Do you know the meaning of san, chan, kun at the end of names in the Japanese language? In this article, we are going to talk about Japanese honorifics.
The Japanese language uses a wide variety of honorific suffixes to refer to people with more respect. These honorary titles are gender neutral and can be attached to first names as well as surnames and even objects.
The honorific is generally used to refer to the person you are talking to, or when referring to a third party. It is never used to refer to oneself, except for dramatic effect, or in some exceptional cases. Most honorifics can be written in hiragana, but we will only put romanization and kanji in the article.
It is very important to learn all the titles and honorific suffixes, because they are always used in the Japanese language, especially the suffixes that are used after the person's name. We will see most of them in this article:
Table of Contents
What does San mean in Japanese?
San (さん) is derived from sama, it is the most common honorific title, and it is a title of respect usually used among equals of any age. Although the closest analogous titles in Portuguese are the honorific titles "Mr.", "Miss" or "Mrs.". San is almost universally added to a person's name, in both formal and informal contexts.
The importance of -san is very great, what I'm going to say now is a personal opinion, but let's say I'm talking to someone named Ichigo, which also means strawberry, if I stop using the honorific suffixes someone might end up confusing the person's name with the strawberry.
- In addition to being a suffix used in personal names, the suffix "san" is also used in a variety of other ways.
- Sometimes it is pronounced "han" (はん) in the Kansai dialect;
- Some players of online MMORPGs often put the 3 (san) after their name to refer to the suffix san;
San it is also used in combination with nouns in the workplace, so a bookseller can be approached or referred to as bookstore ("bookshop" + san ), and a butcher like Mr. Meat Shop ("butcher shop" + san ).
San is sometimes used with company names. For example, the offices or store of a company called Kojima Denki may be referred to as “Kojima Denki-san” by another company nearby. This can be seen in small maps often used in phone books and business cards in Japan.
San it can also be attached to the names of animals or even inanimate objects. For example, a pet rabbit can be called Usagi-san. (It can be considered childish, it's like saying: Mr. Rabbit.)
What does chan kun and tan mean in Japanese?
Chan (ちゃん) is a diminutive suffix that expresses formality, trust, affinity or security with the other person. But use the chan with superiors or elders is considered disrespectful and rude. In general, chan It is used for babies, children, grandparents and teenagers.
Chan is used most often to refer to young women, men rarely use -chan, they often use -kun. Chan can also be used on cute animals, lovers and close friends.
To accentuate the informality, you can assign the suffix to the other person's initial. For example, a woman named Momoko might be called Mo-chan by someone close to her.
Kun (君) - This is a low education particle; its kanji is also the same as “kimi,” which means “you.” The suffix -kun is used among friends, a colleague, a brother or a younger boy. It is commonly used in the relationship "superior speaking with an inferior" to refer to the inferior.
Tan (たん) - It means the same thing as chan, except that it is often used by children when they mispronounce the word. It can be used to make things look more beautiful when added to a name.
What does owner and sama mean in Japanese?
It is a significantly more respectful and formal version of san. It is primarily used to refer to people much higher in the hierarchy, and sometimes to a person you idolize or ire greatly. When used to refer to oneself, sama expresses extreme arrogance (or irony).
ExamplesThe suffix sama is often used to address Kings, Princesses, Gods, Chiefs, and customers in a store.
Size / Flame - Tama e Fire are the children's versions of sama, when children end up mispronouncing the word and it became popular and kawaii.
owner (殿) - This suffix is very rare today and is used to demonstrate a high degree of respect (even more than “-sama”). It was used to refer to samurai warriors during the Edo period. Since then, “-dono” has only been used to refer to warriors, but it is perfectly possible to use it for common people if they are very important.
What does sensei, senpai and kohai mean in japanese?
Senpai (先輩) is used to address or refer to an older colleague in a school, company, sports club, or other group. So, in school, students of higher grades than yours are considered senpai. Students of the same or lower grade cannot be senpai, nor can teachers. In a business environment, more experienced colleagues are senpai, but a boss is not. Senpai can be used by itself, or as a suffix.
Kōhai (後輩) - It refers to a junior, or the opposite of senpai, but it is not usually used as an honorific title. Sometimes you can even use kouhai-kun to refer to a kouhai.
Sensei (先生) - It is commonly translated as “teacher.” However, that is not the genuine meaning of this suffix. Sensei is used to refer to people “who were born before” (us) and, for that reason, have more knowledge and experience in a specific area. For example, “-sensei” is used to talk about masters in Fine Arts, Martial Arts, or Literature. It is also common to refer to a doctor as sensei, for example: “Mizaki-sensei,” meaning Dr. Mizaki.
Shi (氏) - Shi is used in formal writing to refer to a person whom the speaker is not familiar with, usually someone known through publications that the speaker has never actually met. For example, the Shikoku-ben: it is common in the speech of speakers, in legal documents, academic publications, and some other formal styles of writing and speaking. Once a person's name has been used with Shikoku-ben:, the person can be referred to as Shikoku-ben: alone, without the name, as long as there is only one person to be referred.
Other Japanese Honorifics
Senshu (選手) - This suffix means "athlete" or "one who practices sports." Used to refer to people who engage in sports such as soccer, baseball, and even Formula 1 racing.
Zeki (関) - Also used for athletes but only for Sumo wrestlers, mainly those of high rank.
Ue (上) - Widely used in the past, among aristocratic families, to refer to someone for whom one feels great respect, such as father, mother, and other of one's own family. Examples: chichi-ue (father), haha-ue (mother), ani-ue (older brother), ane-ue (older sister).
Iemoto (家元) - It is a more formal version of "sensei," used for great masters of traditional arts, such as Japanese calligraphy or the tea ceremony.
Hikoku (被告) - It is used to refer to convicted criminals. Suspects who are still awaiting trial are referred to as "yogisha."
Hime (姫) - Although typically translated as "princess," the suffix -hime can refer to a lady of noble origin.
Heika (陛下) - It is a royal title, which translates to "majesty." For example, Tennō heika (天皇 陛下), which means "His Majesty, the Emperor," and Joo heika (女王 陛下) which means "Her Majesty, the Queen." Another similar title is Denka (殿下), which translates to "Royal Highness."
Kappa (閣下) - Kappa is an honorific title that means “Your Excellency” and is generally used for ambassadors and certain heads of state.
Bochan (坊ちゃん) - Used for rich children, usually by butlers.
Denka (殿下) - Denka is used for non-sovereign royalty, similar to "Royal Highness." Denka can be used by itself, as in "Your Royal Highness."
Hidenka (妃殿下)) - Hidenka is used to address the prince's consort and is used in the same way as other royal titles.
Japanese honorifics Daitouryou [大統領]
Daitouryou means "president" and is used for any national president. It is more commonly linked to a name, such as the 44th president of the United States, Obama-Daitōryō (オバマ大統領).
- Hoshi (法師) Buddhist monk;
- Shinpu (神父) Catholic priest;
- Bokushi (牧師) Protestant priest;
- Senshi (戦士) Used for Warriors;
Japanese honorifics Shogo [称号]
They are titles created by Dai Nippon Butoku Kai together with the International Federation of Martial Arts of Europe. To refer to people at a certain martial arts level.
- Renshi (錬士): Instructor. (Specialist or specialist teacher) Granted from 4th Dan onward;
- Kyoshi (教士) refers to an advanced teacher. (Senior Teacher / Expert). Granted from 6th Dan upwards;
- Hanshi (範士) refers to a senior specialist considered a "teacher of teachers";
- Meijin (名人): Granted by a special council of examiners;
- Oyakata (親方) Master, especially a sumo trainer. Also used by yakuza and was once used by samurais to address the daimyō;
- Shihan (師範) means chief instructor;
- Shidoin (指導員) Intermediate instructor;
- Shisho (師匠) Another title used for martial arts instructors;
- Zeki (関) Literally "barrier", used for sumo wrestlers in the top two divisions (sekitori);
