LLearn Japanese

Online politeness etiquette

I’ve seen people say that you should default to polite ます form, but I’ve also seen threads where everyone is speaking very casually, or the poster uses a more polite form than those responding. Is it just up to personal preference? The mood of what’s being conversed about? I don’t want to accidentally come off as rude or unnecessarily stiff

1 comment

  1. If you’re talking about conversation online, thats generally casual. I can’t speak to what someones reason for speaking politely is without knowing the context. But generally you would if you wanted to be respectful. Ie asking a question or addressing many people. That said, there isn’t really a formula or anything for when to use polite forms of grammar. You just need to feel it out, and keep in mind that nonnative speakers get a bit of slack when we use the wrong verb forms. So don’t get too hung up over it

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