Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 辞儀する | jigi suru |
| お辞儀する | o-jigi suru |
The verb form is used to describe the act of bending oneself as a gesture of respect or deference. For the physical gesture itself, the nouns 辞儀 or お辞儀 can be used. If you are referring to the front of a boat or ship, the terms 船首 or 舳先 are used instead.
Which one should you use?
While 辞儀する is a standard way to express the action, お辞儀する is a more polite version. Additionally, when discussing the specific act of bowing, the word 礼 may be used.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form お辞儀する is more polite than 辞儀する because of the honorific prefix, making it the most common way to express the action of bowing. The noun お辞儀 is the common way to refer to a formal bow.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In spoken Japanese, お辞儀する is common, but the grammatically standard way to use the noun お辞儀 as a verb is to include the particle 'o', resulting in お辞儀をする.
How do you pronounce it?
jigi suru
Did you know?
- In modern Japanese offices, an お辞儀 is often performed while on the phone or during a video call to show respect to the client, even if they cannot see the person.
- There are three distinct types of お辞儀 based on the angle of the bend: 会釈 at 15 degrees for greetings, 敬礼 at 30 degrees for respect and 最敬礼 at 45 degrees for deep apology or high honor.
- If you are bowing to someone of much higher status, it is considered polite to keep your eyes downcast rather than maintaining eye contact during the movement.
Examples in context
- 丁寧にお辞儀する。Teinei ni ojigi suru.To bow politely.
- 挨拶の時はお辞儀する。Aisatsu no toki wa ojigi suru.I bow when greeting someone.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bow” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
