Chapter 17 — 謙譲語: Humble Language

尊敬語 raises the other person. 謙譲語 lowers yourself. Together, they create the double movement that defines Japanese keigo: the social distance between speaker and listener is expressed from both ends simultaneously. The respectful verb elevates from above; the humble verb depresses from below. The resulting gap is wider than either could achieve alone.

This chapter covers both types of humble language: 謙譲語 I (object-oriented humble, which lowers your actions toward a specific respected person) and 謙譲語 II / 丁重語 (addressee-oriented humble, which lowers your actions in general to maintain formality before the listener). The distinction between these two was introduced conceptually in Chapter 15. Here, you will learn the specific verbs and patterns for each.

As with 尊敬語, humble language has both irregular verbs that must be memorized and productive patterns that work with most verbs. We begin with the irregulars.

17.1 謙譲語 I: Object-Oriented Humble Verbs

謙譲語 I lowers the speaker's actions when those actions are directed toward someone the speaker respects. The "object" in "object-oriented" refers to the person who benefits from or is affected by the speaker's action. This person must be someone deserving of respect — a superior, a customer, a teacher, a client.

The key test: if your action has no respected recipient or target, 謙譲語 I is inappropriate. You would not use 伺う (humble "to go/visit") to describe going to the park by yourself, because the park is not a person you need to show respect to. But you would use 伺う to describe visiting your teacher's home, because the teacher is the respected target of your visit.

伺う — Humble for 聞く, 行く, 訪ねる

伺う covers three plain verbs, depending on context.

As 聞く (to ask / to hear):

先生に伺いたいことがあります。 "There is something I would like to ask the teacher."

お名前を伺ってもよろしいですか。 "May I ask your name?"

As 行く / 訪ねる (to go / to visit):

明日、三時にお宅に伺います。 "I will visit your home at three o'clock tomorrow."

来週、会社に伺ってもよろしいですか。 "May I come to your company next week?"

Note the difference from 参る (Section 17.3): 伺う implies visiting a place associated with the respected person (their home, their office). 参る is a general humble verb for going anywhere.

Conjugation: 伺う is a regular 五段 verb.

申し上げる — Humble for 言う

申し上げる is used when the speaker says something to a respected person. It is more humble than 申す (Section 17.3), because it specifically directs the humility toward the listener.

一つ申し上げたいことがございます。 "There is one thing I would like to say."

お礼を申し上げます。 "I offer my thanks." (lit. "I humbly say my gratitude")

ご報告申し上げます。 "I humbly report to you."

Conjugation: 申し上げる is a regular 一段 verb.

差し上げる — Humble for あげる

差し上げる is the humble form of あげる (to give, away from the speaker). It is used when you give something to a respected person.

お土産を差し上げたいのですが。 "I would like to give you a souvenir."

先生に花を差し上げました。 "I gave flowers to the teacher."

資料をお送り差し上げます。 "I will send you the documents."

Caution: 差し上げる can sometimes sound condescending if used carelessly, because あげる itself carries a "doing something for someone" nuance. In modern business Japanese, many speakers prefer てさしあげる constructions over standalone 差し上げる. At this level, focus on recognizing the form rather than producing it.

Conjugation: 差し上げる is a regular 一段 verb.

お目にかかる — Humble for 会う

お目にかかる is the humble form of 会う (to meet). It is used when the speaker meets a respected person.

社長にお目にかかれて光栄です。 "It is an honor to meet you, President." (lit. "I am honored that I could humbly meet you")

先日、先生にお目にかかりました。 "I met the teacher the other day."

いつかお目にかかれればと思います。 "I hope to meet you someday."

Conjugation: お目にかかる is a regular 五段 verb.

拝見する — Humble for 見る

拝見する is the humble form of 見る. It is used when the speaker looks at something associated with a respected person — their documents, their work, their email.

お手紙を拝見しました。 "I have read your letter."

資料を拝見してもよろしいですか。 "May I look at the documents?"

ホームページを拝見しました。 "I looked at your website."

Conjugation: 拝見する is a する compound verb. 拝見 is the noun; する provides the conjugation.

Note: 拝見いたします layers 謙譲語 I (拝見) with 謙譲語 II (いたす, the humble form of する). This double-humbling is standard and not considered excessive. It is very common in business Japanese.

いただく — Humble for もらう, 食べる, 飲む

いただく is one of the most versatile humble verbs. It functions as the humble form of three plain verbs.

As もらう (to receive):

お返事をいただきました。 "I received your reply."

先生にアドバイスをいただきました。 "I received advice from the teacher."

As 食べる / 飲む (to eat / to drink):

いただきます。 "I humbly receive." (said before meals — you already know this phrase)

お菓子をいただきました。 "I ate the sweets." (humble, implying they were given by a respected person)

In the て-form pattern ていただく (humble for てもらう):

先生に教えていただきました。 "The teacher taught me." (humble: "I received the favor of being taught")

説明していただけますか。 "Could you explain it to me?" (humble request)

This last pattern — ていただく — is extremely important in business Japanese. It is the humble counterpart of てもらう, and it appears in polite requests, expressions of gratitude, and business correspondence constantly.

Conjugation: いただく is a regular 五段 verb.

Summary of 謙譲語 I verbs

17.2 The Productive Pattern: お〜する / お〜いたす

Just as 尊敬語 has the productive pattern お〜になる, 謙譲語 has its own productive pattern:

お + ます-stem + する

And its more humble variant:

お + ます-stem + いたす

These patterns humble the speaker's action when it is directed toward a respected person.

Formation

Take the ます-stem and wrap it with お before and する (or いたす) after.

Examples in sentences

荷物をお持ちします。 "I will carry your luggage." (humble)

メールをお送りいたします。 "I will send you an email." (more humble)

伝言をお伝えします。 "I will relay the message to them." (humble)

お待たせいたしました。 "I have kept you waiting." (humble — you hear this constantly in service settings)

ご連絡いたします。 "I will contact you." (humble)

For する compound verbs: ご〜する / ご〜いたす

When the verb is a Sino-Japanese noun + する, the prefix changes to ご:

ご説明いたします。 "I will explain." (humble)

ご案内いたします。 "I will show you the way." (humble)

ご紹介いたします。こちらは田中部長です。 "Allow me to introduce — this is Department Head Tanaka."

お〜する vs. お〜いたす

The difference is the level of humility:

• お〜する — standard humble (appropriate for most business situations)
• お〜いたす — deeper humble (used in more formal situations, with customers, or in writing)

いたす is itself the humble form of する (covered in Section 17.3). So お〜いたす is layering the productive humble pattern with an additionally humbled auxiliary. This is standard, not excessive.

The constraint: a respected target must exist

Remember that these are 謙譲語 I patterns. They require a respected target — someone who benefits from or is affected by the action. You can say お送りいたします ("I will send it to you") because the recipient is the respected person. You would not use お〜する to describe an action with no human target.

17.3 謙譲語 II / 丁重語: Addressee-Oriented Humble Verbs

謙譲語 II — also called 丁重語 — is a distinct set of humble verbs that do not require a specific respected target. They humble the speaker's actions in general, creating a dignified, formal tone regardless of what the action is directed at. They are used whenever the speaker wants to maintain formality before the listener.

The key difference from 謙譲語 I: you can use 丁重語 for any action, even going to the park, eating lunch alone, or simply existing. The humility is directed at the listener (the person you are speaking to), not at the recipient of the action.

参る — Formal humble for 行く and 来る

参る replaces 行く and 来る in formal humble speech.

As 行く (to go):

私が参ります。 "I will go." (humble)

明日、そちらに参ります。 "I will come to your place tomorrow." (humble)

As 来る (to come):

まもなく電車が参ります。 "The train will be arriving shortly." (humble — the train company humbles itself before passengers)

バスが参りました。 "The bus has arrived."

Why this is 丁重語 and not 謙譲語 I: In まもなく電車が参ります, the train is not going to a specific respected person. The train is arriving at a station. The humility is directed at the listening public. This is why 参る is classified as 丁重語 — it does not require a respected target.

However, 参る can also function as 謙譲語 I when the destination is associated with a respected person: 先生のお宅に参ります ("I will come to the teacher's home"). In this case, 伺う and 参る overlap in function.

Conjugation: 参る is a regular 五段 verb.

Note: 参った is also used colloquially as an expression of defeat or exasperation ("I give up!" / "That's got me!"). This casual usage is completely separate from the humble function.

申す — Formal humble for 言う

申す is the general humble form of 言う. It does not require a specific listener, unlike 申し上げる.

私は田中と申します。 "My name is Tanaka." (humble self-introduction)

何と申しましょうか。 "How shall I put it?" / "What should I say?"

そのように申しておりました。 "That is what they were saying." (humble speech about an in-group member)

Comparison with 申し上げる:

• 申し上げる (謙譲語 I): humble "to say" to a specific respected person

  社長に申し上げました。 "I said it to the president."

• 申す (丁重語): humble "to say" in general formal speech

  田中と申します。 "I am called Tanaka." (no specific respected listener required)

Conjugation: 申す is a regular 五段 verb.

いたす — Formal humble for する

いたす replaces する in formal humble speech. You have already seen it as the いたす in お〜いたす (Section 17.2).

私がいたします。 "I will do it." (humble)

お待たせいたしました。 "I have kept you waiting." (humble)

よろしくお願いいたします。 "I humbly request your favorable consideration." (standard business closing)

失礼いたします。 "Excuse me." (humble — used when entering/leaving a room, hanging up the phone)

Conjugation: いたす is a regular 五段 verb.

おる — Formal humble for いる

おる replaces いる in formal humble speech.

私は東京におります。 "I am in Tokyo." (humble)

担当の者はただいま外出しております。 "The person in charge is currently out." (humble — used by receptionists)

承知しております。 "I understand." / "I am aware." (humble)

Conjugation: おる is a regular 五段 verb.

Note: In some dialects (particularly western Japan), おる is used as a casual equivalent of いる without any humble nuance. In standard Japanese (and in keigo contexts), it is humble. Be aware of both usages.

ております — The humble progressive:

The combination おります functions as the humble equivalent of ています:

担当者は会議に出ております。 "The person in charge is in a meeting." (humble for 会議に出ています)

楽しみにしております。 "I am looking forward to it." (humble for 楽しみにしています)

お世話になっております。 "We are in your care." (standard business greeting — humble for お世話になっています)

This ております pattern is ubiquitous in business Japanese.

Summary of 丁重語 verbs

17.4 The Difference Between 謙譲語 I and 謙譲語 II

The distinction between these two categories is subtle but important. Here is the clearest way to think about it.

謙譲語 I: Requires a respected target

The action must be directed toward someone the speaker respects. The humility flows from the speaker to that specific person.

先生に伺いました。 (Correct — 伺う directed toward the teacher) コンビニに伺いました。 (Strange — the convenience store is not a person you humble yourself to)

部長の書類を拝見しました。 (Correct — looking at the department head's documents) テレビを拝見しました。 (Strange — television is not owned by a respected person in this context)

謙譲語 II / 丁重語: No specific target required

The humility is directed at the listener — whoever is hearing the sentence. The action itself can be directed at anything or anyone.

コンビニに参りました。 (Fine — formal humble for 行きました, spoken to a listener the speaker respects) テレビを見ておりました。 (Fine — formal humble for 見ていました) 田中と申します。 (Fine — humble self-introduction, no specific target needed)

Practical examples of the contrast

Situation: You are telling your boss about your weekend.

日曜日に友達の家に行きました。 (Plain — acceptable but not humble)

日曜日に友達の家に参りました。 (丁重語 — humble before the boss; appropriate because the boss is the listener)

日曜日に先生のお宅に伺いました。 (謙譲語 I — humble toward the teacher; appropriate because the teacher is the respected target)

You would not say 友達の家に伺いました (using 謙譲語 I) because your friend is not someone you need to humble yourself to. But you can say 友達の家に参りました (using 丁重語) because the humility is directed at the boss you are speaking to, not at the friend you visited.

A simplified decision tree

When choosing between 謙譲語 I and 丁重語:

1. Is my action directed at a specific respected person? → Use 謙譲語 I (伺う, 申し上げる, 差し上げる, お目にかかる, 拝見する, いただく) or the お〜する pattern.
2. Do I simply need to speak humbly in general? → Use 丁重語 (参る, 申す, いたす, おる).
3. Both conditions apply? → Either works, or combine them. 先生のお宅に伺います and 先生のお宅に参ります are both correct, though 伺う is slightly more specifically humble toward the teacher.

Combined usage

In real Japanese, 謙譲語 I and 丁重語 often appear in the same sentence:

先生に伺ったことを部長に申し上げました。 "I told the department head what I asked the teacher."

• 伺った — 謙譲語 I (asking directed at the teacher)
• 申し上げました — 謙譲語 I (saying directed at the department head)

先生のお宅に伺ってから、会社に参りました。 "After visiting the teacher's home, I went to the office."

• 伺って — 謙譲語 I (visiting directed at the teacher)
• 参りました — 丁重語 (going to the office, no specific respected target)

These combinations feel natural to Japanese speakers. The distinction, once understood, is logical: 謙譲語 I humbles you toward a person; 丁重語 humbles you before your audience.

Reading Passage 2 — 会社の　電話

Read the following passage depicting a business phone call. The employee uses 謙譲語 when talking about their own company and their own actions.

「はい、山本商事でございます。」

「あ、すみません。営業部の田中部長はいらっしゃいますか。」

「田中でございますね。申し訳ございません、田中はただいま外出しております。三時ごろには戻る予定でございます。」

「そうですか。では、戻られたら、お電話をいただきたいのですが。」

「かしこまりました。それでは、お名前を伺ってもよろしいですか。」

「ABCの佐藤と申します。」

「佐藤様ですね。お電話番号も伺ってよろしいですか。」

「はい、〇三の一二三四の五六七八です。」

「〇三の一二三四の五六七八ですね。確認いたしました。田中が戻りましたら、こちらからご連絡いたします。わたくしは営業部の鈴木と申します。お電話ありがとうございました。失礼いたします。」

Translation

"Yes, this is Yamamoto Trading."

"Oh, excuse me. Is Department Head Tanaka of the sales department there?"

"Tanaka, you say. I am sorry, Tanaka is currently out. He is expected to return around three o'clock."

"I see. Then, when he returns, I would like him to call me."

"Certainly. In that case, may I ask your name?"

"I am Satou of ABC."

"Mr. Satou, I see. May I also ask your phone number?"

"Yes, it is 03-1234-5678."

"03-1234-5678, correct. I have confirmed it. When Tanaka returns, we will contact you from our end. I am Suzuki of the sales department. Thank you for your call. Good-bye."

Notes on the passage

でございます — Ultra-polite copula. Used throughout by the employee to maintain formality.

外出しております — 外出する（がいしゅつする）means "to be out of the office." おります is the humble form of います. The employee humbles their company's person before the outside caller.

田中 (no さん/様) — When referring to someone in your own company to an outsider, you drop honorifics. This is a core rule of business Japanese.

伺ってもよろしいですか — "May I ask?" 伺う is 謙譲語 I for 聞く; よろしい is the formal form of いい.

と申します — "I am called..." 申す is 丁重語 for 言う, used in self-introductions.

確認いたしました — "I have confirmed." いたす is the humble form of する.

ご連絡いたします — "I will contact you." The ご〜いたす pattern combines the productive humble pattern with the deeper humble auxiliary.

失礼いたします — "Excuse me" / "Good-bye." The standard humble phrase for ending a phone call.

わたくし — The formal form of わたし, used in business contexts.

17.5 Vocabulary List

All irregular 謙譲語 verbs and key humble expressions from this chapter.