Japanese/Grammar/Honorific prefixes

Meaning
お o- is an exalted prefix. It shows respect for the individual or object to whom it pertains. ご go- plays a similar role, being attached to a separate group of words as explained below. Both お o- and ご go- can be written as 御.

Translation
There is no equivalent in English. In translation it is either dropped, or (when appropriate) translated as your, etc.

Usage
お o- can be applied to nouns, na-adjectives, i-adjectives, and verbs.

Because お o is exalted, it is not used on or about the speaker. For example,


 * おですか. O-genki desu ka?

is the formal way of asking "How are you." The normal response is


 * です. Genki desu.

In the first example, person A is exalting person B by placing the exalted prefix お o- in front of the word genki, which refers to person B's health. In the response, person B omits the お o- prefix because he does not wish to exalt himself.

Note that お o- is usually only applied to words of Japanese origin, and most Sino-Japanese words take the honorific prefix go- instead, as in  master/husband. ( genki is a notable exception.)

Examples
Words that commonly use お o- or go- include:

Nouns

 * お o-cha "tea"
 * お o-mizu "water"
 * お o-shigoto "job"
 * お o-uchi "home"
 * お o-heya "room"
 * おさん otousan "father"
 * おさん okaasan "mother"
 * おさん oniisan "older brother"
 * おさん oneesan "older sister"
 * おさん ojiisan "grandfather"
 * おさん obaasan "grandmother"
 * おさん o-ko-san "child"
 * ご go-shujin "master/husband (of the person who is spoken to)"
 * ご go-han "meal or (cooked) rice"

Na-Adjectives

 * お o-genki "healthy"
 * お o-suki "liked"

I-Adjectives

 * お o-hayai "early"

Verbs

 * お o-hairi "Please enter."
 * お o-suwari "Please sit."