Common Keigo Mistakes by English Speakers
Quick Answer: The most common keigo errors: (1) using sonkeigo for yourself, (2) double keigo (二重敬語 — stacking two honorific patterns on one verb), (3) wrong direction (humble for others,...
The traps that trip up every foreign learner of Japanese keigo
Category: Keigo (Honorifics)
The Rule
The most common keigo errors: (1) using sonkeigo for yourself, (2) double keigo (二重敬語 — stacking two honorific patterns on one verb), (3) wrong direction (humble for others, respectful for yourself), (4) ございます overuse, and (5) mixing keigo levels inconsistently within a sentence.
Why This Matters
Even native Japanese speakers make keigo mistakes, so don't be too hard on yourself. The key errors for English speakers come from not having the concept of directional politeness. English 'please' works for everyone; Japanese requires you to track whose action you're describing and adjust the verb accordingly.
Examples
• ✓ 部長がお読みになりました。 — "The department head read it. (correct sonkeigo)" [Respectful for the boss's action — お + stem + になる] • ✓ 私が拝読いたしました。 — "I read it. (correct kenjougo)" [Humble for your own action — 拝読 + いたす] • ✗ お読みになられました (double keigo) — "Incorrect — stacking お~になる + れる" [Either お読みになりました OR 読まれました, not both] • ✓ ご連絡いただきありがとうございます。 — "Thank you for contacting us." [Natural keigo: ご + noun + いただく + ありがとう]
Common Mistakes
❌ お帰りになられましたか？ ✅ お帰りになりましたか？ → Double keigo: お〜になる + られる is redundant. Choose one respectful pattern, not both ❌ とんでもございません。 ✅ とんでもないです。 / とんでもないことです。 → とんでもない is one word (adjective). You can't split it and add ございます to ない. This is a widespread error even among native speakers
Quick Tip
The simplest keigo check: (1) Whose action? Mine → humble, Theirs → respectful. (2) One honorific pattern per verb only — no stacking. (3) When in doubt, use ます-form; it's always safe.
The simplest keigo check: (1) Whose action? Mine → humble, Theirs → respectful. (2) One honorific pattern per verb only — no stacking. (3) When in doubt, use ます-form; it's always safe.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: お帰りになられましたか？ → Correct: お帰りになりましたか？. Double keigo: お〜になる + られる is redundant. Choose one respectful pattern, not both
Incorrect: とんでもございません。 → Correct: とんでもないです。 / とんでもないことです。. とんでもない is one word (adjective). You can't split it and add ございます to ない. This is a widespread error even among native speakers
Quiz
Which sentence has a keigo error?