Honorific prefixes: 「ご」 vs 「お」


Some nouns take the 「ご」 prefix:

> ご両親 {りょうしん}  
>  ご家族 {かぞく}  
>  ご無事 {ぶじ}  
>  ご安心 {あんしん}  
>  ご丁寧 {ていねい}

While many others take the 「お」 prefix:

> お母さん  
>  お仕事 {しごと}  
>  お月 {つき}さま  
>  お家 {うち}  
>  お客 {きゃく}

In general, what are the criteria that determine whether a noun takes a 「ご」 or
an 「お」?




Most generally:

  * Words of Chinese (On-yomi) origin take ご
  * Words of Japanese (Kun-yomi) origin take お

If I recall correctly, there are also a very few chinese-origin words which
take お as they are very commonly used, but I can't think of any of these off
the top of my head.

**Edit:** One such example is お電話.




Most generally:

  * Words of Chinese (On-yomi) origin take ご
  * Words of Japanese (Kun-yomi) origin take お

If I recall correctly, there are also a very few chinese-origin words which
take お as they are very commonly used, but I can't think of any of these off
the top of my head.

**Edit:** One such example is お電話.

