Keigo for JLPT N2: Level Up from Basics to Business

If on JLPT N3 you learned to recognize keigo, on JLPT N2 you must distinguish and use keigo with more precision. This level marks the shift from basic keigo to keigo used at work and in formal communication.

This article covers the keigo tested on JLPT N2 according to 敬語けいごの指針ししん (the five official categories), with focus on areas that first appear on N2 and were not covered on N3. Make sure you already understand the JLPT N3 material before continuing.

What Is New on JLPT N2?

On N2, keigo is no longer only about memorizing special verbs. You need the logic behind keigo and how to apply it in more complex situations:

謙譲語けんじょうごI vs 謙譲語けんじょうごII: The N2 Key

This is the most critical topic on JLPT N2. On N3, you only needed to know both exist. On N2, you must tell them apart and choose correctly.

Difference Summary

Sample N2-Type Question

私わたしは弟おとうとのところに______。

a) 伺うかがいます   b) 参まいります   c) いらっしゃいます   d) おいでになります

Verbs with KI and KII Pairs

💡 N2 tip: 謙譲語けんじょうごI verbs tend to be “longer” (申もうし**上あげる**, 存ぞんじ**上あげる**), while 謙譲語けんじょうごII is “shorter” (申もうす, 存ぞんじる). That length cue can help you tell them apart quickly!

The させていただく Pattern: The Most Important N2 Pattern

させていただく is a 謙譲語けんじょうごI pattern meaning “ask permission to do something.” It appears very often on JLPT N2 and in Japanese business life.

When Is させていただく Used Correctly?

According to 敬語けいごの指針ししん, させていただく is appropriate when two conditions are met:

1. Permission (許可きょか) — the action happens after you receive permission from another party
2. Benefit (恩恵おんけい) — the actor feels benefit or gratitude from the action

Sample N2-type question:

「社長しゃちょう、本日ほんじつの企画きかくについて______。」

a) ご説明せつめいになります   b) ご説明せつめいさせていただきます   c) ご説明せつめいいたされます   d) お説明せつめいします

Keigo in Business Communication

On JLPT N2, questions often use a business setting. These patterns matter:

Business Email Patterns

Business Phone Patterns

Uchi-Soto Rules in Business

On N2, you must understand 内うちと外そと (uchi-soto) inside a company:

• 内うち (inside): coworkers in your company — when speaking to external parties, do not use honorifics for them
• 外そと (outside): clients, customers, partners — always use sonkeigo

Sample N2-type question:

(電話でんわで) 「はい、山田やまだ商事しょうじでございます。営業部えいぎょうぶの鈴木すずきですか。鈴木すずきは只今ただいま______が...。」

a) 外出がいしゅつされています   b) 外出がいしゅつしております   c) 外出がいしゅつなさっています   d) 外出がいしゅつしておられます

Passive 尊敬語そんけいご (〜れる/られる) on N2

On N3, sonkeigo is mainly special verbs + お〜になる. On N2, you also need the passive form as light sonkeigo:

The passive form fits semi-formal contexts — not highly formal, still polite. For example, talking about a professor in a relaxed academic setting.

When to use the passive form vs お〜になる?

The choice depends on the formality you want:

• Formal meetings, email to a client: お〜になる (more formal)
• Office chat, stories about a superior: 〜れる/られる (lighter)
• Verbs that already have special sonkeigo (いらっしゃる, おっしゃる): use the special form, not the passive

⚠️ Watch out: Passive sonkeigo can be ambiguous with ordinary passive sentences (受うけ身み). Context decides the meaning! For example, 「先生せんせいに読よまれた」 can mean “The teacher read it (sonkeigo)” OR “It was read by the teacher (passive).” Watch particles and context!

The お(ご)〜いたす Pattern: KI + KII Hybrid

This important N2 pattern does not appear on N3. According to 敬語けいごの指針ししん, お(ご)〜いたす works twice: it lowers you toward a 向むかう先さき (KI) AND speaks politely to the listener (KII).

お〜いたす is more polite than お〜する because it adds the KII element (いたす). It is the form most common in formal business email.

Example sentence:

明日あした、ご連絡れんらくいたします。 Ashita, go-renraku itashimasu. I will contact you tomorrow.

→ ご連絡れんらくする (KI — raises the phone recipient) + いたす (KII — polite to the listener). This is not 二重敬語にじゅうけいご because KI and KII are different categories.

Common させていただく Overuse in Daily Life

させていただく is often overused in everyday Japanese. Here are examples that, according to 敬語けいごの指針ししん, are less appropriate:

These forms are already very common in Japanese media (especially celebrity and politician speeches), but they do not meet the two required conditions. On JLPT N2, understanding correct use matters more.

💡 Memory tip: Use させていただく only when someone else gives permission. If the action is purely your own decision, use いたします alone.

Study Tips for N2 Keigo

Beyond memorizing patterns and verbs, these study strategies help for JLPT N2 keigo:

1. Read Japanese business emails — search for sample ビジネスメール online. Notice opening, body, and closing patterns.

2. Watch Japanese business dramas — shows such as 「半沢直樹はんざわなおき」 and 「リーガルハイ」 use authentic business keigo.

3. Drill KI vs KII questions — this area often decides keigo scores on N2. Make flashcards with scenarios: “向むかう先さき present → KI” and “向むかう先さき absent → KII.”

4. Practice uchi-soto — build dialogs where you are a receptionist who must lower your boss toward a guest with KII.

JLPT N2 Practice Questions (Keigo)

Here are five practice items covering critical N2 areas. Each targets one concept above. Answer first, then open the explanation — watch the subject, whether there is a 向むかう先さき, and the situation.

Question 1: 「先生せんせいのお名前なまえは前まえから______。」

a) 存ぞんじ上あげております   b) ご存ぞんじでいらっしゃいます   c) 存ぞんじております   d) お知しりになっています

Question 2: 「それでは、資料しりょうを______。」

a) お配くばりになります   b) お配くばりいたします   c) 配くばってさしあげます   d) 配くばらせていただきます

Question 3: (メールで) 「______恐縮きょうしゅくですが、ご確認かくにんをお願ねがいいたします。」

a) お忙いそがしいところ   b) お忙いそがしくしておられるところ   c) ご多忙たぼうのところ   d) a) and c) are both correct

Question 4: 社長しゃちょうが明日あしたの会議かいぎに______とのことです。

a) 出席しゅっせきいたされる   b) ご出席しゅっせきになる   c) 出席しゅっせきされる   d) b) and c) are both correct

Question 5: 「失礼しつれいですが、どちらさまでしょうか。」 「三菱みつびし商事しょうじの佐藤さとうと______。」

a) おっしゃいます   b) 申もうし上あげます   c) 申もうします   d) 言いわれます

New Vocabulary

These new words appear in this article. They often show up on JLPT N2, especially in 読解どっかい (reading comprehension) and 聴解ちょうかい (listening):

Conclusion

Keigo on JLPT N2 marks the shift from introduction to deeper understanding. Unlike N3, which mainly tests recognition, N2 asks you to grasp keigo’s internal logic and apply it in realistic business situations.

Critical areas to master:

1. 謙譲語けんじょうごI vs II — key question: “Is there a 向むかう先さき?” If yes → KI. If no → KII. This area decides many scores.

2. させていただく — require both conditions: permission + benefit. Do not use it for actions that need no one’s permission. Also recognize the overused media forms.

3. 内うちと外そと — when speaking to external parties, lower in-company people with 謙譲語けんじょうごII (おる, いたす, 申もうす), not raise them with sonkeigo. It feels counterintuitive but is vital in Japanese business culture.

4. Business communication keigo — standard email, phone, and meeting patterns. Memorize fixed phrases such as お世話せわになっております and 何卒なにとぞよろしくお願ねがいいたします. These patterns are established and rarely change.

5. Passive sonkeigo and hybrid patterns — 〜れる/られる as light sonkeigo, and お(ご)〜いたす as KI+KII. Know when to use each and at which formality level.

If you feel solid on all of the above, you are ready for the final challenge. For the highest level — including tricky 二重敬語にじゅうけいご traps, ultra-formal expressions such as 承うけたまわる and 仰おおせ, and keigo analysis in classical text — continue to Keigo JLPT N1.

Also Read:

• Keigo for JLPT N3: What You Must Master
• 二重敬語 vs 敬語連結: Which Is Correct, Which Is Wrong?
• Kenjougo II (謙譲語II/丁重語): Politeness Without a Target
• Keigo at Work: 5 Business Dialogs