Japanese society revolves around formality. A Japanese person’s age, status in society, and also their job description, defines how formally they are addressed by friends, employers and fellow employees and classmates. Some suffixes are used in a variety of different ways. Here is a list of commonly used suffixes, and how they would be used.
- Sensei
This is the stereotypical Japanese suffix that every good movie with a Japanese character uses. The two Japanese kanji (Chinese characters) used to write this word literally mean “born before.” Although “sensei” is typically translated as “teacher,” a person doesn’t have to be a teacher to be addressed as sensei. Sensei is used for anyone who has ample and/or more experience and knowledge in a particular field than the addressee.
- San
Another well-known suffix (think “Daniel-san” from The Karate Kid), this word is almost equivalent to the English Mr. or Mrs. It is simply a polite way to address any individual. The Japanese words for immediate family and relatives all end with the word san. For example, mother is okaa-san, uncle is ojii-san, grandmother is obaa-san. Unless there is a more relevant suffix to attach, san always follows the name of the person being addressed. In Kyoto, which has its own special dialect, han is used instead of san.
- Sama
This slightly antiquated word is an honorific, and a derivative of san. It is even more polite though, and in days past was used to address people of great power, such as samurai, shogun and daimyo. Nowadays, it’s used to brown-nose or address someone who is really admired.
- Kouhai and Senpai
For school students or businessmen, lower classmen/lower level coworkers are addressed as kouhai, while upper classmen/upper level coworkers are addressed as senpai. Age does not always dictate whether a person is called kouhai or senpai. In a business situation, the person who has been with the business longer, or who holds a higher position, is called senpai, even if they are younger than the person addressing them. In a school situation, kouhai-senpai is based on grade. A senpai is supposed to be a mentor to the kouhai, the trainee.
- Kun
This suffix has no English translation. It is a familiar form of address, and is used in place of san. School children will address the boys in their class as kun. Typically, kun is used only for boys, although it’s not uncommon for tomboys to be addressed as such. Using kun as a suffix for a girl can be highly insulting though, as it is a masculine suffix.
- Chan
Another suffix with no exact English translation, chan has a variety of ways to be used. In general, it is a very soft and affectionate suffix. Little children are almost always addressed as chan, even if they are boys. Addressing an older boy as chan is insulting, as it is seen as a childish or girly suffix. However, girls sometimes address their boyfriends as chan as a sign of affection. Girls who are classmates or know each other well address each other as chan. The Japanese word for older sister, onee-san, is frequently replaced by onee-chan.
If in doubt about which suffix to use when addressing someone, it is never wrong or inappropriate to say san at the end of someone’s name! Attaching nothing to the end of a name would be considered blunt and rude, so when in doubt, add san.
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