お / ご (o / go)
お～ / ご～ — polite prefixes on nouns
Pattern
-
お＋和語の名詞お + native Japanese noun (お名前, お茶, お元気) -
ご＋漢語の名詞ご + Sino-Japanese noun (ご家族, ご連絡)
Two prefixes
お is usually used with words read in the native Japanese way (名前, 茶, 元気 as お名前, お茶, お元気). ご is usually used with words read in the Chinese-derived way (家族, 連絡 as ご家族, ご連絡).
Whose things?
When it respects another person, the prefix goes on their things or actions: お名前 (your name), ご家族 (your family). Never put it on your own: say 私の名前, not お名前.
Fixed words
Some words almost always carry お even when no honor is meant: お茶, お金, お水, お風呂, お弁当, ご飯. There are exceptions (e.g., お電話 and ご飯), so learn them as set words.
Examples
-
お名前（なまえ）を教（おし）えてください。
Onamae o oshiete kudasai.
Please tell me your name.
お respects the other person's name.
-
お茶（ちゃ）をどうぞ。
Ocha o dōzo.
Please have some tea.
お茶 is a fixed polite word.
-
ご家族（かぞく）はお元気（げんき）ですか。
Gokazoku wa ogenki desu ka.
Is your family well?
ご + 家族 (Sino-Japanese), お + 元気 (also takes お).
Common mistakes
- Don't add お/ご to your own things or family. Say 私の家族, not ご家族, for your own.
- Not every noun takes a prefix (e.g., 電車, 車). Learn which words are normally used with お/ご.
More grammar points
- は は (wa) — the topic particle
- を を (o) — the object particle
- に に (ni) — time, destination, location
- で で (de) — place of action & means
- と と (to) — and / together with
- の の (no) — possessive & noun linker
- へ へ (e) — direction
- も も (mo) — also / too
- か か (ka) — the question marker
- です です (desu) — the copula
- から から・まで — from … to …
- より より (yori) — than (comparison)
- ます 〜ます — the polite verb form
- て て-form — connecting & requests
- ない ない-form — the plain negative
- た た-form — the plain past
- い い-adjectives
- な な-adjectives
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