Is Japanese a Polite Language?

When I first started learning Japanese I was told by so many people, most of who didn’t speak Japanese, that Japanese was very difficult and an extremely polite language. Most people who study Japanese would agree that Japanese is a polite language. However, my ten years of living in Japan taught me that Japanese speak the way they do to meet established social conventions and requirements. I am not so sure that this makes the language polite.

Politeness is best expressed as the practical application of good manners or etiquette. I have had plenty of  experiences where Japanese have spoken “politely” to me, yet not been polite in the true sense of the word.  Rather than polite, I think of the Japanese language as being more a language of several levels of formality.

Japanese will often use very formal language without any real personal thought or regard to who they are speaking to.  A case of having to speak in a certain way rather than wanting to be polite.

An important part of Japanese is being able to use the right level of formality in the right situation. In general Japanese won’t expect you use formal language unless they know that can speak fluent Japanese and you are in a situation requiring formal language. Using formal speech in an informal setting makes you sound strange, and using informal speech in a formal setting makes you sound rude.

There are two levels of Japanese formality. Firstly, there’s the plain/polite form of speech called “Teinei-go”, which is principally determined by the absence or use of desu/masu. Secondly, there’s the use of humble and honorific forms of speech, called “kenjyou-go” and “sonkei-go”  respectively, when dealing with vast social status differences between the speaker and listener or speaker and subject. It is very hard for foreigners to learn and appreciate humble and honorific language. The opportunity for them to speak this formal level of language is rare. Also, most students of Japanese probably would find learning kenjyou-go and sonkei-go far too frustrating to learn.

How and when to talk plain or polite, and when to be humble or when to be honorific, depends very much on the concept of in and out group, as well as familiarity. Japanese have to be very aware of who they are talking to or talkin about. In one’s familiar in group, one can talk in a plain and informal manner, while talking to someone who is part of ones formal in group, or part of an out group, typically warrants polite speech. When one talks to someone in one’s out group that is of clearly higher social status and you wish to acknowledge this fact, humble and honorific speech is typically used as well as polite form.

What it means to be polite in Japan is very different to what it means to be polite in English speaking countries. If you do have the opportunity to live in Japan long term the opportunities to use polite language will be few and far between. In fact, Japanese will have no expectation of you to use polite Japanese.  So, if you want to save yourself a whole lot of frustration and time, don’t bother learning polite Japanese.

Is Japanese a Polite Language?