also: おんかた
Honorific term for a person, often used in formal or respectful contexts. Can refer to a lady, gentleman, or simply a person of higher status.
A person named Mr. Yamada came to the reception desk.
Who is that lady/gentleman?
お方のご意見を伺いたいです。
I would like to hear your (honorable) opinion.
どのお方が社長でいらっしゃいますか。
Which of these gentlemen is the president?
方 is the standard polite word for 'person', while お方 adds an extra layer of honorific respect, functioning like a more deferential version of 方.
Used to politely count people referred to respectfully as 御方 (おかた), though it's generally just the standard counter for people.
The everyday counter for people: 一人 (ひとり), 二人 (ふたり), 三人 (さんにん).
my lord; my master
Standard spelling for the honorific term for a person.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common and may be confused with other readings.
Rare reading of the 御方 spelling; the kana form is rarely used.
The prefix お (honorific) + 方 (かた, 'person', polite). The reading おんかた is a rare variant, possibly influenced by other honorific forms.