Line #10 Main/FormalCharactersUseKeigo


1	''Keigo'' (敬語) -- with 敬 (''kei'') meaning "honor" and 語 (''go'') meaning "speech" or "language" -- is a Japanese speech register containing the language's more polite forms of address. It is used in formal and ceremonial circumstances, and in certain cases, when those of lower social positions are addressing their higher-ups. For example, shop clerks generally address customers using ''keigo'' forms. (A few ''keigo'' phrases are used in daily conversation as well.) For more information, see UsefulNotes/JapaneseLanguage; it also commonly shares overlap with UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics and UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns.
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3	In Japanese media, ''keigo'' speech may mark a character as, among other traits, refined, old-fashioned, polite, or mild-mannered. The {{Ojou}}, YamatoNadeshiko, {{Meido}}, and {{Samurai}} characters are all likely ''keigo'' speakers. It might also be deliberately adopted by people seeking to sound deferential, as in high-class service sector workers. People from Kansai are also prone to using ''keigo'' in situations where Kanto speakers would deem it unnecessary, especially speakers from Kyoto.[[note]]It is worth noting that Keigo came from Kansai dialect and that Kyoto dialect was the standard Japanese dialect before the Meiji Restoration.[[/note]]
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5	This form of speech is sometimes [[AccentAdaptation rendered in various dubs]] as British English (usually Received Pronunciation) or European Spanish if it is the defining trait of a character. Another option might be AntiquatedLinguistics (vaguely Victorian English) and FloweryElizabethanEnglish (vaguely Elizabethan English), which are independently used as speech patterns for old-timey Anglosphere characters, and if you want a more accurate AccentAdaptation, try a SouthernGentleman type of speaking, as American Southerners tended to be rather sophisticated in a similar manner to Kyoto people, especially back in the older days. Compare SpockSpeak for other characters who speak formally. Contrast TheIdiotFromOsaka, where dumb comic relief characters have comparable accents to [[BrooklynRage New Yorkers]], [[OnlyInFlorida Floridians]] or [[DeepSouth hillbillies]].
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8	!!Examples:
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12	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
13	* ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'': Peorth's speech pattern in the original Japanese is rather antiquated and polite, used in RealLife only by upper-class women raised before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, thus extremely unfitting for a girl who looks and dresses like her. Studio Proteus/Dark Horse opted to [[{{Woolseyism}} translate this]] by having her [[AccentAdaptation speak French]].
14	* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': ChildProdigy Chiyo Mihama's speech patterns in Japanese are generally much more polite than the other characters', which highlights both her [[{{Ojou}} wealthy upbringing]] and her [[AdorablyPrecociousChild precocious nature]]. It also helps that as a GradeSkipper, her peers are several years older than her and she's expected to be respectful to them.
15	* Tomoyo Daidouji from ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'' is [[SpoiledSweet the daughter of an entrepreneur of a giant toy company, who is kind]] and [[NiceGirl nice to everybody]] with good manner. Said manner includes using ''keigo'' in every conversation, even conversations with herself.
16	* In ''Manga/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'', Angelo, among others, constantly uses ''keigo'', since he's usually talking to someone of a higher rank than himself. Miguel has to tell him to drop the "''-sama''". Even when he's debating in class with the title character, [[UsefulNotes/TheBorgias a noble]], his fierce disagreements are polite. For example, "''Go-jibun wa sugureta shidousha ni nariuru jishin ga o-ari desuka?''" ("So do you think ''you'' have what it takes to be such an excellent leader?", but dripping with politeness). The effect is quite interesting when set to a cleverly complicated, jazzy score in [[Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto the musical]].
17	* ''Franchise/DragonBall'': Freeza's Japanese speech patterns are extremely formal, always using the most polite forms of verbs. [[FauxAffablyEvil This serves to contrast with his ruthless behavior]], as well as contrast with the series' protagonist Son Goku, whose own speech patterns are much more informal and have some elements of a [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseDialects Tohoku dialect]] (which is stereotypically associated with people from the boonies).
18	* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Wendy, who is highly polite, uses ''keigo'' when speaking to most characters besides her long-time best friend and Exceed companion Carla, who is also one of the few she addresses without honorifics. Wendy's new friend Shellia once teases her about how formal she is after Wendy thanks her with "''Arigato gozaimasu''".
19	* ''Manga/FrierenBeyondJourneysEnd'': Fern speaks in very formal linguistics at all times and uses the extremely respectful ''-sama'' honorific for everyone, including her closest friends, to convey her ultra-polite nature.
20	* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'':
21	** Main character Tohru Honda's most notable quirk is how she always speaks very politely, even to people she's close to or in situations where it's unnecessary. One brief scene even has her sigh and then add "''desu''" out of habit. While this reflects her humble nature, she also does this deliberately since [[HisQuirkLivesOn her father Katsuya also had polite speech patterns]], and since he died when she was three, it's one of the few things she remembers about him. In the dub, this is adapted as her speaking as though she was a parent or significant other. [[spoiler:She also deliberately picked up these speech patterns as a way to keep Kyoko from leaving her, since she secretly resents Katsuya as Kyoko's grief over his death made her neglect Tohru for a time and almost commit suicide.]]
22	** Subverted with Motoko Minagawa, who speaks in an extremely polite manner that emphasizes her haughty personality. However, despite behaving like an arrogant {{Ojou}} stereotype, she's not from a wealthy or influential family and her parents run a produce store.
23	* ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'': As expected of a princess, Cure Scarlet uses formal Japanese to whomever she speaks to. However, she's also very, very formal at all times, even with her close friends/fellow Cures.
24	* ''Manga/ALoveLetterForTheMarchingPuppy'' is set at a military academy in an AlternateHistory of Japan, in which women were admitted to the army in the early 20th Century. Cadets are told to use ''watakushi'' on themselves and end sentences with ''de arimasu'' while speaking to superiors.
25	* ''Franchise/LoveLive'':
26	** Dia Kurosawa from ''Anime/LoveLiveSunshine'' speaks in very formal linguistics at all times (even using the very formal pronoun ''watakushi'' for herself), highlighting her upbringing from a very traditional (and wealthy) Japanese background.
27	** ''Anime/LoveLiveNijigasakiHighSchoolIdolClub'': Even when she's at [[GenkiGirl her most energetic]], Setsuna Yuki's Japanese speech patterns are always polite, consistently using formal verbs. [[spoiler:This reflects that, despite her cheerful and geeky personality, she's still an {{Ojou}} from a strict household.]]
28	* ''Manga/LuckyStar'': Miyuki Takara is a [[{{Ojou}} wealthy girl]] who always speaks very politely. In Episode 7 of the anime, when Konata becomes hooked on ''[[Literature/MariaWatchesOverUs Marimite]]'' and starts acting and speaking like a stereotypical {{Ojou}}, Miyuki seamlessly plays along with it.
29	* ''Manga/MyDressUpDarling'': Wakana Gojo always uses very formal speech patterns, which emphasizes his polite, humble personality as well as how he lives an old-fashioned lifestyle with his grandfather.
30	* The protagonist of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', Negi Springfield, uses ''keigo'' while speaking with anyone that isn't a close friend or family member. His love interests have a minor freak-out when they think this means there's an emotional wall between him and ask him to speak to them informally.
31	* ''Manga/{{Nisekoi}}'': Marika Tachibana invokes this, as she usually speaks very formally as part of her image as a ProperLady. However, when she becomes angry or flustered, she'll [[AccentSlipUp slip back into her native dialect]] (a Tosa dialect in the manga, but a Fukuoka dialect in the anime), showing that she's not as proper as she likes to pretend.
32	* ''Manga/TheQuintessentialQuintuplets'': Itsuki always tends to speak using the most formal patterns, adding to her straight-laced demeanor. This seems to be an aspect of trying to act more like their mother after her death, as she speaks more casually [[spoiler:while disguised as Rena, which, according to Yotsuba, is much more like the "old" Itsuki]].
33	* Youko in ''Manga/ThreeLeavesThreeColors'', despite [[RichesToRags no longer]] being an {{Ojou}}, can't get out of her old speech patterns, down to using ''watakushi'' instead of plain ''watashi''. Futaba is amazed to meet someone who actually ''talks'' that way too.
34	* ''Anime/VoltesV'': [[{{Ojou}} Katherine]], who hails from the [[BlueBlood Rii family]], speaks in a flowery ''keigo'' manner, even to people she's close to such as [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Prince Heinel]]. Apart from the way she speaks, her FluffyFashionFeathers and FairytaleWeddingDress remind you that she's a [[AliensAreBastards Boazanian]] [[AristocratsAreEvil noble]]. In contrast, Hiyoshi, who shares her [[Creator/NorikoOhara voice actress]], speaks rather informally and in a child-like manner.
35	* ''Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS'': {{Subverted\|Trope}} with Specter, who is known to speak in a polite manner to highlight his utter sadistic personality.
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38	[[folder:Literature]]
39	* ''Literature/BlackBullet'': Seitenshi in very formal linguistics (highlighting her authority as ruler of the Tokyo Area), and also uses the very formal first-person pronoun ''watakushi'' in the Japanese version when referring to herself.
40	* ''Literature/TheCaseFilesOfJewelerRichard'': Richard's Japanese with customers is ''extremely'' formal and polite to match his behavior and upper-class background, along with his ever-present suits, although the formality drops off some when he speaks to characters like Seigi more casually and even swears in English at his own cousins.
41	* In ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Itsuki Koizumi always uses ''keigo'' to convey his ultra-polite nature. Kyon reads this as Koizumi being a suck-up, and Koizumi himself admits he [[BeneathTheMask gets sick of being polite to his classmates all the time]].
42	* ''Literature/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'': As the young lady of a noble family, Haruhime always speaks in a very formal manner, down to using ''watakushi'' instead of plain ''watashi''.
43	* ''Literature/MariaWatchesOverUs'', being set at a prestigious Catholic boarding school [[OneGenderSchool for girls]] which places heavy emphasis on elegance and respectability, is heavy with this. Students are expected to speak formally, especially to their upperclassmen.
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47	* ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'': Kasumi Momochi always speaks in ''keigo'' to emphasize her ProperLady personality. She calls her cousin by nicknames, but still talks very politely, even when excited or after becoming a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} due to a MOTW.
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50	[[folder:Video Games]]
51	* ''VideoGame/BlueReflectionSecondLight'': Shiho Kasuga has a very polite way of speaking. It is implied she picked up this habit from doing her job as a barista.
52	* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
53	** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' has Sakura, a princess of Hoshido and one of the most polite characters in the game, consistently uses ''keigo'' in the original Japanese script. She uses the extremely respectful sibling addresses "''Onii-sama''" on her brothers (Ryoma, Takumi, and a male avatar), and "''Onee-sama''" on her sisters (Hinoka, the female avatar, and Azura), and uses "''-san''" on almost everyone else, including even her closest friends. Her retainer Hana, who's close enough to Sakura to drop the "''-sama''" honorific in private, notes that it's a bit weird that Sakura is still so formal with her in private.
54	** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' has Hubert, Edelgard's retainer, who speaks very formally to others. Apart from Edelgard, whom he addresses with "''-sama''" or royal titles ("Lady Edelgard" or "Your/Her Highness/Majesty"), he uses ''-dono'' on most other people.
55	* ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'': Out of the members of the Angel Wing, Mint Blancmanche and Chitose Karasuma are the ones who speak in the most polite and sophisticated manner. Fitting as the former is a high-class {{Ojou}}, and the latter is a traditional YamatoNadeshiko.
56	* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': The Raiden Shogun speaks this way. This is {{justified\|Trope}} considering she is not just Inazuma's patron deity but happens to be LongLived, so naturally her vocabulary would be more antiquated.
57	* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': Trickier to spot in the translated versions, but Amiti's Japanese is more polite and formal than most other characters, to reflect his upbringing as nobility. This also makes his [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] MetaGuy moments more amusing.
58	* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'':
59	** The main antagonist of ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' is Susie, [[SecretaryOfEvil executive assistant]] to the planet-looting Haltmann Works Company. Since she's acting in her capacity as a secretary, she speaks exclusively in ''keigo'', even though she tries to "[[CharacterCatchphrase exterminate]]" Kirby multiple times. [[spoiler:She drops the ''keigo'' at the end of the game, when she tries to put one over on her boss and [[TheStarscream sell the company's Mother Computer to the highest bidder]].]]
60	** ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' has Francisca, the first of the Three Mage-Sisters. In contrast to Susie, who uses ''keigo'' because it's just business, Francisca is more of a SoftSpokenSadist whose formal mannerisms only make her come off more [[{{Pun}} chilling]] when she threatens to freeze Kirby into an ice statue.
61	* ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'': In ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', Goro uses ''keigo'' on the clock. He swaps seamlessly from immaculately mannered host to scowling ex-Yakuza within the space of a few seconds in several instances.
62	* ''VideoGame/Persona5'' In ''[[UpdatedRerelease Royal]]'', Kasumi Yoshizawa uses rather formal speech, including using honorifics on virtually everyone, in large part due to her being younger than most of the cast as a first-year in high school. [[spoiler:She continues doing so after discarding her façade as "Kasumi" and embracing her true self as Sumire, indicating that both the Yoshizawa sisters were like this.]]
63	* ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasonsPioneersOfOliveTown'': Dosetsu is the attendant to Iori, both characters being from a far-eastern country that's very clearly Japanese-inspired. As such, Dosetsu uses ''keigo'' in the Japanese version, while the English localization gives him a slightly old-fashioned way of speaking, and having him refer to other people with the title of Master or Lady.
64	* ''VideoGame/TalesOfHearts'': An early hint about Paraiba Marine De Rais' identity is the use of polite speech and the archaic pronoun ''watakushi'', usually reserved for high society.
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Context Main / FormalCharactersUseKeigo