honorific/polite/humble prefix
Attaches to nouns, adjectives, and some verbs to express respect, politeness, or humility. Usually used before kun-yomi words; the reading おん is more formal and less common.
See also: ご
お茶をどうぞ。
Please have some tea.
お名前を教えてください。
Please tell me your name.
お待たせしました。
Sorry to have kept you waiting.
お attaches mainly to native Japanese (kun-yomi) words like お茶, while ご attaches mainly to Sino-Japanese (on-yomi) words like ご飯; both are polite/honorific prefixes.
cooked rice · food; meal
oden; Japanese hot pot stew
lady; gentleman; person
your company · your shrine
son of a distinguished family; scion
thin, dried mochi pieces, baked or fried
offering
decorations; ornaments; offerings
attending; keeping company; serving a noble · fairy tale
Standard kanji spelling for the honorific prefix; commonly used in formal writing.
Kana spelling is the norm in everyday writing.
Derived from the kanji 御, which historically represented honorific usage. The reading お is a native Japanese prefix, while おん is a more formal Sino-Japanese reading.
boss; chief; head
Messrs.; for the attention of; ... and Company
Shinto or Buddhist amulet; talisman
female usher at traditional Kansai theatrical events
precocious · precocious child
gate for important persons; gate of honor
steamed rice offered to a deity
the Emperor; His Majesty · the government; the authorities · proprietress; hostess; landlady · your wife; his wife · master; lord
your body; your health; yourself · you
fortune slip; omikuji
you
body of Christ (Eucharist)
dining table · cooked rice
your place; where you live
tofu (archaic court-lady slang)
sleep; rest