Honorifics Tutorial

By Minako134

 

 

Here, I’m going to explain to you the why, when, what, and who of those little name-endings you see everywhere, sometimes called “honorifics”. When using honorifics, it’s important to keep in mind that the Japanese are very polite, and quite often as polite as possible, especially to people they don’t know or to superiors. Honorifics are a way of expressing respect, not just expressing the person’s title. Remember that it is not what an honorific means, but when it is used that is important.

 

We will explore -san, -chan, -kun, -sempai, -sama, -baba, and a couple others. Let’s get started.

 

 

-san

This is probably the most common used. You may have heard that -san is the equivalent of Mr., Mrs., or Miss. That’s 80% true. However, this honorific is not intended to tell the listener of the person’s marital status; thus, it can be used in many situations as a general way of showing respect to someone. If you are at a loss of what honorific to use, -san is the best bet in most situations. Here are some examples of who would call who -san:

 

Little girls à mom, dad, service workers, neighbors…(not with other children or siblings, unless they aren’t as familiar with them)

 

Little boys à same as above, though maybe not as much

 

Adults à other adults, generally

 

It’s important to remember that though the Japanese wish to be as polite as possible the majority of the time, they can be a little more casual with people they know, like family and friends.

 

 

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-chan

This is possibly the most commonly used honorific in shoujo anime, and I’ll tell you why; 90% of the time, the girls use it. Girls of all ages use -chan, but sometimes guys use it for siblings or friends at school who don’t mind the feminine tone of it. In fact, it can be used for animals, like cats and dogs.

 

Girls à other friends, siblings (both older and younger), animals

Boys à female friends, rarely guy friends, younger siblings, sometimes animals, though its more common among girls

 

Adult women might use -chan also if they have known that person for a long time, and used to call them -chan.

 

 

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-kun

Some might say this is the equivalent of -chan for boys, but I don’t like using “equivalents” and “meanings” for honorifics; like I said before, just focus on WHEN you use them. -kun is 95% of the time usedfor boys. Like -chan, if an adult knew another adult a long time ago when he/she used to call him -kun, that’s okay, too.

Also, -kun might be used if a teenager is hinting that a girl is tomboy-ish.

 

Girls à boys, rarely girls

Boys à same as above, though they use -kun less in general

 

 

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-sempai

This honorific is somewhat straightforward. It is used when the person being spoken to is a higher rank than you, mostly in the school setting. It is rarely used in terms of work or politics.

 

Teenagers à older classmates, graduated young adults

 

 

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-sama

In many anime subtitle videos, they will translate –sama as “My lord/lady”. This is the formalist that you can describe –sama with, really. You can use this honorific to be like –san, but with higher respect; it is used for people above you, sometimes in age or at your business. It may even be used by children for their parents, but only sometimes.

 

Children à (rarely) parents, adults

Adults à superiors, parents

 

 

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-baba

You will rarely see/use this honorific. It’s actually not very polite. It is used for old women, and suggests that they are really old and wrinkly, basically.

 

 

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-oneesan

By itself, oneesan means “elder sister”. It can be applied to young women in general; however, mostly children and young teens use it.

 

 

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Speaking of –oneesan, you can use any family titles as honorifics, but I’ve heard -oneesan the most.

 

Oneesan – elder sister

Imoutochan – younger sister

Oniisan – elder brother

Otoutochan – younger brother

Okaasan – Mother

Otousan – Father

Obaasan – Grandmother

Ojiisan – Grandfather

Obasan – Aunt

Ojisan – Uncle

 

Usually, just -oneesan, -obaasan, and -ojiisan are used as honorifics. -obaasan is used for older women, and -ojiisan is for older men; but really, -san would be more appropriate. You never know; it gets pretty flexible, especially when it comes to teenage guys, who tend to go against traditional Japanese customs.