ご覧になる

To See (Honorific)

Level 3Sounds Like goranninaru

ご覧になる is the respectful way to say 'to see', 'to look', or 'to read'. It is used exclusively for the actions of superiors, such as bosses, teachers, or customers.

How It Works

ご覧になる is the standard honorific (sonkeigo) equivalent of the verb 見る（みる） (to see).

1. Usage Context:
It is used in formal or business settings to elevate the subject of the sentence. You use it when your boss, a client, or a teacher is looking at, watching, or reading something. In Japanese business culture, it is the standard professional choice for checking or viewing documents, emails, or files.

2. Conjugation:
Since it ends in なる, it conjugates like any other Godan verb:

  • Polite: ご覧になります
  • Negative: ご覧にならない
  • Past: ご覧になった
  • Standard Request: ご覧になってください

3. Set Phrase: ご覧ください
While ご覧になってください is the literal conjugation, the set phrase ご覧ください (Honorific Noun + ください) is the most common way to say "Please look" or "Please see" in professional environments.

4. Auxiliary Usage:
ご覧になる can also serve as the honorific version of the 〜てみる (try doing) construction. By using the て-form of a verb followed by ご覧になる, you can politely suggest someone try something.
Example: 試してご覧になってください（ためしてごらんになってください） - "Please try it out."

5. Comparison with 見られる:
The passive-honorific form 見られる is also used to show respect, but ご覧になる is more formal and shows a higher level of respect. ご覧になる is preferred in business settings, while 見られる might be used in slightly less formal polite situations.

6. Formal Noun Usage:
The word ご覧 can function as a formal noun in expressions like ご覧の通り（ごらんのとおり - "As you can see"） or ご覧に入れる（ごらんにいれる - "To show/present something" in a humble way）.

Examples (3)

  1. 社長、こちらの資料をご覧になりましたか。

    President, have you looked at these materials?

    Word by Word: President, this (honorific) materials (object) (honorific) saw?

    This uses the polite past form ご覧になりました to ask a superior if they have reviewed a document.

  2. 新しいグラフをぜひご覧ください。

    Please be sure to look at the new graph.

    Word by Word: New graph (object) by all means (honorific) please look.

    ご覧ください is the standard respectful way to invite someone to look at something during a presentation.

  3. 先生が私のレポートをご覧になった。

    The teacher looked at (read) my report.

    Word by Word: Teacher (subject) my report (object) (honorific) looked.

    Even in the plain form ご覧になった, the verb remains honorific because the subject (the teacher) is of higher status.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 「ご覧になる」 for your own actions.

    私がそのメールをご覧になります。
    私がそのメールを拝見します。

    ご覧になる is respectful (sonkeigo) and elevates the person doing the action. Using it for yourself is like calling yourself 'The Great Me'. For your own actions, use the humble form 拝見する.

  • Using 'Double Honorifics' (Nijuu Keigo).

    資料をご覧になられましたか。
    資料をご覧になりましたか。

    ご覧になる is already a complete honorific verb. Adding the honorific 〜られる suffix on top of it is redundant and technically incorrect, though sometimes heard in 'baito-keigo' (part-time worker speech).

How It Connects

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ご覧になるLevel 3To See (Honorific)

Learn This First

ご覧になる is the special honorific (Sonkeigo) version of the verb 見る (to see). To understand it, learners need a foundation in Japanese honorific systems and the standard honorific verb construction pattern.

Words in This Pattern

ご覧になるご覧