Japanese writing notes
Keigo and business Japanese notes for non-native writers — mindset, the five keigo types, workplace traps, and practical email patterns. Examples use the live Tadashii Kotoba API; guideline Q&As are learner paraphrases of Japan’s 2007 keigo guideline.
Guideline Q13–Q17: elevate the right target, frozen compounds, 申し伝え to the boss, when お on your action is OK, and いただく vs くださる.
Keigo Notes #14: お茶 and お料理 soften vocabulary. Mixing beautifiers with action お／ご can turn “polite” fluffy.
Guideline Q36 + Ch.1 caveats: regional honorifics are real systems; chat and email change what “appropriate” means.
Guideline Q25–Q29: introducing a speech, keigo when two bosses are present, thanking a superior, praise, and deflecting compliments.
Guideline Q2–Q4: workplace keigo follows roles and scenes, not private liking — and “being yourself” is still a choice of wording.
Guideline Q9, Q10, Q12: elevate the verb stem correctly, don’t aim kenjō I at the guest, and don’t turn ご〜する toward the resident.
From Keigo Notes #1–#3 and #7: keigo places people in a scene, sits on mutual respect, and is self-expression — not feudal ranking or one correct script.
Keigo Notes #16–#19: don’t pile sonkeigo on 御, don’t confuse who carries the file, and watch honorific noun × potential negative splices.
Keigo Notes #5–#6: politeness is not a sticker on nouns, and です・ます・お・ご cannot fix a mismatched demand.
Guideline Q34–Q35: don’t sonkei the dishes; prefer いらっしゃいますか over bare 行かれますか in Tokyo-style scenes — and respect regional taste.
Guideline Q19–Q24: first-person and second-person choice, letter addressing, talking about parents, and phone absence of a colleague.
Guideline Q30–Q33: don’t ask ability/desire head-on with fancy sonkeigo; don’t fake decision rights with していただきます; buffer abrupt お願いします.
Keigo Notes #15 and #20: natural when permission is real; heavy when it only perfumes ordinary work.
Guideline Q6: traditional humble nouns mark consideration for the other side — use them when they match your stance.
Keigo Notes #8: the 2007 guideline’s five types — and why 伺う and 参る stop being “both = humble go.”
です・ます is already a politeness floor. Stacking keigo on a one-line Slack reply often adds weight, not respect — plus when to use 伺う (kenjō I) vs 参る (kenjō II).
A practical email note on when 伺う is kenjō I (action toward an elevated person) vs when 参る / plain wording fits better — with live Business rewrites. Complements the short overview on /guide.
Sonkeigo lifts the person being talked about — not the speaker. Wiring it to your own actions is the most common keigo mistake in business email.
Why heavy closings on light asks sound like pleading — with a live Standard-style lightening of an over-packed line, plus a proportional Business rewrite.
Natural Japanese apology lines for delayed email replies — lighter and heavier options from real Business-style rewrites.
Follow up without sounding pushy — real Business-style rewrites for gentle reminders and soft deadlines.