Honorific prefix used in respectful language, often in fixed expressions or titles. Not freely productive in modern Japanese.
I pray in your august name.
Rare prefix meaning 'beautiful', found in a few classical or poetic compounds. Not used independently.
The old word 御空 can mean 'beautiful sky'.
お is the everyday honorific prefix attached to a wide range of native Japanese words, while 御 (み) is a rarer, more archaic prefix limited to a small set of fixed, formal expressions.
ご is the common honorific prefix used with Sino-Japanese (漢語) nouns, whereas 御 (み) attaches only to a limited set of native Japanese words in classical or fixed usages.
御 (み) is a broader archaic honorific prefix usable for gods, emperors, or general respectful contexts, while 皇 (すめ) is narrowly tied to imperial or divine majesty.
bamboo blind; reed screen
Buddhist hall; enshrinement hall; temple hall · cathedral; Catholic church
God's name; Christ's name
spirit of a deceased person · the Holy Spirit; the Holy Ghost
purification font at shrine entrance
divine spirit; spirit of the dead
country; land · Japan
imperial reign; period
human sacrifice; victim
Standard kanji spelling for this honorific prefix.
Ateji (phonetic) spelling, rarely used.
Ateji (phonetic) spelling, rarely used.
The prefix み is an ancient honorific element in Japanese, possibly related to the word 神 (kami, 'god'). The exact origin is uncertain.
imperial kagura; sacred Shinto music and dance at the imperial palace
imperial concubine; female court attendant serving in the emperor's bedchamber
large, high mountain
august; imperial; divine
leader of a nobleman's cavalcade · divine messenger animal; fox servant of a god
wife of a shogun or highest-ranking nobleman
imperial tomb
servant of the imperial court
grain (esp. rice) · rice cultivation
honorific or polite prefix
(another's) spirit; heart; will · God's heart; Lord's will
flag; banner