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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.
Jan 15, 2024 · Honorific nouns have お (o) or ご (go) at the beginning of the words. You can find examples in our guide to basic Japanese vocabulary. But here are some common examples too: お客様 (おきゃくさま, okyakusama) = customer. お米 (おこめ, okome) = rice. お酒 (おさけ, osake) = alcohol. お仕事 (おしごと, oshigoto) = work ...
- Common Japanese Honorifics
- Rules For Using さん, さま, ちゃん, and くん Naturally
- 呼び捨て (Yobisute) – Knowing When Not to Use Honorific Titles with Someone
- Other Common Honorific Titles
- Honorific/Polite Japanese Titles For Businesses/Companies
- Honorific Titles Within The Workplace in Japan
- Japanese Honorific Titles at School
- Japanese Honorific Titles For Your Family
- Japanese Honorific Titles in Politics
- Older Honorific Titles
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.
The Japanese honorifics discussed in this section are honorifics suffixes that Japanese people use daily. Being able to differentiate when to use them is essential as each one suggests a different level of politeness and friendliness. Here are three rules to remember about these common Japanese honorifics. 1. Rule 1: When you are not sure which hon...
呼び捨て (yobisute) means referring to someone with just their name, (either first or last name) with no honorific titles. Not using an honorific title implies friendliness and informality. 呼び捨て (yobisute) can be used between friends, family members, and others with whom you have close relationships. If you are unsure whether or not you should use an h...
In this section of the article, we will discuss other common honorific titles. That includes 先生 (sensei), 先輩 (senpai), and 後輩 (kōhai).
There are honorifics for businesses or companies too. Earlier in this article, we mentioned that some businesses will use 様 (sama) to refer to groups of people from a company. Let’s look at other ways you can politely refer to your own or someone else’s company.
This section lists specific Japanese honorific titles that people use at the workplace. 1. 社長 (shachō): This title is how the CEO of a company is addressed. 2. 部長 (buchō): The word 部 (bu) means a department/group in an organization. 部長 implies someone is a leader in a department of a company. It’s similar to a chief manager. 3. 課長 (kachō): 課長 is lo...
This section lists specific Japanese honorific titles that people use at schools. 校長先生 (kōchō sensei): This is the principal or the school’s headmaster. 副校長先生 (fuku kōchō sensei): 副 (fuku) implies an assistant, so this title means assistant principal. Depending on the school, they may use the term 教頭先生 (kyōtō sensei) instead. It can mean the same a...
This section lists specific Japanese honorific titles that people use for family members. 1. お母さん (okāsan): Mother 2. お父さん (otōsan): Father 3. おばあちゃん (obāchan): Grandmother 4. おじいちゃん (ojīchan): Grandfather 5. お姉ちゃん (onēchan): Older sister 6. お兄ちゃん (onīchan): Older brother 7. 妹 (imōto): Younger sister 8. 弟 (otōto): Younger brother In most Japanese f...
This section lists specific Japanese honorific titles that people use in politics. 1. 内閣総理大臣 (naikaku sōri daijin): Prime minister 2. 副総理 (fuku sōri): Vice prime minister 3. 大臣 (daijin): Minister (the head of a government department) 4. 副大臣 (fuku daijin): Vice-minister 5. 政務官 (seimukan): Parliamentary secretary / officer 6. 長官 (chōkan): A commander...
Here are some older Japanese honorific titles that originated in Japanese history. 1. 殿 (tono/dono): This honorific title has been used for a long time. If you are familiar with old Japanese literature, The Tale of Genji was published around the beginning of the 11th century, and the word 殿 (tono/dono) was used to express respect towards people of ...
- さん / San. Usage: Like adding a Ms. or Mr. to someone’s name in English. If you need an honorific that you can use in almost every situation, san is the best choice.
- さま / Sama. Usage Summary: Used in business situations and when addressing customers. Similar to Mr./ Miss, just with a higher and more formal level of respect.
- し / Shi. Usage Summary: Use when you want to acknowledge someone’s experience and knowledge. You can add this honorific when you want to display that the other person is exceptionally knowledgeable and respected in their field.
- ちゃん / Chan. Usage: Used with friends to show familiarity — usually amongst girls, but there are exceptions. For example, this is also one of the Japanese honorifics for family.
Sep 13, 2021 · English class at an elementary school in Japan. Teachers generally call students by last names and use the honorific さん (san) for girls and くん (kun) for boys. Kids call each other by first names, nicknames or last names with or without the honorifics. Back when I was in elementary school, I called my girl classmates in three ways: by ...
- Mina Otsuka
Apr 4, 2016 · 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. In doubt, better stay safe and go with ...
3. くん/-kun. The Japanese honorific -kun is common among friends and younger people. People who watch Japanese television or read manga often take notice of -kun and -chan as they appear frequently as nicknames among friends in Japanese pop culture. -Kun is the more respectful of the two, but is still rather informal.
