Like name-san, name-kun, or name-sama?
2006-11-22 03:08:00 · 4 answers · asked by brittanysbryant@sbcglobal.net 2 in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Japan
♡They're Japanese honorific titles.
(Read all about them here:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_titles#Common_honorific_titles
～I'm guessing you just want to know how to use basic things like "san" ?
"★sanさん : It basically means Mr. or Mrs. You use it for either gender. (Saito-san)
★chanちゃん: used to refer to children, animals, and people whom one has known since they were children... (Maki-chan)
★kun君: primarily used towards males (It is still used towards females, but rarely.) It is used by persons of senior status in addressing those of junior status, by males of roughly the same age and status when addressing each other, and by anyone in addressing male children... (Kenta-kun)
★sensei先生, Sensei: used to mean teacher or one from a profession, but in modern times is more often used for Mr) is used to refer to or address teachers, practitioners of a profession such as doctors and lawyers, politicians, and other authority figures... (Morita-sensei)
★sama様: Sama is the formal version of san. This honorific is used primarily in addressing persons much higher in rank than oneself and in commercial and business settings to address and refer to customers."
There are a few others:
Senpai, kōhai, shi...
but the above are most commonly used.
I live in Japan and use these everyday!(^_-)-☆
Hope this helps!♡
2006-11-22 03:32:44 · answer #1 · answered by C 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
San and sama are considered signs of respect. Sort of like saying 'Sir' but not quite the same.
Kun is used when addressing a younger or same aged person. Less formal, but polite.
2006-11-22 03:20:33 · answer #2 · answered by Aggie80 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
they're called honorifics.. they denote status and respect.. it's sort of like the way we put Mr. or Mrs. before our last names..
-san is used for most people
-kun is used between close friends
-sama is used for someone who deserves a lot of respect (judges, governors, etc)
there are a few others.. like -sensei is used for a teacher and -chibi is used for talking to a young child.. -chan is used between close family members..
(I think I have those right.. not totally sure though)
2006-11-22 03:16:37 · answer #3 · answered by Byakuya 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
it's a title kind of thing.
2006-11-22 03:17:15 · answer #4 · answered by Cyrus 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋