Keigo

The Japanese language can be quite difficult to master, especially when it comes to incorporating keigo, or honorifics. Keigo adds a level of politeness when conversing or even in writing. The Japanese take politeness very seriously, especially when communicating with elders or in the office place. You wouldn't speak to your boss the same way you speak to your friends now, would you? With three levels of politeness: casual, polite, and honorific/humble, it is even difficult for some Japanese to fully master the different uses for each. Keigo can take form in prefixes for nouns, suffixes for names, forms of verbs, and conjugations. In a culture that truly places an importance in respect and politeness, keigo is a difficult, yet essential factor in the Japanese language.