Honorific names
One of the most important parts of
talking to people in Japanese is the honorific system, or what you put
at the end of somebody’s name. Honorifics situate people within the
Japanese social hierarchy, by showing respect, affection, and
humility. Think of Japanese honorifics like calling somebod
y as Mr., Madam, or Doctor in English; each has a different level of respect and can be gender-specific.
-sama様【さま】
This is the highest honorific you can possibly use and, because of that, you probably won’t be using it much at all. It’s a level of formality that seems a bit absurd, disrespectful, or sarcastic in everyday conversation.
-sensei先生【せんせい】
This is another respectful honorific. You’ll mostly hear it used when referring to teachers, but it can be used for talking about other people who are experts in their fields. Doctors, lawyers, and politicians can all be called sensei.
-senpai 先輩【せんぱい】
Senpai is an honorific used when talking about more senior or experienced peers. For instance, if you’re talking to another student in your school that’s older than you, you could use 先輩; or if you’re in a club and somebody has been there longer than you, you can use 先輩 when referring to him/her.
And while senpai is most commonly used in schools and school clubs, this kind of dynamic goes far beyond school. You’ll probably hear this used in the workplace or elsewhere.
-san さん
さん should be your go-to honorific. It’s pretty neutral in terms of politeness, and isn’t gender-specific. If you’re unsure about how to refer to somebody, start with さん and work from there.
-kun 君【くん】
This is one honorific that’s more gender specific than most others. 〜君 is used for people in a lower position than you, and is mostly for males. Use it when talking about a young boy, or just a male younger than you.
-chanちゃん
At the lower end of the formality spectrum, we have ちゃん. This is an honorific mainly used for children, or people you are intimate with like family, close friends, and significant others. In general, ちゃん is a term of endearment and affection.
In short: don’t use ちゃん unless you are very close to the person you’re talking to, or they’re considerably younger than you.
-sama様【さま】
This is the highest honorific you can possibly use and, because of that, you probably won’t be using it much at all. It’s a level of formality that seems a bit absurd, disrespectful, or sarcastic in everyday conversation.
-sensei先生【せんせい】
This is another respectful honorific. You’ll mostly hear it used when referring to teachers, but it can be used for talking about other people who are experts in their fields. Doctors, lawyers, and politicians can all be called sensei.
-senpai 先輩【せんぱい】
Senpai is an honorific used when talking about more senior or experienced peers. For instance, if you’re talking to another student in your school that’s older than you, you could use 先輩; or if you’re in a club and somebody has been there longer than you, you can use 先輩 when referring to him/her.
And while senpai is most commonly used in schools and school clubs, this kind of dynamic goes far beyond school. You’ll probably hear this used in the workplace or elsewhere.
-san さん
さん should be your go-to honorific. It’s pretty neutral in terms of politeness, and isn’t gender-specific. If you’re unsure about how to refer to somebody, start with さん and work from there.
-kun 君【くん】
This is one honorific that’s more gender specific than most others. 〜君 is used for people in a lower position than you, and is mostly for males. Use it when talking about a young boy, or just a male younger than you.
-chanちゃん
At the lower end of the formality spectrum, we have ちゃん. This is an honorific mainly used for children, or people you are intimate with like family, close friends, and significant others. In general, ちゃん is a term of endearment and affection.
In short: don’t use ちゃん unless you are very close to the person you’re talking to, or they’re considerably younger than you.
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