Mina-san, welcome to our first Upper Intermediate lesson. This is an extremely useful 4 part series covering set phrases used in the business scene. Now, while the grammar and vocabulary included in here is not particularly easy, it is exactly the kind of language that will show that you can really make a distinction between usual polite Japanese and skillful humble and honorific forms.

We’re very excited about this series, so we hope you enjoy it!

Although I don’t do any business in Japan, this lesson is interesting for those expressions with polite level and humble level. It can be useful everywhere. Thank you for this first upper intermediate lesson.

Yesterday I thought there was an english pun I didn’t understand in the gag intro.
Today all is clear!

Yes, the first time I went to Japan with some japanese lessons (a little 4kyuu), every evening I was seeking for the polite forms in Edict, to try to understand what people told me in hotels, restaurants…
I learned, for exemple that “お客様、申し訳ありませんが、上着とネクタイの着用をお願いいたします。”means “Go to sobaya !”

This lesson is great, I love formal Japanese. I am not sure if my Japanese has improved or this lesson is not tough…I find this lesson relatively easier to some intermediate lessons???

But great job, keep up with it.

This is excellent. I’ve been waiting for more advanced lessons quite a while. Many thanks!

Mina-sama!

Thank you everyone for your support, I’m the sensible type but I already put some bandage and I feel fine.

Today’s lesson was excellent I really need to learn to be more humble so those words were precious for me. Keep up this great work! S_R_C

so this is the japanese you would hear most of the times as en employee . as a costumer etc from formal to very formal

Great lesson `whew’ a bit of a mental work-out today but useful phrases for around the office.

I too you mega-polite Japanese with my friends as a joke - you aren’t alone there Peter.

this is fantastic !

always wanted to learn humble and polite Japanese, great start for the upper intermediate series

Thanks for the business Japanese lesson, It was a bit easier that I had expected but I guess living in Japan for awhile and going about everyday things you hear a lot of these phrases over and over again and they get entrenched in your mind.

I’m looking forward to the next upper intermediate lessons!

Full Japanese will be too difficult, besides that if you want to listen to full Japanese, you can just go and watch J-drama or listen to those online Japanese news…or Youtube…there are tons of japanese resources there that are full Japanese.

What we really need is something to bridge the gap between real advanced full japanese and the intermediate, which I think is the most difficult part. The lower intermediates are really easy, not event considered intermediate sometime.

Hi there everyone

Can someone please remind me of the rule (keigo) for when to use “ko” and when to use “go” as a pre-fix? I know it was something regarding chinese characters.

Thanks a bunch

I’m not sure how useful this is, but even if it doesn’t help with your Japanese, it might be interesting as a little bit of trivia.

All of the words with ご in front of them are the same in Chinese as in Japanese. So in Chinese, 利用 is to use something, and 主人 is also a word (it actually means ‘master’ as in the opposite of ’servant’ though…).

On the other hand the お prefix words don’t mean anything in Chinese - 客様 and 手洗 don’t appear in the Chinese language.

It might take a proper linguist to tell you why, but I would guess that the ご words are all older than the お words. They were taken from the Chinese in the wholesale import of 漢字.

そうかな？

I have a question
質問があります！

Do you also use the word “きしゃ” instead of “onsha”?
御社の代わりに貴社も使いますか？

I just remembered this Japanese tongue-twister
「貴社の記者が汽車で帰社しました」

Comment:

Too much English. It’s not necessary to have a sentence by sentence translation - the explanations that follow are enough. I would prefer a longer text.

Neil

貴社ー your honorable company
記者 - reporter
汽車 - railway train
帰社 - return to the company(?)

Hah

Where are the JLPT practise papers for level 2 and 1?

I am in awe. so awesome!