O in Japanese is used as a prefix to make polite expressions, explained

What is “o” in Japanese?

Japanese native speakers often use “o” as a prefix to make its following word polite. This prefix can precede a noun, verb, adjective, or even phrase. In this blog post, I will explain this prefix in detail together with example sentences. Let’s get started!

For the case particle, “wo”, please refer to the blog post: Wo in Japanese is used to make the object word in a sentence, explained

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “o”
• Example #1: “o” before a noun
• Example #2: “o” before a verb
• Example #3: “o” before an adjective
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “o”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “o”.

• o – お : a prefix used to make its following word polite. It can precede a noun, verb, adjective, or even phrase.

Japanese native speakers quite often use “o” in formal situations in order to make polite expressions. This prefix can precede many words, but not all words. Sometimes, another prefix “go” needs to be used. Unfortunately, there is no clear rule. Japanese learners need to learn it through real Japanese conversations.

Example #1: “o” before a noun

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle put after a noun or pronoun used to make its possessive case. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
• oshigoto – お仕事 (おしごと) : a polite expression of “shigoto” which means ‘job’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase, “kare no oshigoto”, to make the subject in the sentence.
• kyoushi – 教師 (きょうし) : a noun meaning ‘teacher’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, it is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is put after the noun, “kyoushi”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “o”. In this example, it is used before the noun, “shigoto”, to make its polite expression, “oshigoto”. Japanese native speakers often use this polite expression when they refer to someone’s job or work.

Example #2: “o” before a verb

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• omodori – お戻り (おもどり) : a polite expression of one conjugation of the verb, “modoru”, which means ‘to return’ or ‘to come back’ in Japanese.
• kudasai – 下さい (ください) : an imperative form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. It can also work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of “please” to its preceding verb. In this example, it works as an auxiliary verb.

This is another typical usage of “o”. In this example, it is used as a part of the polite expression of the conjugated verb, “omodori”. When we want to make polite expressions of verbs in Japanese, this prefix would be helpful.

Example #3: “o” before an adjective

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. It can also be used like an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence to say “today”.
• mo – も : a binding particle used to add the meaning and nuance of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’ to its preceding word. In the example, it is used to add the meaning of “too” to “kyou”.
• okirei – お綺麗 (おきれい) : a polite expression of one conjugation of the na-adjective, “kireina“, which means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “o”. In this example, it is used as a part of the polite expression of the conjugated na-adjective, “okirei”. This prefix is also helpful when we want to make polite expressions of adjectives in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the prefix, “o”, in detail with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• o – お : a prefix used to make its following word polite. This prefix can precede many words, but not all words. Sometimes, another prefix “go” needs to be used. Unfortunately, there is no clear rule on which prefix needs to be used. Japanese learners need to learn it through real Japanese conversations.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.