Formal vs. Informal Speech in Japanese

Japanese has too many rules to define formal and casual modes of speech. Those rules usually make Japanese learners confused. So, today TODAI Japanese will give you some common words, and sentences in formal and informal speech in Japanese!

Let’s go!

1. An overview of Japanese modes of speech

In the Japanese language, there are four main modes of speech:

Simple formal speech: is mainly used when speaking to people you don’t know well. It’s also an appropriate level when speaking to most teachers or coworkers. If you’re unsure which level of formality to use, simple formal speech is a respectful and “safe” choice.
Casual speech: is used when speaking to good friends. In fact, you may be able to tell when you’ve officially become friends by whether someone has switched to using casual speech and/or casual honorifics with you.
Honorific speech: is used to show utmost respect to someone. It is most often used when talking with customers and work superiors, but you may also be expected to use it with some teachers or people older than you (depending on the person). It has its own unique vocabulary and grammar forms. You would also be expected to consistently apply honorific prefixes.
Humble speech: is used to communicate that your position is lower than someone else. Being humble is an important virtue in Japanese culture. Humble speech and honorific speech work together, and you may hear someone use both within the same conversation. The difference is that honorific speech is used to describe someone else and humble speech is used to describe oneself.

2. Some examples in real life

Mastering the “modes” becomes more important the more you spend time among Japanese people, especially if you’re repeatedly interacting with the same people. If you are going to make Japanese friends or work with Japanese people, using the wrong level can put a discrete barrier between you and others.

This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to communicate sufficiently, but there will be a sense that something is “off” in your relationship. If your goal is to make those relationships more natural, then you may want to focus on your “mode of speech”.

2.1. Simple formal speech

If you learn Japanese through formal education or textbooks, you will most likely start with simple formal speech or “teineigo” (literally “formal language”). This mode is characterized by using verbs in their “V-masu” form (V stands for verb). For example:

りんごを食べます。(Ringo wo tabemasu) = I eat apples / I will eat an apple

公園に行きます。(Kouen ni ikimasu) = I go to the park / I will go to the park

The past tense conjugation “V-mashita”, the negative form “V-masen”, and the continuous form “V-teimasu” are also used in simple formal speech:

日本に行きました。(Nihon ni ikimashita) = I went to Japan

たばこを吸いません。(Tabako wo suimasen) = I don’t smoke cigarettes

本を読んでいます。(Hon wo yondeimasu) = I’m reading a book

In the absence of another verb, a sentence using simple formal speech will end with “desu” or its past form “deshita”.

ケーキはおいしいです。(Present tense i-adjective) (Keeki ha oishii desu) = Cake is delicious

猫が好きです。(Present tense na-adjective) (Neko ga suki desu) = I like cats

昨日はあつかったです。(Past tense i-adjective) (Kinou ha atsukatta desu) = It was hot yesterday

いい休みでした。(past tense noun) (Ii yasumi deshita) = It was a good vacation.

2.2. Casual speech

Casual speech is called “tameguchi” (the origin of “tame” is unclear, but “guchi” refers to your mouth). It includes slang and other casual expressions that you may not learn in a textbook, but is still commonly used in the real world.

If you know about the dictionary form or other short-forms for verbs (such as V-ru, V-ta, V-nai, and V-teiru), these are the forms you’ll use for casual speech. For example:

りんごを食べる(Ringo wo taberu) = I eat apples/I will eat an apple

日本に行った。(Nihon ni itta) = I went to Japan

たばこを吸わない。(Tabako wo suwanai) = I don’t smoke cigarettes

本を読んでいる。(Hon wo yondeiru) = I’m reading a book

In the absence of another verb, the ending of a sentence will depend on the last word of the phrase. If the last word is an i-adjective, either past or present, nothing is added. The sentence ends on the i-adjective:

ケーキはおいしい。(present tense i-adjective) (keeki ha oishii) = Cake is delicious

昨日はあつかった。(past tense i-adjective) (Kinou ha atsukatta) = It was hot yesterday

When the last word is a na-adjective or a noun, add “da” for present tense or “datta” for past tense:

猫が好き (だ)。(present tense na-adjective) (Neko ga suki (da)) = I like cats

いい休みだった。(past tense noun) (Ii yasumi datta) = It was a good vacation

Although present tense sentences that end in na-adjectives or nouns should end with “da” by proper rules, you may often hear people drop the “da”.

2.3. Honorific and humble speech

Honorific speech is “sonkeigo” (literally “respect language”) and humble speech is “kensongo” (literally “humble language”). As previously alluded to, honorific and humble speech are used for very formal situations. They’re typically used in workplace settings, such as for interviews and talking with your customers or boss.