Tomoe studies

「梅・桜・桃」の違い、わかりますか？

どれもバラ目バラ科サクラ属の植物なので、似ているのも当然です。種類によっては例外もありますが、見分けるポイントは花の付き方と花びらの形、そして咲く時期です。

__

Differences between:

Ume / 梅 / plum blossom

Sakura / 桜 / cherry blossom

Momo / 桃 / peach blossom

These Rosaceae family of flowers are all culturally cherished throughout history of Japan, symbolising the beginning of new year and spring. Yet they are often confused!

Japanese Vocabulary and Phrase: Christmas

海老で鯛を釣る — Ebi de tai o tsuru. To “use a shrimp to catch a sea bream” means to use a small investment or effort to win a great profit.

漁夫の利 — Gyofu no ri. A sandpiper tried to eat a clam on a beach, but the clam trapped the bird’s beak in its shell. A fisherman came along and caught both together. The “fisherman’s profit” describes a situation where a fight between two parties leads to a third’s effortless profit.

芸は身を助く — Gei wa mi o tasuku. “An art can save you.” Learning a particular art or skill is a good backup and might help out or even provide a living one day.

初心忘るべからず — Shoshin wasuru bekarazu. “Do not forget the beginner’s spirit” means that one should always maintain the same humility and serious approach of a beginner, even having become more experienced. It is based on a phrase by Zeami, one of the pioneers of the nō drama.

Hey, I’m back with another masterpost. I decided to include some of my tips.

Use the forest app to keep you off your phone or just put your phone in a separate room

Try making a to-do list to plan out how much time you take to do each task so you keep track of time

Set rewards i.e. if I finish this task at 9am instead of 9.30am, I’ll watch my favourite tv show for 1 hour instead of 30 mins.

How to be disciplined

I guess this is pretty much like a habit. So try to maybe start small, i.e. study 10 mins each day and gradually increase the time limit if you feel comfortable doing so. The reason I chose 10 mins is because it seems like a very short period of time so it’s easier for you to get to work.

How to manage studies with social media

Always set a time period for your school work. For example, after 30 minutes of browsing through your social media, force yourself to do a piece of school work. That way, you will still get work done instead of browsing through your social media all day long.

If you realise on tumblr, I don’t come up with an original post every day and I tend to reblog my old post or queue others posts so don’t stress too much on coming up with a post. For instagram, you could try to take pictures all during the weekend, so you don’t have to stress taking them after school, etc.  But it is important to always put studies first before your social media.

Consider switching off your phone or even deleting your social media apps or deactivating them during exams period if they are really getting in the way of your studies.

There is also the pomodoro method where you study for 25 minutes and rest for 5 minutes to allow your brain to re-energise itself.

Plan

Do so through bujo and prioritising more important tasks over less important ones.

How to schedule your day when you’re unemployed by @businessinsider

How to stick your plans by @cafeinated

How to make and stick to your study plan by @sherlocks-study

Create long term study plan + stick to study routines by @studyforyourself

Start

How to start studying by @studylou

How to start working when you don’t feel like it? by @studentstoolbox

What to do when you don’t want to study by @yeon-studies

How to stop scrolling through tumblr by @effectivestudies

More productive

How to become more productive by @to-work-or-not-to-work

Increase productivity by 3 times by @brbimstudying

4 secrets to efficiency

The ivy lee method for peak productivity

General

How to study as a busy student by @julstudies

Use studyblr to be productive by @determinationandcaffeine

Take a productive break

Things to do on sunday night by @staedtlers-and-stabilos

Productivity 101 by @lets-study-together

Guide to getting your shit together by @knoweldge

Habits

8 morning habits for productivity by @eintsein

8 habits of productive people by @medicinasanguis

Habits of highly effective people by @onlinecounsellingcollege

Habits for productivity by @livingthatlibrarylifestyle

How to develop self discipline

How to wake up earlier by @gurl

Motivation

Try the 2 minute rule where you work for 2 minutes. 2 minutes is a short timing and can encourage you to start working. After the 2 minutes is up, you will probably want to continue working on that.

If you are low on energy, consume chocolate bars/study snacks/caffeine/tea/chicken essence to help keep yourself energised. Showering/washing your face with water helps to wake you up. A power nap can give you more energy to study after you get up.

Focus and motivation by @katsdesk

When you’re unmotivated by @evergreenstudies

How to stay awake while studying without caffeine by @getshitsdone

How to be productive + motivated on weekends by @studywithinspo

Procrastination

How to deal with procrastination by @emmastudies

How to stop procrastination

How to stop procrastinating by @cutestudystuff

Productivity hacks for procrastinators by @engincrd

Methods to beat procrastination by @hawkestudies

What type of procrastinator are you by @b-uwu-ng

Eliminating procrastination by @simply-study

How to beat procrastination

Productive when travelling

Productive commutes by @universi-tea

Productivity on road trips by @intellectys

Tips

7 productivity tips by @simmonestudies

10 small tips to improve your productivity

Productivity tips by @thedutchstudent

My top 10 tips for productivity by @lovelybluepanda

Tips to become the most productive person by @studying-towards-success

Tips and tricks for busy students by @roeum

4 tips for maintaining productivity after a long day

Time management

Managing time

How to manage time by @solar-citrus

How i manage my time

Time management 

Tips

Time management tips by @365text

Time management tips for busy students

Time management tips

Tips for time management by @holocrams

26 time management hacks by @geekvitamin

How to make best use of your time by @tbhstudying

Ways to manage your time efficiently by @quadrtics

Printables

Daily planner by @arystudies

Weekly planner by @studyblrbunny

Productivity printables by @thearialligraphyproject

Habit tracker by @candydsgn

Schedules by @kouiro

Bullet journal

My 2016 bullet journal setup

Sounds

Study sounds by @studyquill

Apps

Productivity and time management applications

Google chrome new tab options for improved productivity

Applications to block websites

100 days of productivity

100 days of productivity challenge

Some brief notes on the correct kinds of “LYING”:

Always use “I” expressions, instead of “we”:

eg “I created a solution to a recurring problem by doing [x].”, even if it was really you and two others in a group

If you LED the group (or did project-management), you can say, “I led a team to create a solution to a recurring problem by doing [x].”

This is because employers like to know that YOU can do, and they also value team-leadership. If you say “we”, they may stop you and ask what You did specifically. You can avoid this by just saying “I”.

Someone asks if you have experience in a program (like excel):

If you feel confident using it:  “Yes, I am very proficient.”

If you have used it a few times, and could at least google what to do next: “Yes, I have good experience.”

If you don’t have any experience: “I have used it before. I generally pick up programs very fast, and I’m a quick learner.”

Mistakes (some interviewers may ask about a time you made a mistake, or a weakness of yours):

Good answers are those with solutions.

Bad answer examples:  “Sometimes I don’t catch mistakes before sending things.”  OR  “I don’t like working with other people”

Good answer examples:  “I had a problem catching typos, so I implemented steps that force me to check my work.”  OR  “I prefer to do things on my own so I know it’s done right, but I’m working on trusting my teammates to take on pieces as well.”

Someone asks if you’ve ever led a team / managed a project:

Try to say YES to this question (even if it is a lie)

If you have, say yes, and say how many people were on the team. 

If you haven’t, but you played a large role in a group of people, say yes, and talk about your primary role on the team. 

If you haven’t, but you worked solo on something that needed input from other people, say yes, and say what the project was about. 

Additional:

Misc Rules

You can ask people to repeat interview questions

You can write down interview questions while they’re asking (write the basics of the question down for yourself, like the top things you have to answer). People will wait for you to finish writing, you don’t have to answer Immediately.

Try to keep your answer to questions somewhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds. You don’t have to time it, but if you find that your answers are taking 3 minutes, you might lose interest.

Have a list of projects / bragging points to talk about in advance

Try to make sure they at least answer the core question asked, don’t just bring up a completely unrelated topic

Example: if you are really excited to talk about a program you wrote, and someone asks about balancing projects, you can say you are good at AUTOMATION, and an example is this program you wrote

“Do you have any questions for us?” (A question asked at the end of most interviews.)

“What has been your favorite part of working at [company]?”

“What’s been your favorite project to work on?”

People like talking about themselves

Thank you emails

Some employers care if you send them a thank you “letter” (email). Sometime by the end of the day (you can do it right after the interview if you think you’ll forget), send a thank you email like this (you can look up other templates, or ask a friend for help):

Subject Line:  Thank You

“Hi [interviewer name], It was great speaking with you. Hearing more about the role, as well as what you said about [their answer to a question you asked them] has made me even more excited for this opportunity. Thank you for your time today, [Your Name]

Since a lot of people are self-studying Japanese on here, I wanted to throw out a resource (and learning method) I've gotten from my formal classes!

(Information under the cut so it isn't too long on the dash)

From the Top:

Professional “Headline”: After your name, this is the first line viewers see. Go beyond simply putting “student.” (Examples: Marketing Intern, X University College Junior or X University Graduate Student Seeking Digital Advertising Positions or Junior Environmental Studies Major at X College).

Photo: This is the first image a viewer will have of you. Be mindful of how you want to project yourself and be sure that it is appropriate for the audience.

LinkedIn URL: Claim your personalized URL and consider including the public URL at the top of your resume, just under your name with your email and phone number.

Summary: Highlight your key work experiences and accomplishments. Include specialties and skills. Keep it concise, specific and keyword rich.

Sample Summary:

As a student, I have devoted my studies to ______, and am seeking employment in the following areas: _______ and _____ . My work as a _____ and ______ complemented my academic coursework at X University and allowed me to develop an understanding of ________. I am excited to apply my strengths in _______ and ________ to the field of ________.

Experience: Include experiences relevant to your career goals. Give a brief description of each position, the dates you worked and the name of the organization, similar to what you have on your resume.

Education: Include, in reverse chronological order, X University and any other schools or programs.

Additional Sections & Information: Add additional sections to your profile, or incorporate this information in your education, experience or summary sections, such as languages, volunteer experiences, courses, certifications, publications, honors & awards, groups and associations, interests, skills and expertise.

Applications: LinkedIn Applications enable you to enrich your profile, such as Creative Portfolio Display, Blog Link, WordPress, Company Buzz.

LinkedIn Groups: Join groups that are of interest to you and you will receive periodic emails and be able to engage with others in the group.

Populate your profile with connections: First search for people you know and send them an invitation to connect. Be sure to customize your invitation as most people won’t accept a generic invitation. Keep in mind online networking does not replace in-person relationship building.

As Google has worked to overtake the internet, its search algorithm has not just gotten worse.  It has been designed to prioritize advertisers and popular pages often times excluding pages and content that better matches your search terms 

As a writer in need of information for my stories, I find this unacceptable.  As a proponent of availability of information so the populace can actually educate itself, it is unforgivable.

Below is a concise list of useful research sites compiled by Edward Clark over on Facebook. I was familiar with some, but not all of these.

⁂

Google is so powerful that it “hides” other search systems from us. We just don’t know the existence of most of them. Meanwhile, there are still a huge number of excellent searchers in the world who specialize in books, science, other smart information. Keep a list of sites you never heard of.

www.refseek.com - Academic Resource Search. More than a billion sources: encyclopedia, monographies, magazines.

www.worldcat.org - a search for the contents of 20 thousand worldwide libraries. Find out where lies the nearest rare book you need.

https://link.springer.com - access to more than 10 million scientific documents: books, articles, research protocols.

www.bioline.org.br is a library of scientific bioscience journals published in developing countries.

http://repec.org - volunteers from 102 countries have collected almost 4 million publications on economics and related science.

www.science.gov is an American state search engine on 2200+ scientific sites. More than 200 million articles are indexed.

www.pdfdrive.com is the largest website for free download of books in PDF format. Claiming over 225 million names.

#1 Memrise

This app is good for listening and learning hiragana characters, as well as for learning new words.

#2 HeyJapan

This is my favorite app (♥_♥). In this app, you can learn how to construct sentences and master the basics of grammar. Also one of the advantages is the large number of different topics. Everything is clear and simple.There is also a rather important and rare section in such applications - speaking.

#3 учите японский - для начинающих

This app is perfect for learning Japanese characters with transcriptions.

#4 Kanji study

(Ill update this as I post more, but here is a master post of tons of links to language resources to help you study a language from my site (Plurilingualism) so far! 💜)

Before you start:

- A guide to making S.M.A.R.T goals (and why goals are so important!)

- A complete guide to self-studying a language

Resources and tips:

- Website resources page (with links to tons of resources for general language learning)

- 5 must-visit sites for language learners

- Master list of language challenges (vocab, reading, journaling, etc)

- 10 unique resources (I'll bet you haven't heard of even 3!)

- Where to find good foreign language books (+ links to several recommendations)

- Master list of YouTube channels in 50+ languages (With almost 500 links!!)

- All about the animedoro study method (my favorite way to study anything, but especially a language)

- All about Memrise (a great app and website)

- All about Busuu (one of my all time favorite resources)

- All about italki (a must-have resource for any language learner!)

- How to perfect your pronunciation (+ links to guides in several languages)

- How to actively and passively learn a language via TV and movies

- The best 15 apps to learn a language with (+ links to full reviews for each)

+

If you are studying Korean:

- 10 amazing Korean resources (with descriptions)

- Korean resource master post (with almost 200 links)

If you are studying German:

- German resource master post (with almost 200 links too)

If you are studying Spanish

(I have received several anon asks about yukata lately so here is a general public answer thanks to @tomblrraider‘s ask :D)

With Summer and matsuri season on its way, you should have no trouble finding yukata in Kyoto, to buy or rent :) I have not been there in a while and I don’t know what is your budget so it’s a bit hard to guide you.

Kyoto has many kimono shops all around town, from cheap to mind blowing price tags. Malls can be a good place to start. In family shops, cheaper merch is often kept on ground/first floor or upfront (expensive stuff being shown on demand) . Second hand brand Tansuya also offered yukata for Summer back then it seems they still do. Flea markets of Toji (every 21st) / Kitano Tenmangu (every 25th) can be fun yet overwhelming places to shop too!

Lastly, if the place you stay at permits it, you can also shop online (Rakuten for ex, they also have an English mirror site) and have your items delivered quickly!

To dress in yukata, you will need :

1 yukata

1 hanhaba obi (women half sash), kaku obi (men obi), or heko obi (unisex soft sash)

2 koshihimo (tie)

non mandatory: hadajuban (slip), geta (wooden sandals), obijime (decorative belt tie), obidome (belt brooch), netsuke (dangling belt decorations)

[picture from]

For perfect fit, a woman Yukata should be more or less your total height (extra fabric will be tucked at the waist) and fit you arms wrist to wrist (this last point is often impossible to achieve for Westerners - it’s ok ^^). A man one should be around 30-40cm smaller than wearer’s height (men don’t tuck fabric at the waist) and their sleeves will be a tad different (no openings on their back).

High grade yukata (like true indigo ones) are hard to find and very, very expensive.

Most yukata are now machine sewn and many (sold online or not) are made in China. Some have excellent price/quality. Other are cheaper, but fabric is often very light which mean they are more fragile and sheer… and sheer is a pain when dressing!

Imo, try to find opaque coton or hemp. Natural fibers mean your yukata will be comfy to wear despite Summer heat. Heavier fabric mean it will be easier to dress + you will be able to go lighter in undergarment departement. Less layers = more comfort!

Yukata is usually worn with a slip (hadajuban style) with no collar (see below). Some have short sleeves, some don’t. With sheer yukata it’s hard to go without (your skin will show by transparence). In an opaque yukata, you can simply go on with a tank top + low waist short/light wrap-around skirt nobody will know ;)

(Some people also pad their waist to achieve perfect silhouette but I think it’s sheer madness considering Japanese smothering Summer ^^;)

To know how to put on your yukata, have a look on youtube you’ll find many tutorials in Japanese or English; Uniqlo has released awhile back those step by step:

The obi know shown here is tied with a hanhaba obi and is called a Bunko musubi. Many other variations exist, here are just a few on my blog 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

When you don’t know what the word means but Google Images has you covered

So ぐてー would be a nice lazy sprawl (see animal images above). The long vowel mark “ー” (ちょうおん) is used to emphasize the sprawling, and just saying it makes you feel like sprawling out somewhere comfy…

Here’s a fun explanation of past contrafactual statements from the 日本語総まとめN2 読解 workbook!

“But Sasha,” you ask, “what is a past contrafactual statement?” Lucky for you, I’m a student of linguistics as well as Japanese, so I am disproportionately familiar with nerdy grammar items such as these! Anyways, let’s get to business.

A contrafactual or contrary-to-fact statement is one that relays a scenario that has not yet happened or did not actually happen (notice this textbook’s frequent use of 実際に・は).

More broadly, contrafactual statements can differ from each other by what tense they occur in, either present (which has a future flavor) or past. Here’s an example of each in English.

Present contrafactual: If I studied every day, I would learn faster.

The implication here is that the speaker is not currently studying every day; thus, a change in their actions would lead to a different result. (This idea of possible change gives present contrafactuals that future flavor.)

Past contrafactual: If I had studied every day, I would have learnt faster.

The implication here is that the speaker is reminiscing: “If I had studied every day,” they say, but they didn’t; thus, the expected result of studying every day did not occur. Change is not possible in the past contrafactual. (Compare てしまった in Japanese: the action is finished, occasionally with a tinge of regret.)

Contrafactuals in Indo-European languages

In Indo-European languages, contrafactual statements are often marked by moods of unreality, such as the subjunctive, and conditional verb clauses. If you’re familiar with Romance languages, Latin, or Greek, consider these Spanish contrafactuals:

Si estudiara cada día, aprendería más rápidamente. = If I studied (were to study) every day, I would learn faster.

Estudiara is an imperfect (past) subjunctive. Aprendería is a conditional in the indicative.

Si hubiera estudiado cada día, habría aprendido más rápidamente. = If I had studied every day, I would have learnt faster.

Hubiera estudiado is a pluperfect subjunctive construction. Habría aprendido is a perfect conditional construction in the indicative.

The subjunctive even appears vestigially in English contrafactuals (“if I were a rich man”), though many Englishes nowadays accept “if I was,” too.

Contrafactuals in Japanese

Lucky for us, Japanese contrafactuals don’t have nearly as many moving parts as do Spanish! For one thing, grammatical mood doesn’t exist in Japanese (or if it does, it’s just the indicative); for another, conditionals using たら are really simple to form because all you do is add a volitional piece. Let’s take a look.

もし毎日は勉強したら、速く習うだろう。= If I studied every day, I would learn faster.

The conditional here, accompanied by もし, is implanted directly into the verb of the first clause: する → したら. Where Romance languages use the subjunctive, Japanese simply tacks on a volitional だろう.

Side note: because of the conflation of present and future in Japanese, the conditional + volitional construct can feel vividly futuristic. Not to mention if you remove もし, the たら form can mean “when.”

もし毎日は勉強していたら、速く習っていただろう。= If I had studied every day, I would have learnt faster.

Marginally more complicated. する takes the auxiliary いる and transforms the whole thing into a conditional: する → している → していたら. Same thing with the volitional: 習う → 習っている → 習っていただろう。

簡単ですよね！Now, let’s finally return to the example sentences from my textbook and the all-Japanese explanations given. 

The past contrafactuals from my textbook

これは写真に書いてあった例文です。Here’s what’s written in the photo:

もしあの飛行機に乗っていたら、事故にあっていただろう。

                          ↓                                             ↓

実際は飛行機に乗っていない。実際は事故にあっていない。

“If I had gotten on that airplane, I would have been in an accident.”  BUT: In reality I didn’t get on the airplane. In reality I haven’t been in an accident.

あのときもっと勉強していたら、今ごろ博士になっていただろう。

                           ↓                                              ↓

実際は勉強が足りなかった。実際は博士になっていない。

“If I had studied more back then, I would have had a PhD by now.” BUT: In reality I didn’t study enough. In reality I haven’t become a PhD.

Conclusion

There are three takeaways from this mini-lesson:

There are two types of contrafactuals: present and past.

Contrafactuals convey situations that have not yet happened or did not actually happen.

In Japanese, contrafactuals are formed by using conditional and volitional verbs.

If you think you’ve got a handle on these takeaways and the example sentences, then fantastic—congrats on learning a fairly advanced (N2-level) grammatical item! If you have any questions or comments or even if you just want to chat, my ask box is always open!

n.b.: if you don’t know the difference between 尊敬語 (sonkeigo) and 謙譲語 (kenjougo), or much about 敬語 (keigo) in general, i recommend a quick google search or glancing over an article like this one! also, i won’t be glossing any kanji, bc i’m lazy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

みなさん、お久しぶりですね！ today i’m going to guide you guys through the verb forms for japanese 敬語. 敬語 can be pretty tricky, but the rules for forming 敬語 verbs (like many rules in japanese) are actually quite consistent. 

there are three 尊敬語 (honorific) forms i’m going to go over today: the Vください form, the Vになります form, and the “simple 尊敬語” form. i’ll also give a brief list of verbs that have specific forms in 尊敬語. after that, i’ll go over one 謙譲語 (humble) form, the Vします form, and then a list of 謙譲語-specific verb forms. さて、行きましょう！

尊敬語：お・ごVください

this form is used to say “please” to a superior, but it doesn’t use the 〜て form like in 丁寧語. here’s how to form it with ichidan, godan, and する verbs.

ichidan/godan verbs: おVますください

かける → かけます → ソファにおかけください

入る → 入ります → どうぞお入りください

する verbs: ごNするください

注意する → 閉まるドアにご注意ください

尊敬語：おVになります

this form is used as a more formal replacement for the usual Vます form, but shouldn’t be used with する verbs* OR verbs that have special forms in 敬語 (see below).

ichidan/godan verbs: おVますになります

書く → 書きます → この教科書は鈴木先生がお書きになりました

帰る → 帰ります → 何時にお帰りになりましたか

する verbs: ❌*

❌ ご説明になりました*

⭕️ ご説明なさいました・説明されました (see below)

*according to the textbook i’m using (see sources), these are incorrect. however, i have seen some posts online that say ごNになります is an acceptable form, so it’s not impossible you’ll see it in the wild (perhaps the times they are a-changing?).

尊敬語：簡単尊敬語 (aka the “active passive”)

have you ever seen a japanese verb in the passive and said to yourself, “actually that makes no sense at all”? it was probably one of these “simple 尊敬語” forms! they are used like the active voice but written like the passive, so you have to tell the difference from context. also, they are NOT used with ください.

ichidan verbs: Vないられます

食べる → 食べない → 刺身を食べられますか

godan verbs: Vないれます

読む  →  読まない → 今朝の新聞を読まれましたか

する verbs: Nするされます

紹介する → 先生が新しい学生を紹介されました

ください form: ❌

❌ 英語で話されてください

⭕️ 英語でお話しください

this form is not quite as formal as おVになります, and it comes across as a little more friendly or “気軽,” so be careful when you use it. it might be more appropriate to use with strangers, for example, than with your boss.

尊敬語： verbs with special forms

some verbs are actually completely different in 敬語, for reasons probably more complicated than i care to find out (lol). here is a list of some common ones for 尊敬語!

行きます・来ます・います → いらっしゃいます・おいでになります

言います → おっしゃいます

見ます → ご覧になります

飲みます・食べます → 召し上がります

知っています → ご存知です

します → なさいます

くれます → くださいます

寝ます → お休みになります

着ます → お召しになります

住んでいます → お住まいです

死にました → お亡くなりになりました

です → でいらっしゃいます

謙譲語：お・ごVします

when speaking about your own actions to a superior, you can use this 謙譲語 form to be more humble and formal than you would be using Vます. this form isn’t used with verbs with special 謙譲語 forms.

ichidan/godan verbs: おVますします

届ける → 届けます → この書類をお届けします

持つ → 持ちます → 社長の荷物をお持ちします

する verbs: ごNします

説明する → 先生に新しいパソコンの使い方をご説明します

a quick note about this form: generally when using 謙譲語, it is common to omit 私が at the beginning of sentences/phrases, since you are already referring to yourself by using humble language anyway.

謙譲語： verbs with special forms

just like with 尊敬語, 謙譲語 has verbs whose forms change entirely. here are some of the most common ones!

行きます・来ます → 参ります・伺います

います → おります

言います → 申します (in 自己紹介)・申し上げます

見ます → 拝見します

飲みます・食べます → いただきます

知っています → 存じております (thing)・存じ上げております (person)

思います → 存じます

します → いたします

あげます → 差し上げます

もらいます → いただきます

会います → お会いします・お目にかかります

聞きます → お聞きします・伺います

あります → ございます

です → でございます

sources

Why it's important to read as much native materials as you possibly can in your target language and where/how to start.

※ When learners first embark on their journey of picking up a new language, the first thing we do is familiarize ourselves with the alphabet, pronunciation, and other important innerworkings on the language. With Japanese, the first step is to learn hiragana and katakana. A lot of people stop in the middle of that because they feel that it's not worth learning the language if they have to learn that many letters. But what if you've made it past that point? Where do you go from there? Of course, we move on to basic grammar and sentence structure so that you can begin to understand why sentences are formed the way that they are. (and, of course, vocab words).

※ However, while textbooks and workbooks do teach us the way that sentences are formed, it's stiff. Of course, the purpose behind that is to make sure that you understand the basics before you move on to more native/nuanced versions of the structures. But once you're ready to do that, where do you go? Click below to keep reading:

n.b.: if you don’t know the difference between 尊敬語 (sonkeigo) and 謙譲語 (kenjougo), or much about 敬語 (keigo) in general, i recommend a quick google search or glancing over an article like this one! also, i won’t be glossing any kanji, bc i’m lazy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

みなさん、お久しぶりですね！ today i’m going to guide you guys through the verb forms for japanese 敬語. 敬語 can be pretty tricky, but the rules for forming 敬語 verbs (like many rules in japanese) are actually quite consistent. 

there are three 尊敬語 (honorific) forms i’m going to go over today: the Vください form, the Vになります form, and the “simple 尊敬語” form. i’ll also give a brief list of verbs that have specific forms in 尊敬語. after that, i’ll go over one 謙譲語 (humble) form, the Vします form, and then a list of 謙譲語-specific verb forms. さて、行きましょう！

尊敬語：お・ごVください

this form is used to say “please” to a superior, but it doesn’t use the 〜て form like in 丁寧語. here’s how to form it with ichidan, godan, and する verbs.

ichidan/godan verbs: おVますください

かける → かけます → ソファにおかけください

入る → 入ります → どうぞお入りください

する verbs: ごNするください

注意する → 閉まるドアにご注意ください

尊敬語：おVになります

this form is used as a more formal replacement for the usual Vます form, but shouldn’t be used with する verbs* OR verbs that have special forms in 敬語 (see below).

ichidan/godan verbs: おVますになります

書く → 書きます → この教科書は鈴木先生がお書きになりました

帰る → 帰ります → 何時にお帰りになりましたか

する verbs: ❌*

❌ ご説明になりました*

⭕️ ご説明なさいました・説明されました (see below)

*according to the textbook i’m using (see sources), these are incorrect. however, i have seen some posts online that say ごNになります is an acceptable form, so it’s not impossible you’ll see it in the wild (perhaps the times they are a-changing?).

尊敬語：簡単尊敬語 (aka the “active passive”)

have you ever seen a japanese verb in the passive and said to yourself, “actually that makes no sense at all”? it was probably one of these “simple 尊敬語” forms! they are used like the active voice but written like the passive, so you have to tell the difference from context. also, they are NOT used with ください.

ichidan verbs: Vないられます

食べる → 食べない → 刺身を食べられますか

godan verbs: Vないれます

読む  →  読まない → 今朝の新聞を読まれましたか

する verbs: Nするされます

紹介する → 先生が新しい学生を紹介されました

ください form: ❌

❌ 英語で話されてください

⭕️ 英語でお話しください

this form is not quite as formal as おVになります, and it comes across as a little more friendly or “気軽,” so be careful when you use it. it might be more appropriate to use with strangers, for example, than with your boss.

尊敬語： verbs with special forms

some verbs are actually completely different in 敬語, for reasons probably more complicated than i care to find out (lol). here is a list of some common ones for 尊敬語!

行きます・来ます・います → いらっしゃいます・おいでになります

言います → おっしゃいます

見ます → ご覧になります

飲みます・食べます → 召し上がります

知っています → ご存知です

します → なさいます

くれます → くださいます

寝ます → お休みになります

着ます → お召しになります

住んでいます → お住まいです

死にました → お亡くなりになりました

です → でいらっしゃいます

謙譲語：お・ごVします

when speaking about your own actions to a superior, you can use this 謙譲語 form to be more humble and formal than you would be using Vます. this form isn’t used with verbs with special 謙譲語 forms.

ichidan/godan verbs: おVますします

届ける → 届けます → この書類をお届けします

持つ → 持ちます → 社長の荷物をお持ちします

する verbs: ごNします

説明する → 先生に新しいパソコンの使い方をご説明します

a quick note about this form: generally when using 謙譲語, it is common to omit 私が at the beginning of sentences/phrases, since you are already referring to yourself by using humble language anyway.

謙譲語： verbs with special forms

just like with 尊敬語, 謙譲語 has verbs whose forms change entirely. here are some of the most common ones!

行きます・来ます → 参ります・伺います

います → おります

言います → 申します (in 自己紹介)・申し上げます

見ます → 拝見します

飲みます・食べます → いただきます

知っています → 存じております (thing)・存じ上げております (person)

思います → 存じます

します → いたします

あげます → 差し上げます

もらいます → いただきます

会います → お会いします・お目にかかります

聞きます → お聞きします・伺います

あります → ございます

です → でございます

sources

An introduction to respectful speech (keigo) in Japanese

敬語 (けいご) is respectful speech in Japanese. 敬語 is based in the social hierarchy that has carried over into modern Japanese society from ancient times. A good general rule is to be more polite rather than less polite when speaking to people you do not know well, especially those of a higher rank or those who are older than you.

Some Japanese words can be substituted with a more respectful version. This is called 改まった (あらたまった)

明日 (あした) → 明日 (あす)

人 (ひと) → 方 (かた)

Honorific prefixes お or ご can be added to certain nouns and verbs.

お-　honorific title used on words of typically Japanese origin or other titles

茶 (ちゃ) → お茶 (おちゃ)

ご-　honorific title used on words of typically foreign origin (e.g. Chinese)

家族 (かぞく) → ご家族 (ごかぞく)

Honorifics after names is also part of 敬語.

さん → 様 (さま)

敬語 is divided into three groups:

1. Polite 丁寧語 (ていねいご)

A polite level of Japanese. What you learn in beginning Japanese.

です／～ます

お and ご honorific prefixes

2. Honorific 尊敬語 (そんけいご)

Direct expression of respect. Describes the actions of the listener and raises the listener's position with respect to the speaker.

お～ and ご～ Verb stem ～になります (verb structure)

Special verbs such as いらっしゃいます

3. Humble 謙譲語 (けんじょうご)

Indirect expression of respect. Describes the actions of the speaker and humbles the speaker's position with respect to the listener.

お～ and ご～ Verb stem ～します (verb structure)