Polite prefixes お and ご

Core meaning and form

お commonly precedes native Japanese words and ご commonly precedes Sino-Japanese words, but established lexical exceptions must be learned. Not every noun accepts a prefix, and attaching one to the speaker’s own ordinary object can sound unnatural.

• Form: お commonly precedes native Japanese words and ご commonly precedes Sino-Japanese words, but established lexical exceptions must be learned.
• Core use: The prefixes can show respect, politeness, or conventional refinement.
• Context: Not every noun accepts a prefix, and attaching one to the speaker’s own ordinary object can sound unnatural.

Examples in context

Common errors

• Do not select this pattern from an English translation alone; check its attachment and discourse function.
• Keep the surrounding sentence in a consistent plain, polite, spoken, or written register.

Quick summary

• お commonly precedes native Japanese words and ご commonly precedes Sino-Japanese words, but established lexical exceptions must be learned.
• The prefixes can show respect, politeness, or conventional refinement.
• Not every noun accepts a prefix, and attaching one to the speaker’s own ordinary object can sound unnatural.