なさる is the 尊敬語 of する ("to do") — and because Japanese builds a staggering number of its verbs as noun ＋ する (勉強する, 予約する, 説明する, 心配する…), なさる is a master key. Swap する for なさる and you have honorified the whole compound in one stroke: 勉強する → 勉強なさる, 予約する → ご予約なさる. Learn this one verb and you gain respectful coverage of a huge slice of the language's action vocabulary. Two things to nail down: its irregular polite form なさいます, and the fact that its offshoot なさい is a command, not a courtesy.
Conjugation — the ラ行 〜います quirk
なさる is one of the five ラ行 honorifics; its polite form is the irregular なさいます, never ×なさります.
| Form | なさる | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| dictionary | なさる | nasaru |
| polite (ます) | なさいます | nasaimasu |
| polite past | なさいました | nasaimashita |
| polite negative | なさいません | nasaimasen |
| plain past | なさった | nasatta |
| te-form | なさって | nasatte |
| plain negative | なさらない | nasaranai |
社長は明日、取引先とゴルフをなさいます。
shachō wa ashita, torihikisaki to gorufu o nasaimasu
The president is playing golf with a client tomorrow. (polite なさいます)
部長はその決定を一人でなさいました。
buchō wa sono kettei o hitori de nasaimashita
The department head made that decision on his own. (polite past)
The master key: honorifying する-verbs
Any noun＋する verb can be raised by replacing する with なさる. Native-Japanese (和語) actions attach お; Sino-Japanese (漢語, on-reading compounds) actions attach ご — and the whole thing sits in front of なさる:
| Plain | Honorific (なさる) | Prefix |
|---|---|---|
| 勉強する | 勉強なさる | often bare |
| 利用する | ご利用なさる | ご (漢語) |
| 予約する | ご予約なさる | ご (漢語) |
| 心配する | ご心配なさる | ご (漢語) |
| 注文する | ご注文なさる | ご (漢語) |
ご予約はもうなさいましたか。
goyoyaku wa mō nasaimashita ka
Have you already made a reservation? (customer)
そんなにご心配なさらないでください。
sonna ni goshinpai nasara nai de kudasai
Please don't worry so much. (negative stem なさら〜)
お客様がご注文なさったものをお持ちしました。
okyakusama ga gochūmon nasatta mono o omochi shimashita
I've brought what you ordered, sir/madam. (elevate the customer's ordering, humble your own bringing)
どうなさいましたか — the caring "what's wrong?"
From どうする ("what to do / what's the matter") comes one of the most useful polite idioms you will hear from staff, doctors, and hosts: どうなさいましたか — "what's the matter? / is something wrong?" And in its non-past, どうなさいますか asks "what will you do? / how would you like to proceed?"
顔色が悪いですが、どうなさいましたか。
kaoiro ga warui desu ga, dō nasaimashita ka
You look pale — is something the matter? (concern for a superior/guest)
お支払いは現金とカード、どちらになさいますか。
oshiharai wa genkin to kādo, dochira ni nasaimasu ka
Will you be paying by cash or card? (lit. 'which will you make it?')
That last pattern — X になさる — means "make it X / go with X" (choosing from options), the polite version of X にする. It is what a waiter or clerk uses to take your choice.
ご or お? choosing the prefix
Which honorific prefix rides in front depends on the word's origin. Sino-Japanese compounds (漢語, read with on-yomi — 予約, 利用, 説明, 案内, 心配) take ご; native-Japanese する-nouns and a handful of everyday exceptions take お (お電話なさる, お約束なさる). Many common 漢語 verbs are also used bare before なさる (勉強なさる, 運動なさる); the prefix deepens the deference but is not always obligatory.
ご利用なさる際は、こちらのボタンを押してください。
goriyō nasaru sai wa, kochira no botan o oshite kudasai
When you use it, please press this button. (漢語 → ご)
お客様がお電話なさっています。
okyakusama ga odenwa nasatte imasu
A customer is on the phone. (電話 takes お, not ご)
なさる or される?
する actually has two honorifics: the special なさる and the lighter 〜られる form される. Both are correct Japanese. なさる carries a touch more deference and warmth and dominates service speech; される is lighter, quicker to attach, and extremely common in business and writing. Reach for なさる toward customers and true superiors, される toward a colleague a rank or two up.
部長も忘年会に参加されますか。
buchō mo bōnenkai ni sanka saremasu ka
Will you be coming to the year-end party too, sir? (される — lighter, collegial)
お客様は何時にご到着なさいますか。
okyakusama wa nanji ni gotōchaku nasaimasu ka
What time will you be arriving? (なさる — warmer, for a customer)
The trap: なさい is a command, not a courtesy
Here is where learners get burned. The imperative なさい comes from honorific なさる — it is historically なさる's imperative — yet it is a mild downward command, used by parents to children and teachers to pupils. It is gentler than the blunt しろ, but it flows from a superior down to an inferior. Saying it to your boss would be an insult.
宿題を早くしなさい。
shukudai o hayaku shinasai
Do your homework, now. (parent to child — downward)
ここに名前を書きなさい。
koko ni namae o kakinasai
Write your name here. (teacher to pupil — downward)
So the same root reaches in two opposite directions: なさる (and なさいます) elevates the person doing the action, while なさい commands the person you are speaking to. Direction, not the root, decides the courtesy — do not let the shared syllables fool you.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1 — the ます-form ×なさります.
❌ 社長は何時に出発なさりますか。
Wrong ます-form — the ラ行 honorific is なさいます.
✅ 社長は何時に出発なさいますか。
shachō wa nanji ni shuppatsu nasaimasu ka
What time will the president depart?
Mistake 2 — thinking なさい is polite enough for a superior.
❌ 部長、こちらにサインしなさい。
Insulting — なさい is a downward command; you can't order your boss around with it.
✅ 部長、こちらにサインをお願いいたします。
buchō, kochira ni sain o onegai itashimasu
Sir, could I ask you to sign here? (upward request)
Mistake 3 — using なさる about your own action. Your "do" is the humble いたす.
❌ 私が会場をご案内なさいます。
Self-elevation — なさる honors the other person; your own doing is humble いたす.
✅ 私が会場をご案内いたします。
watashi ga kaijō o goannai itashimasu
I'll show you to the venue. (humble, about yourself)
Mistake 4 — stacking a template onto なさる (二重敬語).
❌ どうご説明になさいますか。
Double keigo — なさる is already honorific; don't wrap it in お／ご〜になる too.
✅ どうご説明なさいますか。
dō gosetsumei nasaimasu ka
How will you explain it? (one honorific layer)
Key takeaways
- なさる = honorific する; its polite form is the irregular なさいます (never ×なさります), with te-form なさって and past なさった.
- It honorifies the whole class of noun＋する verbs in one move (勉強なさる, ご予約なさる, ご心配なさる) — a master key to compound verbs.
- It pairs with humble いたす: なさる elevates the other, いたす humbles you.
- どうなさいましたか ("what's the matter?") and X になさいますか ("which will you go with?") are high-frequency service idioms.
- The command なさい descends from なさる but is a downward order (parent→child), never something to say to a superior.
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Start learning Japanese→Related Topics
- いたす: Humble DoN3 — いたす is the humble of the master verb する — it lowers your own doing toward the listener, powers the compound お〜いたす one notch below お〜する, and hides inside よろしくお願いいたします.
- Special Sonkeigo VerbsN3 — The suppletive honorific verbs — いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, なさる, 召し上がる and the rest — that replace the productive patterns for Japanese's highest-frequency verbs, plus the ラ行 〜います quirk that ties five of them together.
- お〜になる: The Regular Honorific PatternN3 — The productive sonkeigo template お + ます-stem + になる — how to build a respectful verb for almost anything, when the ます-stem resists it, and why the special forms always take precedence.
- 尊敬語 Overview: Elevating the SubjectN3 — How respectful language raises the person who performs the action — a superior, customer, or out-group figure — through three routes: special honorific verbs, the お〜になる pattern, and the lighter 〜(ら)れる honorific.
- 〜なさい: The Softened CommandN4 — How the masu-stem plus なさい gives a firm but caring downward command — the parent-to-child, teacher-to-pupil imperative.