the client’s reply in the meeting room.
Example #8
二度と同じ間違いはいたしませんとお約束いたします。
Furigana: にどとおなじまちがいはいたしませんとおやくそいたします。
Romaji: Nido to onaji machigai wa itashimasen to oyakusoku itashimasu.
English: I promise that I will not make the same mistake again.
Example #9
喜んでご注文を承りいたします。
Furigana: よろこんでちゅうもんをうけたまわらせていただきます。
Romaji: Yorokonde go-chūmon o uketamawari itashimasu.
English: We will accept your order with pleasure.
Example #10
借りた本は週末までに返却いたします。
Furigana: かりたほんはしゅうまつまでにかんきゃくいたします。
Romaji: Karita hon wa shūmatsu made ni henkyaku itashimasu.
English: I will return the borrowed book by the end of the week.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
The Core of Kenjōgo (Humble Language)
*Itashimasu* is a substitute for *shimasu*. Its primary role is to lower the speaker, making the listener appear higher and thus showing respect.
Example: すぐに対応いたします。 (Sugu ni taiō itashimasu.)
The O + V-masu + Itashimasu Construction
When performing an action that benefits or affects the listener, it often appears in the format: お + V-masu stem + いたします. This is called the謙譲語 I (Type I Humble Form).
Example: お調べいたします。 (O-shirabe itashimasu.)
Used for Noun + する Verbs
This form is used for *suru* verbs (Noun + suru), replacing *shimasu* directly with *itashimasu*.
Example: メールいたします。 (Mēru itashimasu.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ *お客様が確認いたします。 (Okyaku-sama ga kakunin itashimasu.)
✅ Use the honorific form (e.g., されます) or a respectful verb (e.g., なさいます).
いたします is Kenjōgo (humble language) and is strictly reserved for the speaker’s actions, not the listener’s.
❌ 友達と買い物いたします。 (Tomodachi to kaimono itashimasu.)
✅ Use します or the plain form する.
Using いたします in casual speech sounds unnatural, stiff, or overly dramatic, depending on the context.
❌ 明日、会社へいたします。 (*Ashita, kaisha e itashimasu.)
✅ Use the standard humble verbs like 参ります (mairimasu) for ‘go/come.’
While ‘suru’ is often used generically, specific humble verbs should be used when available to increase the level of respect (e.g., instead of ご案内いたします, using ご案内申し上げます is sometimes preferred, though complex).
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: High. It belongs to 謙譲語 (Kenjōgo), or Humble Language.
Social Situations: Required when interacting with customers, clients, senior colleagues, and anyone in an “out-group” relationship to whom you must show maximum respect.
Regional Variations: Standard across all regions. Keigo usage itself can vary slightly (e.g., Osaka business tends to mix politeness with directness), but the form ‘いたします’ remains standard.
🔍 Subtle Differences
いたします (Itashimasu) vs. 致します (Itashimasu)
Both are identical in pronunciation and meaning. Using the kanji 致します is formal, while the hiragana いたします is generally preferred for clarity in standard business documents.
When to use: Use いたします (hiragana) for general clarity; use 致します (kanji) in very formal or traditional writing.
いたします (Itashimasu) vs. させていただきます (Sasete itadakimasu)
いたします is simple humility (“I will do X”). させていただきます is double humility, implying “I humbly receive the favor of being allowed to do X.”
When to use: Use いたします when the action is straightforward. Use させていただきます when seeking or thanking for permission, or when the action is inconvenient to the listener.
📝 Conjugation Notes
いたします is the polite form of いたす (itasu). It is a Godan (Group 1) verb when conjugated in its plain form (いたす, いたさない, いたした). The polite forms are いたします (present), いたしました (past), and いたしません (negative).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The ‘i’ at the start of ‘ita’ is typically pronounced clearly, unlike the sometimes dropped ‘i’ in します. Ensure clear articulation of the four syllables: i-ta-shi-ma-su.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of the ‘ita’ part of ‘itasu’ as similar to ‘itadaku’ (to humbly receive). Both verbs relate to the concept of the speaker lowering their status. Remember: ‘I’ (the speaker) will humbly ‘do’ (itashimasu).
Other Grammar
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