Honorifics

Fans of untranslated or subtitled Japanese animation are treated to a facet of anime that dubbed fans are denied. This page attempts to shed a bit of light on this facinating subject.

Being polite and respectful is one of the more important aspects of Japanese culture.   To be proper in Japan, you always speak little of yours and yourself, and sing praises of others and theirs.  This behavior is very imporant, and is properly reflected in how you address others.  This is partially done with the addition of suffixes at the end of names.  These suffixes are terms of respect or endearments, and shed a great deal of insight on the relationships between characters.  While not the only way to be proper,  formal, friendly, or insulting, they are the most obvious to Western ears.

Listed here are the most common endings used in anime, and the level of respect they imply.

-sama This is a very respectful ending, and can be used with titles as well as names.  It is used for people of superior status, like your boss, or to your guests as a host when you are being ultrapolite. Sometimes girls will use "-sama" when addressing a boy they are infatuated with, showing their extreme favor. *grins*

-san This is the most common ending, and is one of polite respect. It can stand for Mr, Ms, Miss, Mrs, etc etc and is attached to first names, last names, and names of occupations. In common use, it is for strangers and people whom you do not know well, but who you are more or less the same social status. When in doubt, use "-san" and you're covered.

-kun In proper grammar, this one is used by a socially superior male to a socially inferior male. In common usage, though, -kun is used among those who know each other well, especially with men. Girls and women can use the phrase for men whom they know well or associate with, but it isn't quite as common as the norm of men using it for each other. Girls do not use -kun when referring to other girls. In the case of a boy or man using -kun with a girl or woman, they are usually classmates or co-workers.

-chan This is the most familiar form of address, suggesting friendly cuteness. It is used by families that are close, and is the common suffixed used among good female friends. "-chan" is used with given names, abbreviations of given names, and nicknames, but not family names. To call someone who ranks above you in social status "-chan" without reason is a social faux pas. This suffix can be used as an insult in certain situations, such as when one guy is trying to pick a fight with another. Men never use -chan to refer to other men, unless they are joking or mean it as an insult.

-sensei This is a respectful title, and can mean "teacher", "doctor", or "master of a particual field". In other words, you can consider this ending appropriate when you admire someone's professional talents or status.

-sempai This ending means "senior" in a group or organization. In school, students refer to upperclassmen with this suffix as a term of respect. If you have seen Ranma, Kunou is always telling Ranma-kun to address him properly as as "Kuno-sempai". Ranma tends to leave off the -sempai, thereby insulting Kunou. You also see this ending occasionally spelled as "-senpai". This is due to a pronunciation quirk in Japanese. The N syllable is pronouced like "n" in most sitations except when it comes before certain constants, namely B, P, and M. "-sempai" is how it's actually said, but "-senpai" is technically how it is written in Japanese. Either written way works, as long as you remember how to correctly pronounce it. ^^

-kouhai The opposite of -sempai, this one means "underclassmen". You don't hear this suffix very often, as its usage appears to be less common than -sempai. Instead of using -kouhai, most sempai address their underlings as -chan if they are a girl, or -kun if they are a boy.

-dono This is an outdated suffix that is almost never used nowadays. It most commonly appears in anime when the story is set in historical times when the term would be more common. Characters who humble themselves in speech can use it, but it is considered quirky and old-fashioned, kind of like saying "thee" instead of "you". For example, Kenshin in Rurouni Kenshin uses "-dono" for those he cares about and/or respects.  On the politeness scale, I believe -dono is equal to -san, althoguht its archaic usage makes it seem more respectful.

In conclusion, you do not HAVE to use a suffix whenever you name someone else, but referring to someone only by their name implies the two of you are quite close, so close you no longer need to observe formalities.  Of course, you could also do this to insult the other person, thereby implying they are not worth your respect.  But the most common usage of not using a suffix at all is the friendly one. 

Congradulations! You now are aware of a subtle facet of Japanese culture, which places you on a higher plane of understanding above those who do not care to learn about the history or people who make our beloved anime.

Welcome to the fold. ^^

[last updated 2-24-03]