A guide to understanding common Japanese honorific suffixes

Most likely, even before you started studying Japanese, you heard these mysterious words -さん

, -ちゃん , or -先生 . Broadly, these are called honorifics. But what even are Japanese honorifics, and how do you use them?

You’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll cover all that and more:

So fear not, and let’s learn what these titles mean, when and why to use them, and how to politely address those around you.

What even are Japanese honorifics?

In Japanese, honorifics is the blanket term used to describe terms attached to words to convey respect or status, or simply be more polite. Usually, when people say Japanese honorifics, they mean suffixes like -さん

or -様 , but honorifics can also refer to other terms, like the honorific prefixes お- or ご- to make something sound more polite (e.g., お風呂 instead of 風呂 ).

This might sound complicated, but we actually have something similar in English: the pronouns Mr. and Mrs. are very similar in concept... but there are many more of them, each with a different level of politeness and formality. Which one you use depends on the age and status of the person you're talking to, the situation, and your relationship with them.

In a nutshell, Japanese honorifics are just part of polite speech, and you'll hear them all the time.

Let's get to it!

5 common Japanese honorifics to start with

With all that out of the way, let’s look at some of the Japanese honorifics you’ll hear most often (and least often!) in everyday use, break down what they mean, and explain how you can use them yourself.

さん (San) — A polite title that’s almost always okay

-さん

is the Japanese honorific you’re going to hear most. It’s the most broadly-applicable, and can be used by anyone towards people of either gender, and almost any age or status.

The closest equivalent to -さん is probably Mr. / Mrs. in English. Like in English, -さん can be used to refer to people you don’t know very well, those older than you, those higher in status—and, in some situations, even with people who are younger or lower in status than you.

It’s a great go-to title, and should be thought of as the default in most situations.

Finally, -さん is used to refer to someone in a general sense. For example, a bookshop is a 本屋

, and the term 本屋さん could be used to refer to someone who works at a bookstore, similar to how お客様 is used to address customers in general.

くん (Kun) — A casual address, mostly for boys

-くん

and the next title, -ちゃん , are similar in that they’re more casual and affectionate titles. -くん is usually used to refer to someone who is of lower status than you, such as underclassmen or your 後輩 (kōhai, those under you at work). Compared to -さん, it closes the gap a bit between you and the person you’re addressing—you're no longer total strangers with this person.

That said, this isn’t exclusively used for boys. Girls and even young women can be referred to with -くん, if the person using it is of higher status than them, such as their superiors at work. (Editor's note: Until you get batter at Japanese, this is something I recommend you make note of, but don't try yourself.)

Because this is a close address, you want to be careful about using it, so as not to imply a closer relationship than what’s perceived.

ちゃん (Chan) — An affectionate name, often for loved ones

Now on to -ちゃん

, a term many have already heard. -ちゃん is used to refer to someone affectionately, even closer than -くん does. Generally, this is most often used towards women, for example girls calling their friends ○○-ちゃん, or boyfriends calling their girlfriend ○○-ちゃん.

However, like -くん, this is not exclusively used for girls. Boys can be called ○○-ちゃん, especially if they’re babies, or as a term of extreme closeness, like a girlfriend calling their boyfriend a nickname that uses -ちゃん. -ちゃん is also used to refer to the elderly in certain contexts—it’s not rare to meet someone who calls their grandfather おじいちゃん

.

Finally, compared to -くん, -ちゃん implies an even closer relationship, and should be used with serious caution.

In most contexts, it’s probably best to stick with ○○-さん, or ask first, unless the situation is abundantly clear (like you’re an adult who’s meeting a child.)

様 (Sama) — A term of respect, used often in business

-様

is often translated as Lord ___, so it probably never gets used, right? Nope! You’ll hear this one all the time in Japan, perhaps second-most behind -さん! That’s because this is often used in business contexts, from office work to simply walking into a conbini.

For example, in most situations, a restaurant employee or shopkeeper will refer to customers whose names they don’t know as 客様

(or even お客様 ; the addition of お- makes it even more polite!) So in that way, you’ll be called Lord ___ all the time in Japan!

Of course, this isn’t the only time it’s used. You’ll see this a lot in other business contexts, such as over email. If you have to email a company as a client, you can refer to whomever you’re emailing as ○○-さん, but you better believe they’ll refer to you as ○○-様.

Like the discussion of politeness versus formality above, be careful to note the direction of the conversation. You might think that since ○○-さま means something like Lord ___ that it’s always acceptable, but it implies a distance between the speaker and subject. Additionally, it can be used to make a joke of or mock someone.

たん (Tan) — Baby-talk almost exclusively reserved for manga / anime

Ah ○○-たん

. If you’re an anime fan, you’re probably most familiar with this being used by Re:Zero’s Subaru towards Emilia, the elf girl he’s crushing on.

Strictly speaking, ○○-たん is a sort of baby-talk version of ○○-ちゃん, implying more than just the closeness between the speaker and subject, but something deeply affectionate toward the person it’s used to address.

Really, it’s only used similarly to Subaru’s usage above, like with a fan referring to the idol they oshi as ○○-たん. (I know we said "common" honorifics to start with, but there's no other place to put this one ;;^^ call it a bonus.)

4 honorifics that are used as titles

Additionally, there are a number of Japanese honorifics that function like specific titles. Let’s look at those now.

先輩 (Senpai) — Your superior at school or the office

The first, and another you’re probably familiar with is -先輩

. -先輩 refers to someone higher in status than you, such as your superiors in the office, or upperclassmen at school. (While we're here, the opposite of -先輩 is 後輩

)

Finally, this is rather niche, but occasionally this title is flipped—-輩先 (-paisen) instead of -先輩 (-senpai)—as a term of closeness for someone who’s higher in status than you.

先生 (Sensei) — Teachers, doctors, lawyers

You’ve probably already heard -先生

for teachers, but this title extends beyond just the classroom. It can also be used to refer to doctors, lawyers, or really anyone with specific knowledge in an area.

博士 (Hakase) — Professor

-博士

means professor, and is mostly used in university or laboratory settings. This correlates to the English title Dr., and is what you’d refer to someone who has received a PhD.

氏 (Shi) — Family names, news use

Finally, there’s -氏

. -氏 isn’t really an honorific in the same way, but is used to refer to someone’s family name, particularly on the news. One way to think about it is that -氏 is formal, but not polite (though it can be polite to refer to someone this way).

You probably don’t need to worry too much about the usage unless you intend to become a newscaster or reporter in Japan, but you’ll see this fairly frequently, so it’s good to know how it’s used.

4 titles for use in the office

There are also honorifics used in business settings... but you’ll likely only encounter if you decide to move to Japan and work in a Japanese-speaking office.

While most "normal" employees would simply be referred to as ○○-さん (or one of the above-mentioned titles, such as ○○-くん), there are a special set of titles used to refer to people in managerial roles.

部長 (-Bucho) — Department manager

-部長

is used to refer to the head of a department in a company. It’s a common workplace title, and is typically used after someone’s name to show their role and rank.

課長 (-Kacho) — Section manager

-課長

refers to the manager of a section or smaller division within a company. It ranks just below -部長, and you’ll often hear it in meetings or formal introductions.

会長 (-Kaicho) — Chairman

-会長

is the title for the chairman of a company or organization. This role typically oversees the board or long-term direction of a business. It’s a high-ranking title and carries a lot of respect, and is often used in formal company settings or public references.

社長 (-Shacho) — Company president

-社長

is one of the most recognizable business titles in Japanese. It refers to the president or CEO of a company, and is often used both inside and outside the company when referring to the top executive. You might hear this in greetings like 社長、お疲れ様です (“President, thank you for your hard work”).

How to use honorifics, now that we've learned a few

In general, it’s best to start with -さん

, unless you’re referring to a client or a customer in a business context, when you should use -様 .

If you’re meeting someone who’s of a distinct status, like a doctor, you should refer to them accordingly. Alternatively, if you meet someone who’s of a lower status, like a young man joining the company you’ve worked at for three years, you could go straight to referring to them with a closer term, such as ○○-くん

, but know that not everyone will appreciate this. It’s generally rude to refer to someone overly-familiarly, even if contextually it makes sense. If you're not sure what to do, pay attention to how others address someone.

Really, a lot of times people will tell you how they want to be addressed. Some people might ask your age (or give you theirs) as a subtle means of determining what honorific to use. Perhaps they’ll ask you to call them by their given name from the start; it varies person by person.

Also, the rules and conventions that apply between Japanese people are a bit different when applied to foreigners, in both directions. For example, it can be difficult to get Japanese people to refer to you as ○○-さん, in certain contexts. Like all things with cultural exchange, try to be a good listener, open to cultural differences, and be understanding when circumstances are different than expected.

Finally, what if you’ve known someone for a while, and want to call them by a more-familiar honorific, or something like a nickname? For one, try to listen.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask!

Just like in most cultures, people will tell you how they prefer to be addressed, either when being introduced, or later on, and if you want to call someone something else, or would prefer to be addressed by another name or title, just ask!

Common questions about honorifics

Whew! That’s a lot covered, but let’s summarize some of the key points in a FAQ:

(Read this if you're feeling a little intimidated)

Just so you know—it's normal to feel a bit confused. This is a whole aspect of communication that we just don't really use in English.

Just know that as you spend more time interacting with Japanese, you'll hear honorifics used. A lot.

For example, you'll be watching this—whatever this is—and see Shitamura-kun told to adjust his pose a bit:

... or you'll be watching a high-school drama and a girl will be surprised when Taichi-kun shows up unexpectedly behind her!

And, slowly, bit by bit, you'll gradually come to feel what -kun means—what it feels like to address someone or be addressed as -kun. You don't need to do anything or worry. So long as you're spending time interacting with Japanese, it'll come naturally.

If you're still not sure, though—we cover several common honorifics in our Japanese course:

Each honorific will be introduced in its own lesson, and you'll build an intuitive feel for how they work by learning sentences that include them. Each sentence in our course includes only one new word, so the learning curve is really smooth!

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The basics of Japanese honorifics: cultural respect in a suffix

Japanese honorifics are a tricky part of the language, and like the rest of Japanese, carry a lot of cultural weight. Specifically, they help show respect towards others, and help define the level of distance and familiarity between a speaker and a subject.

It's admittedly a bit confusing, but...

It’s one thing to know what each of these Japanese honorifics mean, and another thing to be able to put them to use—but with practice, you’ll get the hang of it.

Good luck, 読者様

!