In Japanese, adding お or ご before a word instantly elevates its politeness. お茶 (tea), ご飯 (rice/meal), お名前 (name) — these prefixes are everywhere. But when do you use お and when do you use ご?
The Basic Rule
Simple version: お goes with 和語 (native Japanese words) → お名前, お水, お元気
ご goes with 漢語 (Chinese-origin compound words) → ご住所, ご結婚, ご連絡
How to tell the difference? 和語 words often use kun’yomi readings and feel “native.” 漢語 words are usually two-kanji compounds with on’yomi readings.
お Words (和語 — Native Japanese)
| Word | Meaning | Usage Example |
|---|---|---|
| お名前 | Name | お名前は何ですか？ |
| お水 | Water | お水をください。 |
| お元気 | Health/energy | お元気ですか？ |
| お花 | Flower | お花がきれいですね。 |
| お金 | Money | お金が足りない。 |
| お茶 | Tea | お茶をどうぞ。 |
| お手紙 | Letter | お手紙ありがとうございます。 |
| お気持ち | Feelings | お気持ちは分かります。 |
ご Words (漢語 — Chinese-origin)
| Word | Meaning | Usage Example |
|---|---|---|
| ご住所 | Address | ご住所をお願いします。 |
| ご結婚 | Marriage | ご結婚おめでとうございます。 |
| ご連絡 | Contact | ご連絡ありがとうございます。 |
| ご家族 | Family | ご家族はお元気ですか？ |
| ご意見 | Opinion | ご意見をお聞かせください。 |
| ご案内 | Guidance | ご案内いたします。 |
| ご注文 | Order | ご注文はお決まりですか？ |
| ご利用 | Use/usage | ご利用ありがとうございます。 |
Tricky Exceptions (Must Memorize)
These 漢語 words use お instead of ご — breaking the rule:
| Word | Expected | Actual | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 電話 | ご電話 | お電話 | Very common in daily life |
| 食事 | ご食事 | お食事 | Used frequently in service industry |
| 時間 | ご時間 | お時間 | Extremely common word |
| 料理 | ご料理 | お料理 | Household word |
| 返事 | ご返事 | お返事 | Both actually used, お more common |
| 勉強 | ご勉強 | お勉強 | Often used for children’s study |
Words That Became Permanent
Some words are always used with their prefix, even when politeness isn’t the point:
- お茶 — Nobody says just 茶 in conversation
- お箸 — 箸 alone sounds strange
- お風呂 — 風呂 is rare without お
- ご飯 — 飯 alone is very rough/masculine
- お弁当 — 弁当 is acceptable but お弁当 is standard
When NOT to Use お/ご
- Katakana loanwords: No おコーヒー or おパソコン
- Your own things (usually): お名前 = their name, not yours
- Technical/scientific terms: No ご化学反応
- Casual situations: Overusing お/ご among close friends sounds stiff
Politeness & Keigo
Frequently Asked Questions
お goes with 和語 (native Japanese/kun’yomi words). ご goes with 漢語 (Chinese-origin/on’yomi compounds). Many exceptions exist and must be memorized.
No. Foreign loanwords, technical terms, and your own things generally don’t take prefixes. Some words like お茶 and お弁当 have become permanent regardless of context.
Frequent daily usage made お the natural prefix: お電話, お食事, お時間, お料理. These exceptions just need to be memorized.
Learn the kanji readings that determine お vs ご.