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The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called keishō (敬称), which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while prefixes are attached to the beginning of many nouns.
The simplest translation would be "Mr" or "Mrs" (so this is a unisex suffix), but it signifies much more than that. "-San" is used with someone we respect and with whom one is not especially close, for example a colleague or boss, customers or anyone you don’t know very well.
Using Japanese Honorific Titles (E.g. San, Sama, Kun and Chan) In Japan, most of the time people call each other by their family name rather than their given names. A Japanese honorific title is a suffix that goes after the person’s name as in “Satou (name) san (honorific)” to raise this person up.
They’re Japanese suffixes or Japanese honorifics, and you'll cover all of them in this post so you know when, why, and how to use them. Don’t sweat it—this’ll be easy. By the end of the post, you'll know exactly when (and when not) to use each of the suffixes.
In Japanese, honorific suffixes are words like san さん, chan ちゃん, kun くん, and sama 様, which are written or said after a person's name when addressing them. They're also called honorific titles, or keishou 敬称. There are dozens of them, and they're used for dozens of reasons. For reference, a list with some honorific suffixes:
Japanese honorifics are complicated – and important. If you’re wondering, what do chan, kun, san, and sama mean? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide to the most common Japanese honorifics added to names, you’ll learn Japanese suffix meanings so you know which one to use and when.
The most common Japanese honorific is さん (san), which is a suffix honorific. This means that the honorific, さん (san), usually comes after family names or a word. The general pattern for suffix honorifics is as follows: Person’s family name + さん (san)
Adding honorifics to names is very easy and usually comes at the end of a name. For example, Mr. Yamada would be Yamada-san in Japanese. It’s also possible to add honorifics to proper nouns and even objects. You can take the word “dentist’s office” haisha and make it haisha-san to make it sound more polite.
Here is the list of 10 Japanese honorific titles and how to use them! – San (さん), the most common honorific, equivalent to “Mr.” or “Mrs.” It’s a title of respect between equals, so it’s okay to use for anyone, especially if you are not sure which honorific to use. It can also be attached to occupation names.
These Japanese honorifics are commonly used in Japanese daily life. Because of its importance, it’s essential to understand what each honorific means and how to use it when speaking Japanese. 1. さん (San): Mr./Mrs., Sir/Madam. さん (san) is the most common and universal honorific used among Japanese people.
The Japanese language uses a broad array of honorific suffixes for addressing or referring to people, for example, -san, as in Davey-san. These honorifics are gender-neutral (can be used for males and females).
In Japanese you often come across words like -san and -chan. But what is their purpose? Read all about Japanese honorifics in our article.
In English we might use Sir, Madam, Mister (Mr.), Misses (Mrs.), Miss (Ms.) and so on. Similarly, Japanese name suffixes can include , ~san, ~sama, ~kun, and more which I will discuss in more detail below. The most common by far is ～さん、 (～san). This is appended to the end of names and is often approximated to mean Mr. or Mrs./Ms.
Honorific suffixes, or simply honorifics, are appended to the names of people who you are addressing or referring to. Although not technically part of Japanese grammar, correct honorific usage is an essential component of proper Japanese cultural etiquette.
Whether it’s from an anime or Japanese drama that you watched, a manga you read, or from learning Japanese, you’ve bound to come across suffixes that are used to address people. These are called Japanese honorifics and they’re just like our version of “sir” and “ma’am”.
Go beyond ~san and ~chan. Learn 7 common Japanese name enders and 10+ usage notes for each one.
Japanese honorifics are more than just fancy titles. They’re an important part of everyday communication. Reflecting respect, social hierarchy, and relationship dynamics, these titles are suffixes and therefore come after names (or, in one case, can be used in place of names). Let’s explore some of the most common honorifics:
In English we might use Sir, Madam, Mister (Mr.), Misses (Mrs.), Miss (Ms.) and so on. Similarly, Japanese name suffixes can include , ~san, ~sama, ~kun, and more which I will discuss in more...
Below are some of the Japanese language’s most common suffixes. As you may know from studying the language, differences in level of politeness are more common than gender differences. San. San is by far the most common Japanese suffix. It’s a polite suffix that’s not overly polite and works in nearly any situation.
Not using any suffix is called 呼び捨て（よびすて） in Japanese and it is not the done thing! The easiest and the most common suffix is “-san” and you can use it for almost anybody, whether you are calling their first name or last name. (BTW, when Japanese people are speaking in Japanese, they say their family name first and then their given name.