Quote:
Originally Posted by YuriTokoro
Hi.
I have written another composition.
I think you might not be interested in this subject, but this is to improve my English.
Could someone help me?
“Japanese Honorifics”
One of my friends asked me two questions about Japan. This was one of them.
The Contract318 : My first question is: What is the meaning of calling someone _____chan vs _____san. In my Japanese class we are called by our last names with san at the end, which I think means Mr./Mrs. However, many times in manga people say "-chan" at the end. Is this something said just between friends?
Answer : Yes.
The Japanese language has five common honorifics to add at the end of names of people.
“San”, “chan”, “kun” “sama” and “dono”.
“Dono” is used scarcely. You write it when you direct letters to lower ranking people. That means that writing the honorific makes you appear bossy.
When my younger brother has wrote to me using it, I got angry and complained. He said that he writes many letters to his patients with the honorific every day, and he had used it out of pure habit. He is a doctor. Still, I believe he was arrogant.
I think only Tennoh (the Japanese Emperor) can use that when he writes to Japanese people.
When you write letters, you must write “sama”.
“Sama” is also used to call customers. Shop assistants and clerks usually call their customers with “sama”.
By the way, we call god/gods “kamisama”. This “sama” is the honorific.
When you call your boss and fellow mates, you should add “san” to their family names.
If you are very elderly, you can call young subordinates with “kun”. However, I don’t recommend it.
If you are a male student, you would call your male friends with “kun” or just their names without an honorific, and would call your female friends with “san”. If the person is your girlfriend, you can call her without an honorific as well.
If you are a female student, you would call your female friends with “san”. When the friends are very close, you can call them with “chan”.
When you are an adult, you must be very friendly to call friends with “chan” or to be called with “chan”.
Is it complicated?
Don’t worry. You can always say “san”.
Good luck!
Thank you!!
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Sorry about the long wait.
Not much done here beyond changing verb tenses and adding expressions like "as well" to indicate a concept being applied to two situations in a sentence. Also, some indications of your younger brother misusing an honorific were replaced with the pronoun "it" to make reading the sentences go smoother.
Excellent information as always, Yuri!
