Japanese/Grammar/お

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Contents 1 Meaning 2 Translation 3 Usage 4 Examples 4.1 Nouns 4.2 Na-Adjectives 4.3 I-Adjectives 4.4 Verbs

[edit] Meaning

お o is an exalted prefix. It shows respect for the individual or object to whom it pertains.

[edit] Translation

There is no eqivalent in English. In translation it is either dropped, or (when appropriate) translated as your, etc.

[edit] Usage

お o can be applied to nouns, na-adjectives, i-adjectives, and verbs.

Because お o is exalted, it is not used on or about the speaker. For example,

お元気(げんき)ですか。 O-genki desu ka?

is the formal way of asking "How are you." The normal response is

元気(げんき)です。 Genki desu.

In the first example, person A is exalting person B by placing the exalted prefix お o in front of the word 元気(げんき) genki, which refers to person B's health. In the response, person B omits the お o prefix because he does not wish to exalt himself.

Note that お o is usually only applied to words of Japanese origin, and most Sino-Japanese words take the honorific prefix 御(ご) go instead. (元気(げんき) genki is a notable exception.)

[edit] Examples

Words that commonly use お o include:

[edit] Nouns

• お茶(ちゃ) o-cha "tea"
• お水(みず) o-mizu "water"
• お仕事(しごと) o-shigoto "job"
• お家(うち) o-uchi "home"
• お部屋(へや) o-heya "room"
• お父(とう)さん otousan "father"
• お母(かあ)さん okaasan "mother"
• お兄(にい)さん oniisan "older brother"
• お姉(ねえ)さん oneesan "older sister"
• お祖父(じい)さん ojiisan "grandfather"
• お祖母(ばあ)さん obaasan "grandmother"
• お子(こ)さん o-ko-san "child"

[edit] Na-Adjectives

• お元気(げんき) o-genki "healthy"
• お好(す)き o-suki "liked"

[edit] I-Adjectives

• お早(はや)い o-hayai "early"

[edit] Verbs

• お入(はい)り o-hairi "Please enter."
• お座(すわ)り o-suwari "Please sit."