This page is an overview of the various keigo expressions used in Genji.

御

This is a prefix that is attached to a large number of words. In some cases the word is a fixed unit (like 御覧 or 御前). In other cases the addition of the prefix shows respect to the person the noun is associated with.

The reading of 御 has been a point of difficulty for some time. There is general agreement among scholars that the readings of ご, お, and み are limited to specific words. There are two basic theories as to how to read the character otherwise. The most widely accepted seems to be that unless specified otherwise, it should be read as おほん (with おん being a later Heian reading that should be avoided for Genji. A minority opinion (expressed by scholars like Suzuki Kazuo) is that the reading おほん is limited to the Emperor, Crown Prince, Empress, and other figures of high royalty. The default is おん, in other cases. I have only provided a reading for the 御 character in cases where the reading seems to be tied to the word itself (as in words like 御覧), although I sometimes note in the annotations where scholars have suggested readings.

たまふ

This 4D honorific verb-suffix is ubiquitious in Genji, showing up in nearly every sentence.

おもほす、おぼす、おぼほす

These are all honorific for 思ふ. There is an especially high degree of variance among manuscripts between these three words, making it difficult to judge accurately what the difference between them is, if any. In Eiichi Shibuya’s text, the kanji form 思ほす should generally be read as おもほす.

Honorific causative

The causative form can be used honorifically. This use is mostly restricted to the Emperor or other Imperial figures, and is generally combined with another honorific element like the たまふ suffix. In some cases the verb itself will be honorific, resulting in a double or even triple honorific construction.