Respectful (尊敬語/Sonkeigo)

In the Japanese language, the Sonkeigo (尊敬語), or the respectful form, is used to show respect to someone of higher position. This can be somebody in the same company of higher rank or a client for example.  Typically the Sonkeigo can be difficult to remember since the respectful form is longer than the root. Furthermore, the new word will generally seem to have little resemblance to the original form and thus may look like a completely new word.

Verbs

Examples

So if you want to say the client is waiting in the lobby/waiting room, you would say

お客様は控え室でお待ちになっています。(Okyaku-sama ha hikaeshitsu de omachi ni natteimasu)

Note you should not use the Sonkeigo form when referring to your colleagues to clients, as your colleagues (from a client's perspective) are all one entity that are considered subservient (at least in Japanese society). This can be confusing because, even if you are speaking to a client about somebody senior in your company (like your manager), you should still use the humble form or at least the polite form. Again, this is to show that your company, as a whole, is inferior in comparison to the client. This is even if you are speaking about the CEO of your company for example, as in Japanese society, the client is essentially considered king when compared to the company.

Nevertheless, if this is getting confusing, just remember as a general rule, always use Sonkeigo when refering to your clients. Even if you are not sure whether you should use Sonkeigo refering to your colleagues, referring to your colleauges using the wrong tone isn't as bad as using the wrong tone referring to your clients. (Furthermore, your colleagues should correct you eventually with these sort of things when it's about themselves.)

Keigo Category Links

Honorifics - Keigo (敬語）

Polite(TEINEIGO)
Humble(KENJOUGO)
Respectful(SONKEIGO)
Example of KEIGOs (list)