Japanese is sometimes thought of as a tough language to learn. There are a number of distinct alphabets including Kanji, adapted from Chinese characters which has a great number if you would try to learn all of them. Another tough part of the language is 'keigo' or polite language. The Japanese language has a number of different ways to say the same thing according to the level of politeness. In this article we will cover one of the prefixes you should be aware of, which is starting words with 'o' and 'go'.
You might not have realised when you have been learning Japanese that 'o' and 'go' are really prefixes that can construct words more polite or respectful. A word you may have already have learnt is 'okane' which means money. Another example is learning to say 'How are You' which is 'Ogenki desu ka'. How about words for the family e.g. 'Okaasan' (mother) and 'Otoosan' for father. Using the prefix 'go' a common word is 'gohan' - rice.
For several words the prefix is optional and for others the prefix always has to be used. If you are asked 'How are You', you wouldn't answer 'OGenki desu', you would respond 'Genki desu'. The 'o' prefix is removed and not used. This is especially true as you are referring to yourself. Someone may ask about your husband by saying 'goshujin', adding the prefix 'go' to the word for husband 'shujin', but if you are referring to your own husband you would just say 'shujin'.
Words where the prefix is never separated include words like 'gohan' - you cannot just say 'han' and also 'ocha' which means tea - you wouldn't just say 'cha'. Particular words the prefix is optional and these include words like 'okane' which means money, 'sake' and 'osake', the drink and 'karada' and 'okarada' which means body. The prefix can be attached to nouns like in the previous examples or to verbs, for example in 'odekake' which means to go out.
Its possible to append the prefix to most any word in Japanese to show respect and make your Japanese language sound more polite. You should be careful though as it may sound a little strange if you add 'o' or 'go' too much in your sentences. Now that you know a little about these prefixes, pay attention next time you are listening to Japanese and you will certainly hear their use. You will also notice how the speaker is using the honorific term and the listener if replying will not use it as they are referring to themselves. - 30216
You might not have realised when you have been learning Japanese that 'o' and 'go' are really prefixes that can construct words more polite or respectful. A word you may have already have learnt is 'okane' which means money. Another example is learning to say 'How are You' which is 'Ogenki desu ka'. How about words for the family e.g. 'Okaasan' (mother) and 'Otoosan' for father. Using the prefix 'go' a common word is 'gohan' - rice.
For several words the prefix is optional and for others the prefix always has to be used. If you are asked 'How are You', you wouldn't answer 'OGenki desu', you would respond 'Genki desu'. The 'o' prefix is removed and not used. This is especially true as you are referring to yourself. Someone may ask about your husband by saying 'goshujin', adding the prefix 'go' to the word for husband 'shujin', but if you are referring to your own husband you would just say 'shujin'.
Words where the prefix is never separated include words like 'gohan' - you cannot just say 'han' and also 'ocha' which means tea - you wouldn't just say 'cha'. Particular words the prefix is optional and these include words like 'okane' which means money, 'sake' and 'osake', the drink and 'karada' and 'okarada' which means body. The prefix can be attached to nouns like in the previous examples or to verbs, for example in 'odekake' which means to go out.
Its possible to append the prefix to most any word in Japanese to show respect and make your Japanese language sound more polite. You should be careful though as it may sound a little strange if you add 'o' or 'go' too much in your sentences. Now that you know a little about these prefixes, pay attention next time you are listening to Japanese and you will certainly hear their use. You will also notice how the speaker is using the honorific term and the listener if replying will not use it as they are referring to themselves. - 30216
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