Advanced Honorifics: The Verb なさる (nasaru)

Advanced Honorifics: The Verb なさる (nasaru)
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

To do (Honorific/Sonkeigo)

🎯 Primary Function

To elevate the person performing the action (Subject Honorifics).

📋 Grammar Structure

[Noun] + なさる / [Honorific Prefix お/ご] + [Noun] + なさる / [Verb Stem] + なさる (less common than suru)
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
なさらない (Plain) / なさいません (Polite) / なさらないで (Request)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Extremely common in business meetings, interactions with clients, or when speaking to teachers/superiors.

😊 Informal Situations

Rarely used among close friends or family, though may be used sarcastically or in very traditional families.

✍️ Written Language

Used in formal letters, emails to superiors, and honorific business documents.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Frequent in service industries (restaurants, hotels) and corporate environments.

💡 Common Applications

Inquiring about someone’s actions
Used to ask a superior or customer about their plans or choices in a respectful manner.
Example: 何をなさいますか? (What will you do?)
Giving respectful advice or requests
Used with negative requests to show concern for a superior’s well-being.
Example: 無理をなさらないでください。 (Please don’t overdo it.)
Noun-based honorifics (Suru-verbs)
Replaces ‘suru’ in ‘Noun + suru’ combinations to elevate the action of the subject.
Example: お勉強なさる (To study – honorific)
📊
Frequency
High (in business and formal settings)
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N4/N3 (Keigo Mastery)
Example Sentences
Example #1
社長は今、何をなさっていますか。
Furigana: しゃちょうは いま なにを なさっていますか。
Romaji: Shachou wa ima, nani wo nasatte imasu ka?
English: What is the president doing right now?
Example #2
先生、どのような研究をなさっているんですか。
Furigana: せんせい、どのような けんきゅうを なさっているんですか。
Romaji: Sensei, dono you na kenkyuu wo nasatte iru n desu ka?
English: Professor, what kind of research do you do?
Example #3
どうぞ、ご安心なさってください。
Furigana: どうぞ、ごあんしんなさってください。
Romaji: Douzo, go-anshin nasatte kudasai.
English: Please do not worry about it.
Example #4
お買い物はもうなさいましたか。
Furigana: おかいものは もう なさいましたか。
Romaji: O-kaimono wa mou nasaimashita ka?
English: Have you already finished your shopping?
Example #5
あまり無理をなさらないでください。
Furigana: あまり むりを なさらないでください。
Romaji: Amari muri wo nasaranai de kudasai.
English: Please do not push yourself too hard.
Example #6
どのメニューを注文なさいますか。
Furigana: どのメニューを ちゅうもん なさいますか。
Romaji: Dono menyuu wo chuumon nasaimasu ka?
English: Which menu item would you like to order?
Example #7
休暇は何をなさいましたか。
Furigana: きゅうかは なにを なさいましたか。
Romaji: Kyuuka wa nani wo nasaimashita ka?
English: What did you do during your vacation?
Example #8
毎週末、ゴルフをなさると聞きました。
Furigana: まいしゅうまつ、ゴルフを なさると ききました。
Romaji: Maishuumatsu, gorufu wo nasaru to kikimashita.
English: I heard that you play golf every weekend.
Example #9
お支払いはどうなさいますか。
Furigana: おしはらいは どう なさいますか。
Romaji: O-shiharai wa dou nasaimasu ka?
English: How would you like to pay?
Example #10
明日の会議には出席なさいますか。
Furigana: あしたの かいぎには しゅっせき なさいますか。
Romaji: Ashita no kaigi ni wa shusshiki nasaimasu ka?
English: Will you be attending tomorrow’s meeting?
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Special Honorific Status
Nasaru is the respectful version of ‘suru’. It is part of a group of special honorific verbs (irassharu, ossharu, kudasaru).
Example: 先生がお話しなさる。 (The teacher speaks.)
Imperative form ‘Nasai’
While ‘nasai’ comes from ‘nasaru’, in modern Japanese, it often sounds like a command from a parent to a child.
Example: 勉強なさい! (Study! – forceful)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 私はレポートをなさいました。 (I did the report – incorrect honorific)
✅ (私は)致します (itasu) or します (suru).
‘Nasaru’ is Sonkeigo (respectful), used only for others. To refer to your own actions, use Kenjougo (humble).
❌ なさりま。 (nasarimasu – incorrect conjugation)
✅ なさいます (nasaimasu)
The ‘ri’ sound in the stem changes to ‘i’ before ‘masu’, similar to other honorific verbs like irassharu.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Honorific (Sonkeigo). This is higher than ‘Desu/Masu’ form and focuses on showing respect to the subject of the sentence.
Social Situations: Essential for Japanese office life and customer-facing roles.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan in formal contexts.

🔍 Subtle Differences

~なさる vs ~される (sareru)
‘Nasaru’ is more formal and specific to honorifics, while ‘sareru’ (passive form used as honorific) is slightly more common in everyday polite speech.
When to use: Use ‘nasaru’ for higher levels of respect or in formal business. Use ‘sareru’ for a standard polite level.

📝 Conjugation Notes

‘Nasaru’ is an irregular verb. The ‘ru’ changes to ‘i’ when followed by ‘masu’ (nasai-masu). The command form is ‘nasai’ (as in ‘oyasumi-nasai’).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Note that the final ‘u’ in ‘nasaru’ is often dropped or very light in ‘nasai-masu’. The emphasis is on the ‘sai’ syllable.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘nasaru’ as the ‘CEO’ version of ‘suru’. You use it when the person doing the action is someone you ‘look up’ to. Remember the ‘i’ change: Nasaru -> Nasaimasu.

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