This is the table every keigo learner ends up memorizing: the highest-frequency verbs, each paired with its 尊敬語（respectful — for the other person's action） and its 謙譲語（humble — for your own action）. The single idea that makes it usable is this: you do not pick a column by "how polite" you want to be. You pick it by whose action it is. The subject's action goes up (尊敬語); your own action goes down (謙譲語). Get that right and the rest is lookup. The anchor is 見る, forked across all three registers below. For the theory of why these forms are irregular, see one verb, three axes; this page is the reference you keep open while you write.
見る across three registers — the anchor
社長はもう資料をご覧になりましたか。
shachō wa mō shiryō o goran ni narimashita ka
Has the company president already looked over the documents? (尊敬語 — the president's action, raised)
お送りいただいた資料は、確かに拝見しました。
ookuri itadaita shiryō wa, tashika ni haiken shimashita
I've duly looked over the documents you sent. (謙譲語 — my own action, lowered)
子供の頃、この番組を毎週見ていました。
kodomo no koro, kono bangumi o maishū mite imashita
I used to watch this show every week as a kid. (plain 見る + です／ます — neutral polite, no elevation)
Same verb "see," three heights — and the third shows the point of contrast: です／ます politeness is a different axis entirely. 見ました is polite to the listener but elevates no one; ご覧になる and 拝見する move a third dimension, respect toward the subject. You can stack them (ご覧になります, 拝見します), which is normal formal speech.
The master table
| Plain | 尊敬語 (raise the other) | 謙譲語 (lower yourself) | 丁寧語 (neutral です／ます) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 見る (see) | ご覧になる | 拝見する | 見ます |
| 食べる／飲む (eat/drink) | 召し上がる | いただく | 食べます／飲みます |
| 言う (say) | おっしゃる | 申す／申し上げる | 言います |
| 行く (go) | いらっしゃる／おいでになる | 伺う／参る | 行きます |
| 来る (come) | いらっしゃる／おいでになる | 伺う／参る | 来ます |
| いる (be, animate) | いらっしゃる | おる | います |
| する (do) | なさる | いたす | します |
| 知っている (know) | ご存じだ | 存じている／存じ上げる | 知っています |
| 会う (meet) | お会いになる | お目にかかる | 会います |
| くれる (give me) | くださる | — (no humble) | くれます |
| もらう (receive) | — (no special honorific) | いただく／頂戴する | もらいます |
| あげる (give) | — (no special honorific) | 差し上げる | あげます |
Readings for the new words: ご覧（らん）になる (goran ni naru), 拝見（はいけん）する (haiken suru), 召（め）し上（あ）がる (meshiagaru), いただく (itadaku), おっしゃる (ossharu), 申（もう）す (mōsu), 申（もう）し上（あ）げる (mōshiageru), いらっしゃる (irassharu), 伺（うかが）う (ukagau), 参（まい）る (mairu), おる (oru), なさる (nasaru), いたす (itasu), ご存（ぞん）じ (gozonji), 存（ぞん）じる (zonjiru), お目（め）にかかる (ome ni kakaru), くださる (kudasaru), 頂戴（ちょうだい）する (chōdai suru), 差（さ）し上（あ）げる (sashiageru).
Read the gaps — they are not random
The three empty cells teach the logic better than the filled ones. くれる ("give to me/my side") has a 尊敬語 (くださる — someone superior gives to me) but no 謙譲語, because you cannot humble an action that is coming toward you. あげる／もらう run the other way — they involve my giving or receiving, so they have humble forms (差し上げる, いただく) but no special honorific. The gaps fall exactly where the direction of respect has nowhere to point. See giving and receiving in keigo for the full grid.
部長がわざわざ資料を貸してくださいました。
buchō ga wazawaza shiryō o kashite kudasaimashita
The department head kindly went out of their way to lend me the materials. (くださる — a superior's giving toward me)
こちら、心ばかりのお礼でございます。どうぞお受け取りください。
kochira, kokoro bakari no o-rei de gozaimasu. dōzo o-uketori kudasai
Here's a small token of thanks — please accept it. (context: handing over a gift)
The whole point: whose action is it?
Watch one verb fork on the only thing that matters — who is doing it. 言う splits into おっしゃる (their words, raised) and 申す／申し上げる (my words, lowered):
先生が「また来週」とおっしゃいました。
sensei ga 'mata raishū' to osshaimashita
The teacher said, 'See you next week.' (尊敬語 — their action)
はじめまして、田中と申します。
hajimemashite, tanaka to mōshimasu
Nice to meet you — my name is Tanaka. (謙譲語 — introducing myself)
And する forks into なさる (their doing) and いたす (my doing):
社長は毎朝六時に運動をなさるそうです。
shachō wa maiasa rokuji ni undō o nasaru sō desu
Apparently the company president exercises at six every morning. (尊敬語 — their action)
ご案内は私がいたします。どうぞこちらへ。
go-annai wa watashi ga itashimasu. dōzo kochira e
I'll show you the way. This way, please. (謙譲語 — my action)
English has no column for this
This is where English speakers get blindsided. English marks politeness with softening — "could you," "would you mind," "I was wondering if" — but it has no grammatical way to raise the subject's action while leaving your own untouched. "The president saw the documents" and "I saw the documents" use the identical verb "saw"; English cannot make "saw" itself bow. Japanese can, and it makes you choose a whole different word depending on the actor. So the mental move is not "be more polite" (that is 丁寧語, which English does have analogues for) but "track who acts, and shift the verb up or down accordingly" — a distinction English never forces you to make.
Common mistakes
❌ お客様は何を召し上がりますか、私も召し上がります。
Wrong — 召し上がる is 尊敬語 (raise the other). For your own eating, drop to the humble いただく.
✅ お客様は何を召し上がりますか。私はコーヒーをいただきます。
okyakusama wa nani o meshiagarimasu ka. watashi wa kōhī o itadakimasu
What will you have? I'll have coffee. (their action 召し上がる ↑ / my action いただく ↓)
❌ 先生は明日、こちらに参りますか。
Wrong — 参る lowers the subject, but the teacher must be elevated. Use いらっしゃる.
✅ 先生は明日、こちらにいらっしゃいますか。
sensei wa ashita, kochira ni irasshaimasu ka
Will the teacher be coming here tomorrow? (尊敬語 for the teacher's action)
❌ その件は、私がよくご存じです。
Wrong — ご存じ is 尊敬語 (the other's knowing). For your own knowledge use the humble 存じております.
✅ その件は、私がよく存じております。
sono ken wa, watashi ga yoku zonjite orimasu
I'm well aware of that matter. (謙譲語 存じておる for my own knowing)
❌ 課長にこの資料をご覧になります。
Confused direction — if YOU are showing the 課長 something, that's your action lowered: 拝見していただく won't work either; you'd offer it, and the 課長's viewing is ご覧になる. For 'I'll look', use 拝見する.
✅ この資料を拝見してもよろしいでしょうか。
kono shiryō o haiken shite mo yoroshii deshō ka
May I take a look at these documents? (謙譲語 — my own viewing)
Key takeaways
- Pick the column by whose action it is: their action → 尊敬語 (up); your own → 謙譲語 (down). Politeness (です／ます / 丁寧語) is a separate axis you layer on top.
- The anchor: 見る → ご覧になる (raise) / 拝見する (lower) / 見ます (neutral).
- One special word often covers several plain verbs — いらっしゃる serves 行く, 来る, and いる.
- The gaps are principled: くれる has no humble (it comes toward you); あげる／もらう have no special honorific (they involve your own giving/receiving).
- Using the wrong column is worse than plain speech — it humbles the honored person (社長が参る) or exalts yourself (私がなさる).
Now practice Japanese
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Start learning Japanese→Related Topics
- Suppletive 尊敬語 Verbs: TableN3 — The special respectful verbs that replace the plain verb wholesale — いらっしゃる, 召し上がる, ご覧になる, おっしゃる, なさる, くださる, ご存じだ — with their plain bases, their irregular 〜います polite forms, and why you must never re-honorify them with お〜になる.
- Suppletive 謙譲語 Verbs: TableN3 — The special humble verbs for your own actions — 伺う／参る, いただく, 拝見する, 申す／申し上げる, いたす, おる, 存じる／存じ上げる, お目にかかる — with their plain bases and the 謙譲語 I vs 丁重語 split that decides 伺う vs 参る and 申し上げる vs 申す.
- Top 20 Verbs in Three Registers: TableN3 — A fast lookup table giving the twenty highest-frequency verbs in plain, 尊敬語 (honorific), and 謙譲語 (humble) form — with the suppletive forms that override the お〜になる／お〜する machinery flagged.
- One Verb, Three Axes: The Keigo MappingN3 — The master table every keigo learner memorizes — how the highest-frequency verbs realize across plain, 丁寧語, 尊敬語, and 謙譲語, and why they are suppletive rather than conjugated.
- Whom to Elevate, Whom to LowerN3 — The choice between sonkeigo and kenjougo is not about the verb's meaning — it's about the grammatical role of the honored person: subject → elevate, I-act-toward-them → humble.