You walk into a Japanese convenience store and the staff greet you with おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu). You check your bank balance and think about お金 (okane, money). Your colleague emails you with ご連絡ありがとうございます (go-renraku arigatou gozaimasu, thank you for getting in touch). You may have noticed a pattern: a small prefix — お or ご — appearing in front of all sorts of Japanese words.
These tiny syllables do a lot of heavy lifting in Japanese. They signal politeness, soften your speech, show respect for the person you are talking with, and in some cases simply make a word sound more beautiful. Yet many learners either skip them entirely or slap them onto every word they can think of — both of which produce awkward-sounding Japanese.
This guide will give you a clear, practical understanding of お (o) and ご (go): what they mean, which words take which prefix, the important exceptions, and the mistakes to avoid. By the end you will know exactly when and how to use them to sound natural and polished in everyday Japanese.
| 📋 At a Glance | お (o-prefix) | ご (go-prefix) |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | o | go |
| Kanji | 御 (or お alone) | 御 (same kanji, different reading) |
| Typical word origin | Native Japanese (和語, wago) | Sino-Japanese (漢語, kango) |
| Examples | お水、お茶、お名前、お金 | ご連絡、ご家族、ご予約、ご意見 |
| Main functions | Politeness (丁寧語), beautification (美化語), respect (尊敬語) | |
| Referring to others’ things | Always add prefix when talking about the listener’s belongings or actions | |
| Referring to your own things | Generally drop the prefix to avoid sounding arrogant | |
| JLPT relevance | N4–N3 (keigo basics); N2–N1 (nuanced business usage) | |
What Do Honorific Prefixes Actually Do?
In Japanese grammar, お and ご belong to a category called 敬語（けいご） (keigo) — the system of honorific speech used to show respect and social awareness. Within keigo, these prefixes serve three overlapping roles:
- 丁寧語（ていねいご）/ Polite language: Raising the overall register of your speech. Saying お水 (omizu) instead of just 水 (mizu) sounds more courteous in almost any social situation.
- 美化語（びかご）/ Beautification language: Making everyday words sound refined or elegant, regardless of who owns the thing. For example, お料理 (oryouri, cooking/cuisine) sounds more polished than 料理 (ryouri) alone, even when you are talking about your own cooking.
- 尊敬語（そんけいご）/ Honorific language: Showing that something belongs to or is associated with the person you are speaking to or about. お名前 (onamae, your/their name) signals that you are treating the listener with respect.
Understanding these three roles helps you decide when a prefix is truly necessary and when it would be excessive. A good mental model: if you are talking to a customer, a boss, or a stranger in a formal setting, the prefix is almost always appropriate. If you are chatting with a close friend, you can drop it — though for some words the prefix has become so standard that dropping it sounds oddly blunt.
YukaWait, so お and ご are both written with the same kanji 御? How do I know which reading to use?
ReiThat is a great question! The rule of thumb is: お goes with native Japanese words (和語), and ご goes with Sino-Japanese words (漢語). The word's origin usually tells you which reading to use — though there are some tricky exceptions we will cover later!
お (O-Prefix): Native Japanese Words
The お prefix attaches most naturally to 和語（わご） (wago) — words that originated in Japan rather than being borrowed from Chinese. These are often everyday, concrete nouns describing things you encounter in daily life.
Here is a comprehensive set of words that commonly take お, with their formality level:
| With prefix | Without prefix | Meaning | Formality / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| お水（おみず） | 水（みず） | water | Standard polite; always use in restaurants |
| お茶（おちゃ） | 茶（ちゃ） | tea | お茶 is the standard form; 茶 alone is rare in speech |
| お金（おかね） | 金（かね） | money | お金 is standard; 金 alone can sound rough |
| お名前（おなまえ） | 名前（なまえ） | name | Use お名前 when asking someone else’s name |
| お仕事（おしごと） | 仕事（しごと） | work / job | Use for the listener’s job; drop お for your own |
| お部屋（おへや） | 部屋（へや） | room | Polite; common in hospitality contexts |
| お料理（おりょうり） | 料理（りょうり） | cooking / cuisine | Beautification use; sounds refined even for your own cooking |
| お花（おはな） | 花（はな） | flowers | Standard polite; common in everyday speech |
| お手洗い（おてあらい） | 手洗い（てあらい） | restroom | The prefix is essentially mandatory here; 手洗い alone is unusual |
| お腹（おなか） | 腹（はら） | stomach / belly | お腹 is standard; 腹 sounds rough or masculine |
| お菓子（おかし） | 菓子（かし） | sweets / snacks | お菓子 is the normal form in everyday speech |
| お土産（おみやげ） | 土産（みやげ） | souvenir / gift | Standard; both forms exist but お土産 is far more common |
| お箸（おはし） | 箸（はし） | chopsticks | Standard polite |
| お皿（おさら） | 皿（さら） | plate / dish | Common in daily conversation |
| お風呂（おふろ） | 風呂（ふろ） | bath / bathroom | お風呂 is the overwhelmingly standard form |
| お宅（おたく） | 宅（たく） | your home / house | Use お宅 for the listener’s home; see Section 6 |
| お子さん（おこさん） | 子（こ） | your child / children | Always use お子さん for someone else’s child |
| お友達（おともだち） | 友達（ともだち） | your friend(s) | Polite reference to the listener’s friends |
| お酒（おさけ） | 酒（さけ） | alcohol / sake | Standard; お酒 is more polite, 酒 is casual |
| お惣菜（おそうざい） | 惣菜（そうざい） | side dishes / deli food | Common in supermarket and restaurant contexts |
| お時間（おじかん） | 時間（じかん） | time | Used when asking for someone’s time: お時間がありますか？ |
| お気持ち（おきもち） | 気持ち（きもち） | feelings / sentiments | お気持ちはありがたいのですが… (I appreciate your feelings, but…) |
A useful pattern to remember: when a native Japanese noun refers to something closely tied to daily human experience — food, body, home, relationships — there is a good chance it takes お.
ご (Go-Prefix): Sino-Japanese Words
The ご prefix typically attaches to 漢語（かんご） (kango) — words whose roots came into Japanese from Chinese, usually consisting of two or more kanji compounds. These words tend to be more formal or abstract in nature.
| With prefix | Without prefix | Meaning | Context / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ご連絡（ごれんらく） | 連絡（れんらく） | contact / getting in touch | ご連絡ありがとうございます — standard in emails |
| ご家族（ごかぞく） | 家族（かぞく） | family (the listener’s) | Always use ご家族 for someone else’s family |
| ご予約（ごよやく） | 予約（よやく） | reservation / booking | ご予約はお済みですか？ — common in hospitality |
| ご意見（ごいけん） | 意見（いけん） | opinion / view | ご意見をお聞かせください — formal business |
| ご住所（ごじゅうしょ） | 住所（じゅうしょ） | address (the listener’s) | ご住所をお教えください |
| ご職業（ごしょくぎょう） | 職業（しょくぎょう） | occupation (the listener’s) | Form-filling or formal interview contexts |
| ご結婚（ごけっこん） | 結婚（けっこん） | marriage | ご結婚おめでとうございます — set expression |
| ご出席（ごしゅっせき） | 出席（しゅっせき） | attendance | ご出席いただきありがとうございます |
| ご利用（ごりよう） | 利用（りよう） | use / usage | ご利用ありがとうございます — on receipts, signs |
| ご確認（ごかくにん） | 確認（かくにん） | confirmation / check | ご確認のほどよろしくお願いします |
| ご質問（ごしつもん） | 質問（しつもん） | question | ご質問はありますか？ — standard in presentations |
| ご参加（ごさんか） | 参加（さんか） | participation | ご参加ありがとうございました |
| ご協力（ごきょうりょく） | 協力（きょうりょく） | cooperation | ご協力お願いします — signs, requests |
| ご不便（ごふべん） | 不便（ふべん） | inconvenience | ご不便をおかけして申し訳ありません |
| ご報告（ごほうこく） | 報告（ほうこく） | report | ご報告申し上げます — formal business writing |
You will notice that many ご words appear in fixed phrases — greetings, apologies, requests. Learning these phrases as set chunks is a highly efficient strategy: rather than building them from scratch each time, you can deploy them as complete units.
Exceptions and Tricky Cases
If the native/Sino rule were perfectly consistent, this section would not need to exist. Unfortunately, Japanese has accumulated a number of exceptions over centuries of use, and these are the cases that trip up even advanced learners.
Words That Break the Rule
| Word | Origin | Expected prefix | Actual prefix | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ご飯（ごはん） | Native Japanese (和語) | お | ご | Historical convention; ごはん is so fixed that おはん does not exist |
| お電話（おでんわ） | Sino-Japanese (漢語) | ご | お | でんわ became so integrated into daily life that the softer お became standard |
| お料理（おりょうり） | Sino-Japanese (漢語) | ご | お | High frequency of use shifted convention toward お |
| お時間（おじかん） | Sino-Japanese (漢語) | ご | お | Treated as a daily-life concept, so お prevails |
| お返事（おへんじ） | Sino-Japanese (漢語) | ご | お | Both ご返事 and お返事 exist; お返事 is slightly softer and more common in speech |
The honest truth: exceptions need to be memorised individually. If you are unsure, listening to how native speakers say a word is your most reliable guide. Both ご返事 (go-henji) and お返事 (o-henji) are acceptable, which is itself a useful data point — there is tolerance in the system.
Words That Never Take a Prefix
Not every Japanese word can accept お or ご. The following categories typically do not take honorific prefixes:
- Foreign loanwords (外来語, gairaigo): You would not say おコーヒー (o-koohii) or おテーブル (o-teeburu). These words arrived in Japanese too recently to have absorbed the honorific prefix convention. (お手洗い is an exception because it is a native compound.)
- Highly specific technical or scientific terms: Specialist vocabulary like 酸素（さんそ, oxygen）or 統計（とうけい, statistics）does not take a prefix in normal use.
- Words already expressing respect in another way: Words like 先生（せんせい）already carry inherent respect, so adding お先生 would be redundant and sounds odd.
- Your own humble actions in keigo: When you use humble forms (謙譲語, kenjougo), you typically use a different structure entirely rather than adding お/ご to your own nouns.
YukaI tried to say おコーヒーをどうぞ to sound polite but my Japanese friend laughed. What went wrong?
ReiThat is a classic mistake! コーヒー is a foreign loanword (外来語), so it does not take お. Just say コーヒーをどうぞ. It is already polite enough! The same goes for words like テレビ, パソコン, and スマホ — no お or ご needed.
Referring to Others' Things vs. Your Own
One of the most important nuances of お and ご is the distinction between whose things or actions you are talking about. This is where many learners make subtle but significant errors.
The Listener's Things: Always Add the Prefix
When you are talking about something that belongs to or is associated with the person you are speaking to (or a third party you are showing respect toward), the honorific prefix is almost always appropriate — and often expected.
| Situation | With prefix (correct) | Without prefix (sounds blunt or rude) |
|---|---|---|
| Asking about their family | ご家族はお元気ですか？ | 家族は元気ですか？ (too casual) |
| Asking their name | お名前をお聞かせください | 名前を聞かせてください (blunt) |
| Mentioning their home | お宅はどちらですか？ | 宅はどちらですか？ (unnatural) |
| Referencing their work | お仕事はいかがですか？ | 仕事はどうですか？ (too casual) |
| Asking their opinion | ご意見をお聞かせください | 意見を聞かせてください (abrupt) |
Your Own Things: Usually Drop the Prefix
When you are talking about yourself, your own possessions, or your own actions, you generally do not add the honorific prefix. Doing so can come across as self-important or even comical.
| Situation | Correct (no prefix) | Avoid (sounds self-important) |
|---|---|---|
| Talking about your own family | 家族は元気です (My family is well) | ご家族は元気です ❌ |
| Your own home | 我が家（わがや）/ 自宅（じたく） | お宅 for your own home ❌ |
| Your own name | 名前は田中です | お名前は田中です ❌ |
| Your own work | 仕事は営業です | お仕事は営業です ❌ |
There are exceptions here too. In customer service and hospitality, staff sometimes use slightly elevated language about their own establishment’s services as a form of beautification (美化語), but this is a professional register choice, not the baseline rule.
お and ご in Fixed Expressions
Some of the most important appearances of お and ご in Japanese are not in freely constructed sentences but in set expressions — greetings, opening formulas, and courtesy phrases. These need to be memorised as whole units because the prefix is permanently baked in.
Essential Fixed Expressions with お
| Expression | Meaning | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | Good morning | Morning greeting (formal); おはよう is casual |
| お世話になっております | Thank you for your continued support / I am in your care | Standard opening for business emails and calls |
| お疲れ様です（おつかれさまです） | Good work / Thanks for your efforts | Greeting colleagues during or after work |
| お邪魔します（おじゃまします） | Excuse me for intruding | Said when entering someone’s home or office |
| おかげさまで | Thanks to you / Thanks to your support | Polite response when someone asks how you are |
| お待たせしました（おまたせしました） | Sorry to have kept you waiting | After making someone wait, in any context |
| お気をつけて（おきをつけて） | Please take care / Safe travels | When someone is leaving |
Essential Fixed Expressions with ご
| Expression | Meaning | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| ご連絡ありがとうございます | Thank you for contacting me / getting in touch | Business emails and messages |
| ごめんなさい | I am sorry | Everyday apology (ごめん is the casual form) |
| ご迷惑をおかけしました | I am sorry for the trouble I have caused | Formal apology |
| ご確認のほどよろしくお願いします | Thank you in advance for checking / Please kindly confirm | Standard request at the end of a business email |
| ご不便をおかけして申し訳ありません | I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience | Service disruptions, formal apologies |
| ご結婚おめでとうございます | Congratulations on your marriage | Wedding congratulations |
| ごゆっくりどうぞ | Please take your time / Please relax | Hospitality; telling a guest to make themselves comfortable |
Notice that ごめんなさい breaks the Sino-Japanese rule — めん (面) has Chinese origins but the full expression ごめんなさい evolved as a set phrase. This reinforces why learning fixed expressions as chunks is smarter than trying to derive them from the rule alone.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Over-Prefixing Everything
The most common learner error is adding お or ご to every noun in an attempt to sound polite. This quickly becomes unnatural — and can even come across as sarcastic or comically over-formal in casual situations.
Example of over-prefixing:
❌ おコーヒーとおケーキをおテーブルにおいてください
✅ コーヒーとケーキをテーブルに置いてください
Loanwords (コーヒー, ケーキ, テーブル) never take お or ご. Even for native words, piling on prefix after prefix sounds excessive.
Mistake 2: Using the Prefix for Your Own Things in Respectful Speech
In keigo, the general principle is: elevate the listener, humble yourself. Adding ご/お to your own nouns when speaking to a superior or customer elevates yourself, which inverts the intended social dynamic.
Example:
❌ 私のご家族は大阪に住んでいます。(Adding ご to your own family)
✅ 私の家族は大阪に住んでいます。
Mistake 3: Double-Prefixing
Some learners, unsure whether to use お or ご, write both. This is never correct.
Example:
❌ おご連絡ありがとうございます
✅ ご連絡ありがとうございます
Mistake 4: Using ご with Words That Take お (and Vice Versa)
Mixing up the prefixes produces words that do not exist or sound jarring.
Examples:
❌ ご水 (go-mizu) — does not exist; the correct form is お水
❌ おご飯 — double error; the correct form is ご飯
❌ おご連絡 — double error; the correct form is ご連絡
YukaSo even if I am not 100% sure which prefix to use, the most important thing is to never use both at once, right?
ReiExactly! And when in doubt, you can often skip the prefix entirely — most native speakers will understand and appreciate your effort regardless. But the biggest wins come from memorising the most common fixed phrases like ご連絡ありがとうございます and お世話になっております. Those cover a huge percentage of real-world situations.
Decision Flowchart: Should I Add お or ご?
Use this flowchart when you are unsure whether to add a prefix and which one to use:
Is the word a foreign loanword (gairaigo)?
├─ YES → Do NOT add お or ご. Use the word as-is.
└─ NO ↓
Is this a well-known fixed expression (e.g., おはようございます, ご連絡)?
├─ YES → Use the established fixed form. No analysis needed.
└─ NO ↓
Are you talking about YOUR OWN things/actions (not the listener's)?
├─ YES → Generally do NOT add a prefix (avoid sounding self-important).
│ Exception: beautification (美化語) for refined speech about food, art, etc.
└─ NO ↓
Are you talking about the LISTENER'S things/actions?
├─ YES → Add a prefix. Continue below to choose which one.
└─ NO ↓ (third party or general use)
→ Add a prefix if context is formal or polite. Continue below.
Is the word a native Japanese word (和語 / wago)?
├─ YES → Use お
└─ NO (Sino-Japanese 漢語 / kango) → Use ご
Still unsure? → Check a dictionary or native speaker resource.
Common exceptions: ご飯 (native but ご), お電話 / お料理 (Sino but お)Quick Quiz
Test your understanding with these questions. Answers appear below.
Q1. You are writing a business email and want to say “Thank you for your email.” Which phrase is correct?
a) お連絡ありがとうございます
b) ご連絡ありがとうございます
c) おご連絡ありがとうございます
Q2. A hotel receptionist wants to ask a guest, “May I have your name?” Which is correct?
a) 名前をお聞かせください
b) お名前をお聞かせください
c) ご名前をお聞かせください
Q3. You want to politely offer a glass of water. Which is correct?
a) お水はいかがですか？
b) ご水はいかがですか？
c) おご水はいかがですか？
Q4. You are talking to your boss about your own family. Which should you say?
a) ご家族は大阪に住んでいます
b) 家族は大阪に住んでいます
c) お家族は大阪に住んでいます
Q5. Which of these words can NEVER take お or ご?
a) 電話 (denwa)
b) コーヒー (koohii)
c) 時間 (jikan)
Answers:
Q1: b) ご連絡ありがとうございます — 連絡 is a Sino-Japanese word, so it takes ご. This is the standard email opening.
Q2: b) お名前をお聞かせください — 名前 is a native Japanese word, so it takes お. Note: ご名前 is occasionally seen but お名前 is standard.
Q3: a) お水はいかがですか？ — 水 (mizu) is a native Japanese word. ご水 does not exist.
Q4: b) 家族は大阪に住んでいます — When talking about your OWN family, you do not use ご家族. That form is reserved for the listener’s or a third party’s family.
Q5: b) コーヒー — It is a foreign loanword (gairaigo) and never takes お or ご. Both 電話 and 時間, despite being Sino-Japanese, are commonly used with お in everyday speech (お電話, お時間).
Summary: Key Takeaways
- お typically goes with native Japanese words (和語); ご typically goes with Sino-Japanese words (漢語).
- Both prefixes serve politeness, beautification, and respect — learn to recognise all three functions.
- Foreign loanwords (gairaigo) never take either prefix.
- Use the prefix when talking about the listener’s things; generally drop it when talking about your own.
- Memorise the most common fixed expressions as whole chunks — they appear constantly in daily and business Japanese.
- Never double-prefix (おご / ごお).
- Exceptions like ご飯 and お電話 must be memorised individually; the rule is a starting point, not a guarantee.
Keep Learning
Now that you understand honorific prefixes, take your polite Japanese to the next level with these related articles:
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About the Author
Daisuke is the creator of JP YoKoSo — a Japanese learning site for English speakers. Every article is written to explain Japanese clearly, with real examples, grammar notes, and practical tips for learners at every level.
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