いらっしゃる — The Honorific Trinity (いる／行く／来る)
A core sonkeigo (respectful) verb that elevates the listener's actions. Remarkably, it is the respectful equivalent of THREE verbs: いる (to be/exist), 行く (to go), and 来る (to come).
Structure
[Respected subject] が/は いらっしゃる (polite: いらっしゃいます)
Examples
社長はいらっしゃいますか？
Shachō wa irasshaimasu ka?
Is the president in?
いらっしゃる replacing いる (is present)
明日はどちらにいらっしゃいますか？
Ashita wa dochira ni irasshaimasu ka?
Where will you be going tomorrow?
いらっしゃる replacing 行く (to go)
お客様がいらっしゃいました。
Okyakusama ga irasshaimashita.
A guest has arrived.
いらっしゃる replacing 来る (to come)
• The Golden Keigo Rule: you cannot use sonkeigo about yourself. "私はいらっしゃる" is ungrammatical and rude — use おる (humble) for yourself. • Shopkeeper origin: the famous store phrase "いらっしゃいませ" (Welcome!) comes from this verb — "you have graciously come."
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones いらっしゃる is tested against.
vs おる / まいる (humble self)
いらっしゃる raises the LISTENER (いる/行く/来る). For your OWN existence/going/coming you must use humble おる (be) and まいる (go/come). Never mix them up by direction of respect.
vs おいでになる
おいでになる is another sonkeigo form covering いる/行く/来る and feels slightly softer/older. いらっしゃる is the everyday standard respectful choice.
More honorific language
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