美化語

Japanese

Kanji in this term
美	化	語
び Grade: 3	か Grade: 3	ご Grade: 2
kan’on		goon

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bʲika̠ɡo̞]

Noun

美(び)化(か)語(ご) • (bikago) ^{←びくゎご (bikwago)?}

1. beautified language, word beautification, a form of honorific or formal language often marked by use of certain honorific prefixes; a eulogistic or laudatory name, title, or word

   Synonym: 美称 (bishō)

   Hypernyms: 敬語 (keigo), 丁寧語 (teneigo)

   • [2004, Patricia Wentzel, Keigo ronkō [Theories of honorific language], by Tsujimura Toshiki, 1992, quoted in Keigo in Modern Japan, University of Hawaii Press, page 157 fn. 3:

     美(び)化(か)語(ご)（＝美(び)称(しょう)）。表(ひょう)現(げん)素(そ)材(ざい)を美(び)化(か)する言(い)い方(かた)。普(ふ)通(つう)、丁(てい)寧(ねい)語(ご)といわれるもの。

     Bikago (- bishō). Hyōgen sozai o bika suru īkata. Futsū, teineigo to iwareru mono.

     Beautified language (bikago) (= bishō ‘beautified titles’). Language that beautifies the material within the expression. Usually called teineigo.]

   • 2011, Kanai Isao, Nanige ni tegowai Nihongo [Truly formidable Japanese language], page 31:

     前(ぜん)述(じゅつ)のとおり、敬(けい)語(ご)には尊(そん)敬(けい)語(ご)、謙(けん)譲(じょう)語(ご)、丁(てい)重(ちょう)語(ご)、丁(てい)寧(ねい)語(ご)、美(び)化(か)語(ご)の5(いつ)つがありますが、冒(ぼう)頭(とう)の会(かい)話(わ)内(ない)で出(で)てくる「お勉(べん)強(きょう)」「お部(へ)屋(や)」「お掃(そう)除(じ)」などはこのうちの美(び)化(か)語(ご)に分(ぶん)類(るい)されます。

     Zenjutsu no tōri, keigo ni wa sonkeigo, kenjōgo, teichōgo, teineigo, bikago no itsutsu ga arimasu ga, bōtō no kaiwa-nai de dete-kuru “obenkyō” “oheya” “osōji” nado wa kono uchi no bikago ni bunrui saremasu.

     As mentioned above, keigo includes five types of honorific language: respectful sonkeigo, humble kenjōgo, courteous teichōgo, formal teineigo, and beautified bikago; words such as o-benkyō (study), o-heya (room) and o-sōji (cleaning) in the conversation at the beginning of this section are examples of beautified words.

See also

• 御(お) (o-, honorific prefix)
• Honorific speech in Japanese on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
• 新和英大辞典第 [Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary] (in Japanese), 5th edition, 2004