Something I keep seeing come up in N3 prep materials is keigo — formal/polite speech — and I want to figure out how seriously to take it for the exam.
Here's what I know going in:
The three main categories:
- Sonkeigo (尊敬語) — elevates the subject (usually someone else's actions)
- Kenjōgo (謙譲語) — lowers the speaker (your own actions)
- Teineigo (丁寧語) — general polite register (ます・です)
What shows up at N3 level?
From what I've seen in practice tests, N3 touches keigo mostly in:
- Reading comprehension — formal workplace or service emails
- Vocabulary — recognizing words like いらっしゃる、おっしゃる、いただく in context
- Grammar — some ていただく patterns, おVする constructions
My question: Is it worth spending dedicated study time on keigo verbs at N3, or is it enough to recognize them passively in context? I'm not trying to produce keigo — just understand it well enough to answer reading/listening questions correctly.
Would love to hear from anyone who's sat N3 recently.