Honorific Language Comparison

Korean honorifics are determined by the listener's age and social relationship. Using honorifics with anyone even one year older is fundamental, and switching between casual and formal speech indicates relationship intimacy.

Japanese keigo divides into sonkeigo (respectful), kenjogo (humble), and teineigo (polite), with systematic expressions for both elevating others and lowering oneself. It becomes especially complex in business contexts.

In Korea, even a one-year age difference matters, but in Japan, people in the same school year tend to use casual speech (tameguchi), making school year and company seniority more important than exact age.