1.
we; us (very formal, humble)
A highly formal and humble first-person plural pronoun used in business and service contexts.
私どもにお任せください。
Please leave it to us.
私どもの商品をお選びいただき、ありがとうございます。
Thank you for choosing our products.
私どもは全力でお客様のご要望にお応えしてまいります。
We will do our utmost to meet our customers' needs.
A very formal humble pronoun formed from 私 (I, formal) + ども (humble plural suffix). Used primarily in business, hospitality, and customer service to represent one's organization or group in a humble manner. The ども suffix is inherently humble, lowering the speaker's group relative to the listener.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 私どもの会社: our company (humble)
- 私どもの店: our shop (humble)
- 私どもといたしましては: as far as we are concerned (very formal)
USAGE:
Primarily used in business correspondence, formal speeches, and customer-facing situations. Hotel staff, airline attendants, and salespeople frequently use this pronoun. It would sound overly stiff in casual conversation.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 私たち: we — standard and gender-neutral; appropriate for most situations
- 我々: we — formal but not humble; used in speeches and announcements
- 僕ら: we — informal and masculine
- 弊社: our company (humble) — specifically refers to one's company rather than a group of people