It is also used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in some skill. It is used by fans of novelists, musicians, and artists. For example, Japanese manga fans refer to manga artist Rumiko Takahashi as Takahashi-sensei. It's used in addressing persons higher in rank than oneself, and in commercial and business settings to address and refer to customers. Sama also follows the addressee's name on postal packages and letters. Sama is also often used for people considered to have some high ability or be particularly attractive.
Sama is also occasionally used about oneself, as in the arrogant male pronoun ore-sama , "my esteemed self", meaning "I". However, this is not common outside fiction or humour.
For example, the shi title is common in the speech of newsreaders. It is preferred in legal documents, academic journals, and certain other formal written styles because of the familiarity which san or sama imply. Once a person's name has been used with shi , the person can be referred to with shi alone, without the name, as long as there is only one person being referred to. Instead of the above general honorifics, it is fairly common to use the name of the person's job after the name.
The name of a job may have two versions. Use of the ka ending implies respect. Honorific job titles such as sensei , which is applied to teachers and doctors, also have plain forms. The polite versions are used when addressing or talking about the person, but the plain forms of the jobs are used in other cases. For example, Matsumoto hikoku of Aum Shinrikyo. As mentioned above , companies often refer to each other's offices informally using the company name plus san.
This title is no longer used in daily conversation, though it is still used in some types of written business correspondence.
Sama is the respectful version of san, mostly used in business and clientele context. This is since the implied superiority of the guest or customer is very strong. Formal Japanese can be confusing and complex, please take a look at our guide on Japanese Keigo Formal Japanese to learn the proper way of speaking in formal Japanese.
Once again, you should always keep in mind the implied hierarchy of a title. Kun is used by a person of a higher status towards a younger male or a child. Friends can also refer to each other by kun in a casual context and women can use it to address a man to whom they are very close.
Chan, the childish version of san, refers to children and girls. Like for kun, friends and lovers can also address each other with this honorific. Surprisingly, there are some strange and wonderful exception to chan, as it can be used to refer to an endearing adult. Among the most famous examples, you will find Arnold Schwarzenegger, called Shuwa chan. Fun fact! Chan is also frequently used to refer to cute animals and in particular, cats! One common mistake Japanese learners make is referring to themselves with an honorific title.
Remember to never use san or any other title to refer to yourself unless you want to sound arrogant! The only exception to the rule is chan: in a casual context, some people, in particular, women, will refer to themselves in a childish third person. Japanese speech differs depending on the social context of your interlocutor. Young people, in particular, do.
Sense of politeness is key to understand not only the Japanese culture, but also the whole Far East cultural area — China, Korea, and Vietnam. These countries were all influenced by Confucian ideas. That sense of respect is a fundamental element in socialization. Like engine oil that runs social relationship smoothly.
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