Honorific speech in Japanese

This is an entry I posted on an old blog 2 years ago.  Today Lang8's friend helped me to make corrections on this entry, so I would like to publish it again.

Link source: 就職に役立つ豆知識

I am not able to correctly use Japanese honorifics.  I didn't think it would give me that much trouble as long as I could express myself clearly in plain Japanese.  At least until the day I lost my wallet on the subway.

It was a usual night.  After a long day at work, my body was exhausted but my mind was still racing.  On my way home on the subway, all kinds of thoughts ran through my mind.  The last time I remembered having my wallet was when I sat down on the train. I know I was holding it firmly in my hand.  I was suddenly awakened from my reverie: the wallet was not with me anymore and I could not leave my home station because my commuter pass was inside the wallet, which I needed to get through the turnstile.

What a terrible situation on such a cold night! I needed to explain everything clearly in Japanese to the station staff so they could help me find the wallet.  After several minutes, I confirmed that my wallet was not on the train anymore, and must have been picked up by somebody.  I was pretty upset and eager to tell the station staff that all my cards and cash were inside the wallet.  It was kind of a surprise to me that one of the station staff got impatient and yelled at me that they couldn't help my find my missing wallet.

This is unusual for Japan.  A rude staff member at a train station?!


The next day, I complained about the bad service of the station staff to one of my colleagues.  The colleague went with me to the police station and bank to tell them about the missing wallet and credit cards.  After finishing all the annoying procedures, my colleague said,

"ChuChi, I think I know why the station staff was being impolite to you."  "It must be a problem with your Japanese!”

“What?" I asked angrily, “I lost my wallet and was pretty upset!  Do Japanese people expect a foreigner to speak perfect Japanese in that kind of situation?”

My colleague explained, “Well, ChuChi, if you could not speak Japanese at all, or if you spoke poor Japanese, it might not have been a problem.  However, you speak correct Japanese but don't use the right nuance.  When I heard you talk to the bank staff, I realized that your Japanese makes you sound like a big shot.  Didn’t you notice that the bank lady kept asking you questions by using honorific forms?  If you don't reply with the corresponding honorific forms, it sounds like you're looking down on her.  It's common courtesy when talking to a stranger, especially to a person who is providing a service to you.” said my colleague.

What a shock!  After working in Japan for 6 years, it was the first time I realized that my Japanese could get me into trouble.  Although there are many things I have left to accomplish, I have one more to add : “Practice Japanese honorifics."