godan verb (-su), transitive verb
Respectful verb for a superior eating or drinking. In modern everyday Japanese, 召し上がる is usually more natural; 召す alone sounds elevated or old-fashioned.
殿は少し酒を召した。
The lord drank a little sake.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
Respectful use for clothing or items worn on the body. The stem form お召し is especially common in polite speech about what someone is wearing.
今日はすてきな和服をお召しですね。
You are wearing a lovely kimono today.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
Rare respectful use for a superior or customer buying something. Modern Japanese normally uses お買いになる or お求めになる instead.
古い商家の言い方では、客が品物を買うことを「召す」と言うことがある。
In old merchant usage, 召す can mean that a customer buys an item.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
take a bath
Old-fashioned respectful use, especially in the phrase 湯を召す or お風呂を召す. Modern Japanese usually says お風呂に入られる or お入りになる.
古風な表現では「湯を召す」で入浴することを敬って言う。
In old-fashioned language, 湯を召す respectfully means to take a bath.
godan verb (-su), intransitive verb
ride; get in a vehicle; take a vehicle
Respectful intransitive use for a superior riding a horse or vehicle; now rare and mostly historical or literary. Modern Japanese usually uses お乗りになる.
古い物語では、身分の高い人が馬に乗ることを「馬に召す」と表すことがある。
In old tales, 馬に召す can describe a person of high rank riding a horse.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
catch a cold
Respectful expression used almost fixedly as お風邪を召す, referring to a respected person catching a cold.
お風邪を召さないよう、暖かくしてください。
Please keep warm so you do not catch a cold.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
get old; advance in years
Fixed respectful phrase お年を召す, used politely of an older person. Often appears as お年を召した方, meaning an elderly person.
お年を召した方にも使いやすいデザインです。
It is a design that is easy for elderly people to use as well.
godan verb (-su), intransitive verb
please; strike one's fancy
Fixed respectful expression お気に召す, meaning that something is to a respected person's liking. Common in polite service and formal speech.
このお部屋はお気に召しましたか。
Was this room to your liking?
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
Literary or archaic respectful use equivalent to なさる. It is not a common modern standalone way to say that someone does something.
See also: 召される
古典では、尊い人の行為について「召す」が「なさる」の意味で使われることがある。
In classical texts, 召す is sometimes used to mean that an exalted person does something.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
Historical and euphemistic expression お腹を召す for committing seppuku. This is not a productive modern everyday phrase.
武士が切腹することを、古くは「お腹を召す」と婉曲に言った。
In older usage, お腹を召す was a euphemistic way to say that a samurai committed seppuku.
auxiliary verb, godan verb (-su)
honorific auxiliary
Auxiliary-like respectful use after the continuative or masu-stem of a verb, mainly in old or lexicalized forms rather than freely in modern speech.
「聞こし召す」や「思し召す」の召すは、古い尊敬の助動詞的な用法である。
The 召す in 聞こし召す and 思し召す is an old auxiliary-like honorific use.