The kanji 御 primarily conveys the meanings of "honor," "respect," "veneration," and "to make something beautiful or elegant." It often indicates a sense of formality, politeness, and adds a layer of respect to the word it modifies. It can also imply something belonging to the emperor or the government.

・On-yomi (音読み): ギョ (gyo), ゴ (go) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): お (o)

⚫︎ 御飯 (ごはん) Translation: Rice (polite or honorific term for cooked rice). ⚫︎ 御手洗 (おてあらい) Translation: Toilet, restroom (lit. "honorable hand washing place"). ⚫︎ 御社 (おんしゃ) Translation: Your company (polite and respectful term used when speaking about another company).

The kanji 御 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound character. It combines two elements: 彳 (gyou nyou), representing a walking person or movement, and 卸 (sha), which contributes the sound and originally meant "to take down, to provide." The meaning evolved to include the idea of approaching respectfully, hence the association with honor and respect. It was later borrowed to be used as a prefix to make words polite.