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Japanese honorifics. 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.
- 🧑 San (さん) 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.
- 🧒 Kun (君，くん) This is a less formal title with a lower level of politeness. In fact the symbol or kanji is the same as that of "kimi", like "you" in its familiar form or the French "tu" (especially between couples).
- 👧 Chan (ちゃん) "-Chan" performs a function similar to "kun", except that it is used mainly with girls. It's quite an affectionate word, which might be used with a friend, a classmate, a little sister, a baby, a grandmother, a girl or a woman to let her know you think she is sweet.
- 🧑💼 Senpai (先輩、せんぱい) This signifies that a person in a group has more experience such as a senior colleague or a high school senior if you’re in a lower grade.
Sep 24, 2021 · Honorifics are small words that come before a name (a prefix) or after a name (a suffix). Most Japanese honorifics are suffixes and most English honorifics are prefixes. We use Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Dr. before someone’s name in English to show respect. If we don’t know their name, we can use Sir and Ma’am.
Jan 28, 2024 · 41. 大統領 (だいとうりょう) — President. How to Use Japanese Honorifics. Use honorifics for others, not for yourself. Use honorifics when they’re needed. Use honorifics with polite speech. Drop honorifics when referring to family (usually). Drop honorifics with people very close to you.
- San. You can add the honorific san for people you've just met, ideally with their last name (if they introduced themselves as such). San is used for strangers and for people with whom you have a neutral or professional relationship.
- Chan. You may have heard chan used if you watch anime shows or read manga comics, though it is used in the real world, too! Here are some situations in which chan is used
- Kun. Kun is used similarly to chan, but only for boys. Here are some examples where you might hear -kun. Recommended. Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton: How to Write Badly and Win Acclaim.
- Sensei. You may have heard of the word sensei if you've studied martial arts, but it's not only used for karate masters. Here are some situations where you'll hear and use sensei.
Jun 18, 2021 · There are 4 most common Japanese honorifics that are used by locals. Each of them can be used on certain occasions. Let’s learn about each of them as you read along. さん (san) Honorific. 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 ...
Oct 15, 2021 · さん (San): Mr./Mrs., Sir/Madam. さん ( san) is the most common and universal honorific used among Japanese people. The use of さん ( san) is comparable to the use of Mr./Mrs. or sir/madam in the English language. When さん ( san) is used with a person’s name, it expresses politeness and can be used with any age group or gender.
