お〜になる

JLPT N4:

honorific

A respectful way to describe what someone of higher status does, used in polite and business speech.

How to form it

  • Put お before the ます-stem and add になる: 帰(かえ)ります becomes お帰(かえ)りになる.
  • Many Chinese-origin する verbs take ご + noun + になる instead: ご利用(りよう)になる.
  • Use it only for other people's actions, never your own.
  • Verbs with a special honorific word use that instead: 行(い)く becomes いらっしゃる, and 見(み)る becomes ご覧(らん)になる. See 尊敬語(そんけいご).

Examples

社長(しゃちょう)はもうお帰(かえ)りになりました。

The company president has already gone home.

先生(せんせい)がお話(はな)しになっています。

The professor is speaking.

Common mistakes

  • Using it about yourself. For your own actions, use humble お〜する.

Similar meaning