Honorific Japanese for Hotel Work (敬語): The Five Kinds and the Phrases You'll Use
The five categories of keigo from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, how to choose between them in a hotel, common hotel phrases, and the mistakes to avoid.
Keigo, respectful Japanese, is one of the first things new hotel staff worry about, and not only foreigners. Many Japanese people find that the keigo they use with friends and teachers isn't enough for a guest at the front desk. This article explains the official framework, shows how to choose the right form in the moment, and lists the phrases you will use every day.
It is written in English for readers who are learning, with Japanese examples. A Japanese version covers the same ground.
The official framework: five kinds
In February 2007 the Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a report to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, 敬語の指針 (Guidelines for Keigo). It divides keigo into five kinds. It did not throw out the traditional three (respectful, humble, polite). It split two of them in two.
| Kind | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 尊敬語 (respectful) | Raises the person whose actions or things you are talking about | いらっしゃる、おっしゃる、お召し上がりになる |
| 謙譲語Ⅰ (humble I) | Raises the person your own action is directed towards | 伺う、申し上げる、お届けする |
| 謙譲語Ⅱ (humble II, also called 丁重語) | Says your own action politely to the listener | 参る、申す、いたす、おる |
| 丁寧語 (polite) | Makes your speech polite to the listener | です、ます |
| 美化語 (refined) | Makes things sound refined | お酒、お料理 |
The report describes humble I as the "伺う・申し上げる" type, where you raise the person your action is directed to. It describes humble II as the "参る・申す" type, where you describe your own action politely to the person you are speaking to, without needing anyone to raise. That is why you can say "参ります" even when nobody is being honoured.
How to choose in the moment
Two questions will get you most of the way.
- Whose action is it? If it is the guest's, use respectful. If it is yours or the hotel's, use humble.
- Is there a person your action is directed at? If so, humble I raises that person (お届けする, 伺う). If you are simply stating what you do, humble II is enough (いたします, 参ります).
Always keep the polite です・ます as the base.
A short example. A guest eats breakfast and you want to ask about it. The guest's action is eating: お召し上がりになりましたか is respectful. Your own action is serving: お持ちいたします is a common, accepted way to say it: the お〜する pattern combined with いたす.
The phrases you'll use every day
These are standard hotel forms. Say them aloud until they are automatic.
| Situation | Phrase | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | いらっしゃいませ。 | Respectful form of coming |
| Asking a name | お名前をお伺いしてもよろしいでしょうか。 | 伺う is humble I |
| Please wait | 少々お待ちくださいませ。 | くださいませ is softer than ください |
| Understood | かしこまりました。 | Preferred over 了解しました for guests |
| I'll check | 確認いたします。 | いたす is humble II |
| I'll come back | 戻って参ります。 | 参る is humble II |
| Is this all right? | よろしいでしょうか。 | Polite request |
| Thank you for waiting | お待たせいたしました。 | Humble II |
| I'm sorry | 申し訳ございません。 | Formal apology |
| Please look at this | こちらをご覧ください。 | ご覧になる is respectful |
| Please take a seat | どうぞお掛けください。 | Respectful request |
| I'll show you | ご案内いたします。 | Humble I plus II |
More phrases, by situation
In the restaurant:
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Asking for the order | ご注文はお決まりでしょうか。 |
| Confirming it | ご注文を繰り返させていただきます。 |
| Asking about allergies | アレルギーはございますでしょうか。 |
| Recommending | 本日のおすすめは〇〇でございます。 |
| Clearing a plate | お下げしてもよろしいでしょうか。 |
| Bringing water | お水をお持ちいたします。 |
At payment and farewell:
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Stating the amount | お会計は〇〇円でございます。 |
| Taking money | 〇〇円お預かりいたします。 |
| Giving change | △△円のお返しでございます。 |
| Seeing a guest off | またのお越しをお待ちしております。 |
On the phone:
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Answering | お電話ありがとうございます。〇〇ホテルでございます。 |
| Asking a name | 失礼ですが、お名前をお伺いできますでしょうか。 |
| Confirming a booking | ご予約でございますね。 |
| After a wait | お待たせいたしました。 |
When there is a problem:
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Apologising | ご不快な思いをおかけしてしまい、申し訳ございません。 |
| Checking | 確認して参りますので、少々お待ちいただけますでしょうか。 |
| Fetching a manager | ただいま責任者を呼んで参ります。 |
Common mistakes
Double respect (二重敬語). Piling two respectful forms on one verb, as in お召し上がりになられる, is usually considered too much. Use one: お召し上がりになる.
Using respectful forms for yourself. "ご覧になってください" is right for a guest's action. For your own, say 拝見します.
"Manual" keigo. The report has a section on the keigo of service manuals. Common patterns such as "こちらがコーヒーになります" or "1万円からお預かりします" are widely noticed. Prefer "こちらがコーヒーです" and "1万円お預かりします".
Asking guests to do things in a way that sounds like an order. Use a request: "こちらにご記入いただけますか" rather than "こちらに書いてください".
Don't worry about being perfect. A polite, clear, slightly plain sentence is better than an elaborate one with a mistake. Guests judge sincerity as much as grammar.
Five quick swaps
Everyday words that sound too casual for a guest, and what to say instead. These are common usage patterns.
| Instead of | Say |
|---|---|
| わかりました | かしこまりました |
| ちょっと待ってください | 少々お待ちください |
| すみません (when thanking) | ありがとうございます |
| どうしますか | いかがなさいますか |
| 大丈夫です (unclear) | かしこまりました / 結構です |
The last one is worth noticing. 大丈夫です can mean "yes, fine" or "no, thank you", and the guest may not know which you mean. Say what you mean.
Ways to practise
Learn in pairs. For each everyday action, learn the respectful form for the guest and the humble form for you: 食べる → お召し上がりになる / いただく; 見る → ご覧になる / 拝見する; 行く → いらっしゃる / 参る / 伺う; 言う → おっしゃる / 申す / 申し上げる.
Say a few phrases aloud every day. Record yourself once.
Role-play a check-in with a friend, using the table above, until it comes smoothly.
KankoHR Academy's Guest Service Excellence and Front Office & Reception Operations courses cover guest-service language. Their badges are self-assessed and not accredited qualifications.
When you forget the right form
Everyone does, in the middle of a busy shift. Don't freeze. Fall back on polite です・ます, say it simply and clearly, and fix it afterwards. "少々お待ちください、確認します" is far better than silence. Afterwards, note the phrase you wanted, and look it up when you have a minute. A senior colleague will usually be glad to tell you.
A five-minute daily routine
This is our suggestion. Pick three situations from the tables above, one in the morning, one at lunch, one in the evening, and say the phrases for each aloud. Replace one casual phrase from your own day with its polite form. At the end of the week, record yourself doing a short check-in and listen for places where you hesitate. A few minutes a day for a month changes how natural the phrases feel.
Why it matters beyond grammar
Keigo is a way of showing the guest that you are paying attention. Guests notice a warm, steady tone more than perfect forms. A guest who hears a sincere "かしこまりました" and sees you act on it will forgive a clumsy phrase. Treat the tables as a starting point, and let your manner do the rest.
If Japanese is not your first language
You do not need all five kinds on the first day. Learn polite です・ます first, then the twelve phrases above, then the pairs. Colleagues generally know that new staff are learning. If you hold a Japanese test result, put it on your profile; if you don't, describe what you can do, for example "can greet and check in guests in polite Japanese".
If you work in a mixed team, Working in a Mixed Team describes how plain Japanese helps colleagues of every background.
Where to start
Choose three of the phrases above and use them in your next conversation. Then add three more. On KankoHR, create a profile that lists your languages and what you can do in each, so that hotels that fit can invite you.
Source: Council for Cultural Affairs report 敬語の指針 (Guidelines for Keigo), submitted 2 February 2007, as summarised by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and its explanatory pages; common-mistake patterns are general usage advice.
