Honorific speech in Japanese

The Japanese language has many honorifics, parts of speech that show respect, and their use is mandatory in many social situations. Honorifics in Japanese may be used to emphasize social distance or disparity in rank, or to emphasize social intimacy or similarity in rank.

The system of honorifics in Japan is very extensive, including various levels of respectful, humble, and polite speech, and it closely resembles the honorific systems of the Korean language and, in some elements, Chinese. It includes both special vocabulary and special grammatical forms.

Honorific speech is often longer, sometimes much longer, than more direct speech. Some extreme but not uncommon examples include the following.

When asking a question: the first is casually between friends, the second is a junior person asking a superior in a formal meeting:

When asking for cooperation: the first is usual and polite, the latter is very formal, but often found in writing, especially posters or flyers.

Keigo (given name)

Keigo (written: 敬吾, 敬悟, 奎吾, 圭吾, 桂吾, 桂悟, 啓吾, 啓悟 or 慶悟) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: