Teineigo (丁寧語): Core Polite Japanese You Need First

When you first learn Japanese, your earliest sentences are often “私わたしは学生がくせいです” (I am a student) or “食たべます” (I eat). Without noticing, you are already using Keigo. Those です and ます endings are Teineigo (丁寧語ていねいご).

Teineigo is the foundation of the whole Keigo system—and you may already know most of it.

丁寧語ていねいご とは？ (What Is Teineigo?)

丁寧語ていねいご is general polite language—Keigo that shows politeness to the listener. Its job is simple: make your statement sound polite and refined, without elevating or lowering anyone in particular.

In the 敬語けいごの指針ししん (Keigo Guidelines, 2007), Teineigo is defined as follows:

💡 From the 敬語けいごの指針ししん: Teineigo shows politeness to the 相手あいて (listener). It does not raise the sentence subject or humble the speaker. Its main markers are です and ます.

Place in the 5-Category Keigo System

Basic Teineigo Forms

Teineigo has two main markers:

1. です (Desu) — for nouns and na-adjectives

2. ます (Masu) — for verbs

Full です Conjugation

i-adjectives with です

For i-adjectives (形容詞けいようし), です is added after the casual form:

Full ます Conjugation

でございます — Higher-Level Teineigo

There is a more formal Teineigo form than です: でございます. You hear it in hotels, department stores, and very formal business settings.

⚠️ Note: でございます still belongs to Teineigo, not Kenjougo. It remains polite toward the listener—only at a higher level.

Example Sentences

Example 1: Self-introduction 私わたしは田中たなかです。 Watashi wa Tanaka desu. I am Tanaka.

Example 2: Daily routine 毎朝まいあさコーヒーを飲のみます。 Maiasa koohii o nomimasu. Every morning (I) drink coffee.

Example 3: Past experience 昨日きのう、映画えいがを見みました。 Kinou, eiga o mimashita. Yesterday (I) watched a movie.

Example 4: Polite refusal いいえ、知しりません。 Iie, shirimasen. No, (I) do not know.

Example 5: At a restaurant こちらは本日ほんじつのランチでございます。 Kochira wa honjitsu no ranchi de gozaimasu. This is today’s lunch special (very formal).

Teineigo vs Casual: When to Use Which?

Teineigo vs Bikago: Do Not Mix Them Up

Many learners mix 丁寧語ていねいご and 美化語びかご because both “sound more polite.” The core difference:

📖 See the difference in the Bikago article →

Quick Path: Casual → Teineigo

If you freeze when you need polite speech, use this 4-step procedure.

Step 1: Identify the predicate type

• If the predicate is a noun or na-adjective, use です.
• If it is a verb, switch to the ます form.
• If it is an i-adjective, keep the i-adjective form and add です.

Step 2: Set tense (present/past)

• Present positive: です / ます
• Present negative: ではありません / ません
• Past positive: でした / ました
• Past negative: ではありませんでした / ませんでした

Step 3: Check particles

Beginners often fix the verb and forget particles. Keep は, を, に, で aligned with the meaning.

Step 4: Add polite openers when needed

In formal contexts, add phrases such as:

• すみませんが (excuse me, but…)
• 失礼します (excuse me)
• お願いします (please)

These four steps make sentences sound more natural and professional.

Transformation Drill: Casual → Teineigo

Practical drills you can copy every day.

1) Noun 私わたしは学生がくせいだ。
Watashi wa gakusei da.
→ 私わたしは学生がくせいです。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.

2) Verb present 今日きょうは働はたらく。
Kyou wa hataraku.
→ 今日きょうは働はたらきます。
Kyou wa hatarakimasu.

3) Verb past 昨日きのうは休やすんだ。
Kinou wa yasunda.
→ 昨日きのうは休やすみました。
Kinou wa yasumimashita.

4) Negative 肉にくを食たべない。
Niku o tabenai.
→ 肉にくを食たべません。
Niku o tabemasen.

5) i-adjective この店みせは高たかい。
Kono mise wa takai.
→ この店みせは高たかいです。
Kono mise wa takai desu.

Short active drills beat passive memorization.

Teineigo in 3 Real Situations

1) In class

Safe ways to ask:

• 先生せんせい、もう一度いちど説明せつめいしていただけますか。
• 質問しつもんしてもいいですか。

2) In a shop

Natural basics:

• これをください。
• 試着しちゃくしてもいいですか。
• 少すこし安やすくなりますか。

3) At the office (standard polite)

• 本日ほんじつの資料しりょうを共有きょうゆうします。
• 会議かいぎは3時じからです。
• 先さきに失礼しつれいします。

When you are unsure whether Sonkeigo or Kenjougo is required, Teineigo is the safest choice.

New Vocabulary

Conclusion

1. Teineigo (丁寧語ていねいご) is the most basic Keigo: です and ます show politeness to the listener.
2. Teineigo is the gateway to Keigo—if you can use です/ます, you already use Keigo.
3. でございます is a higher Teineigo form for very formal settings.
4. Do not confuse Teineigo (polite to the listener) with 美化語びかご (softened words).
5. With people you are not very close to, Teineigo is usually already enough.

Foundation navigation:

• Previous: What Is Keigo?
• Next: Bikago (美化語)

Also read:

• What Is Keigo? The 5 Official Types of Polite Japanese
• Bikago (美化語): Soften Japanese with お and ご
• Complete Keigo Guide

Next, study Bikago (美化語びかご)—words softened with お and ご. It can feel like Teineigo, but the job is different.