Humble

Production Rules:

Inflection Examples:

Irregulars:

* This is not humble, since it applies only to inanimate things, however, it is often used in situations in which humble forms are called for.

Usage Notes & Examples:

1. The above represents common patterns for how verbs are made humble, but the fact is that keigo is extremely complex. There are many exceptions governing how particular verbs are made humble, depending on what forms have survived to modern times, as well as particular ways of expressing certain sentiments. For instance, notice that a number of the model verbs used for the other forms could not be used here. It would be advisable to check a reliable source for any particular case.
2. Humble forms are used only when the speaker, or member of the speaker's in-group is the subject. It lowers the position of the subject in order to show politeness to the listener. This is a separate function from that provided by the "normal polite" forms ("desu", "masu"), which show politeness to the listener regardless of the subject, so these are still generally needed.
3. Note that some verbs have inherently polite or humble counterparts that are used in their place when a humble form is called for, and the most common examples are listed in the irregulars table above.
4. There are numerous exceptions in how particular verbs are made humble, so it would be advisable to check a reliable source for any particular case.
5. For verbs that conjugate as noun + "suru", where the noun involved is of Chinese origin (i.e. the "on" reading of the kanji is used), generally "itasu" is used in place of "suru". For example, "benkyou suru" becomes "benkyou itasu".