Common honorifics
San
San (さん?), sometimes pronounced han (はん?) (Kansai_dialect) in the Kyoto area, is the most common honorific and is a title of respect similar to "Mr.", "Miss", "Mrs.", or "Ms." However, in addition to being used with people's names, it is also employed in a variety of other ways.
San is used in combination with workplace nouns, such that a bookseller might be addressed or referred to as honya-san ("bookstore" + san), and a butcher as nikuya-san ("butcher shop" + san).
San is sometimes used with company names. For example, the offices or shop of a company called Kojima Denki might be referred to as "Kojima Denki-san" by another nearby company. This may be seen on the small maps often used in phone books and business cards in Japan, where the names of surrounding companies are written using san.
San can also be attached to the names of animals or even inanimate objects. For example, a pet rabbit might be called usagi-san, and fish used for cooking can be referred to as sakana-san. Both uses would be considered childish (akin to "Mr. Rabbit" in English) and would be avoided in formal speech. It's not uncommon for even married couples to refer to one another with san, either.
Online, Japanese gamers often append a numeral 3 to another player's name to denote san (e.g. Taro3 conveys Taro-san), since the number three in Japanese is pronounced "san".
Kun
Kun (君, in Kanji ?, くん in Hiragana) is used by persons of senior status in addressing or referring to those of junior status, or by anyone when addressing or referring to male children or male teenagers. It can also be used by females when addressing a male that they are emotionally attached to or have known for a long period of time. Although kun is generally used for boys, that isn't a hard rule. For example, in business settings, young female employees may also be addressed as kun by older males of senior status.
In the Diet of Japan, chairpersons use kun when addressing diet members and ministers. An exception was when Takako Doi was the chairperson of the lower house: she used the san title.
Chan
Chan (ちゃん?) is a diminutive suffix; it expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. Thus, using chan with a superior's name would be condescending and rude. In general, chan is used for babies, young children, and teenage girls. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends or any woman with youthful spirit.
Although traditionally honorifics are not applied to oneself, some young women adopt the childish affectation of referring to themselves in the third person using chan. For example, a young woman named Kanako might call herself Kanako-chan rather than using a first person pronoun.
Senpai and kōhai
Main article: Senpai and kōhai
Senpai (先輩 【せんぱい】?) is used to address or refer to one's senior colleagues in a school, company, sports club, or other group. So at school, the students in higher grades than oneself are senpai. Students of the same or lower grade are not senpai, nor are teachers. In a business environment, colleagues with more experience are senpai, but one's boss is not a senpai. Like "Doctor" in English, senpai can be used by itself as well as with a name.
A kōhai (後輩 【こうはい】?) is a junior, the reverse of senpai, but it is not normally used as an honorific.
Sensei
Sensei (先生 【せんせい】?) (literally meaning "born before me") is used to refer to or address teachers, doctors, politicians and other authority figures. It is used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill, and is also applied to novelists, poets, painters, and other artists, including manga artists. In Japanese martial arts, sensei typically refers to someone who is the head of a dojo. As with senpai, sensei can be used not only as a suffix, but also as a stand-alone title.
Sensei can be used fawningly, and it can also be employed sarcastically to ridicule such fawning. The Japanese media invoke it (rendered in katakana, akin to scare quotes or italics in English) to highlight the megalomania of those who allow themselves to be sycophantically addressed with the term.
Sama
Sama (様 【さま】?) is a significantly more respectful version of san. It is used primarily in addressing or referring to people much higher in rank than oneself, toward one's customers, and sometimes toward people one greatly admires. When used to refer to oneself, sama expresses extreme arrogance (or self-effacing irony), as with ore-sama (俺様?, "my esteemed self").
Sama customarily follows the addressee's name on postal packages and letters, and in business email.
Sama also appears in such set phrases as o-machidō sama ("sorry to keep you waiting"), o-tsukare sama (an expression of empathy for people who have been working long and hard), and go-kurō sama (an expression recognizing someone's labors), but although this is written with the same kanji, it is semantically distinct from the sama used as a term of address.
Shi
Shi (氏 【し】?) is used in formal writing, and sometimes in very formal speech, for referring to a person who is unfamiliar to the speaker, typically a person known through publications whom the speaker has never actually met. 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. 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.
Edit:
Other titles
Occupation-related titles
It is common to use a job title after someone's name, instead of using a general honorific. For example, athletes are referred to as xxx-senshu (選手?) rather than xxx-san, and a master carpenter (棟梁 tōryō?) named Suzuki might be referred to as "Suzuki-tōryō" rather than "Suzuki-san".
In a business setting, it is common to refer to people using their company rank, especially for positions of authority, such as department chief (部長 buchō?) or company president (社長 shachō?). Within one's own company or when speaking of another company, title + san is used, so a president is Shachō-san. When speaking of one's own company to a customer or another company, the title is used by itself or attached to a name, so a department chief named Suzuki is referred to as Buchō or Suzuki-buchō.
Titles for criminals and the accused
Convicted and suspected criminals were once referred to without any title, but now an effort is made to distinguish between suspects (容疑者 yōgisha?), defendants (被告 hikoku?), and convicts (受刑者 jukeisha?), so as not to presume guilt before anything has been proven. These titles can be used by themselves or attached to names.
However, although "suspect" and "defendant" began as neutral descriptions, they have become derogatory over time. When Gorō Inagaki was arrested for a traffic accident in 2001, some media referred him with the newly made title menbā (メンバー?), originating from the English word member, to avoid use of yōgisha (容疑者?, suspect).[citation needed] But in addition to being criticized as an unnatural term, this title also became derogatory almost instantly.
Titles for companies
There are several different words for "our company" and "your company." "Our company" can be expressed with the humble heisha (弊社?, "clumsy/poor company) or the neutral jisha (自社?, "our own company"), and "your company" can be expressed with the honorific kisha (貴社?, "noble company" - used in writing) or onsha (御社?, "honorable company" - used in speech). Additionally, the neutral tōsha (当社?, "this company") can refer to either the speaker's or the listener's company. All of these titles are used by themselves, not attached to names.
When mentioning a company's name, it is considered important to include the status of the company, either incorporated (株式会社 kabushikigaisha?) or limited (有限会社 yūgen gaisha?). These are often abbreviated as 株 and 有.
Dono/tono
Tono (殿 【との】?), pronounced dono (どの?) when attached to a name, roughly means "lord" or "master." It doesn't equate noble status, rather it is a term akin to "milord" or French "monseigneur," and lies between san and sama in level of respect. This title is no longer used in daily conversation, but it is still used in some types of written business correspondence, as well as on certificates and awards, and in written correspondence in tea ceremonies.
No kimi
No kimi (の君?) is another archaic suffix with a meaning roughly equivalent to "milord."
Ue
Ue (上?) literally means "above," and denotes a high level of respect. While its use is no longer very common, it is still seen in constructions like chichi-ue (父上?) and haha-ue (母上?), reverent terms for "father" and "mother," respectively. Receipts that do not require specification of the payer's name are often filled in with ue-sama.
San
San (さん?), sometimes pronounced han (はん?) (Kansai_dialect) in the Kyoto area, is the most common honorific and is a title of respect similar to "Mr.", "Miss", "Mrs.", or "Ms." However, in addition to being used with people's names, it is also employed in a variety of other ways.
San is used in combination with workplace nouns, such that a bookseller might be addressed or referred to as honya-san ("bookstore" + san), and a butcher as nikuya-san ("butcher shop" + san).
San is sometimes used with company names. For example, the offices or shop of a company called Kojima Denki might be referred to as "Kojima Denki-san" by another nearby company. This may be seen on the small maps often used in phone books and business cards in Japan, where the names of surrounding companies are written using san.
San can also be attached to the names of animals or even inanimate objects. For example, a pet rabbit might be called usagi-san, and fish used for cooking can be referred to as sakana-san. Both uses would be considered childish (akin to "Mr. Rabbit" in English) and would be avoided in formal speech. It's not uncommon for even married couples to refer to one another with san, either.
Online, Japanese gamers often append a numeral 3 to another player's name to denote san (e.g. Taro3 conveys Taro-san), since the number three in Japanese is pronounced "san".
Kun
Kun (君, in Kanji ?, くん in Hiragana) is used by persons of senior status in addressing or referring to those of junior status, or by anyone when addressing or referring to male children or male teenagers. It can also be used by females when addressing a male that they are emotionally attached to or have known for a long period of time. Although kun is generally used for boys, that isn't a hard rule. For example, in business settings, young female employees may also be addressed as kun by older males of senior status.
In the Diet of Japan, chairpersons use kun when addressing diet members and ministers. An exception was when Takako Doi was the chairperson of the lower house: she used the san title.
Chan
Chan (ちゃん?) is a diminutive suffix; it expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. Thus, using chan with a superior's name would be condescending and rude. In general, chan is used for babies, young children, and teenage girls. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends or any woman with youthful spirit.
Although traditionally honorifics are not applied to oneself, some young women adopt the childish affectation of referring to themselves in the third person using chan. For example, a young woman named Kanako might call herself Kanako-chan rather than using a first person pronoun.
Senpai and kōhai
Main article: Senpai and kōhai
Senpai (先輩 【せんぱい】?) is used to address or refer to one's senior colleagues in a school, company, sports club, or other group. So at school, the students in higher grades than oneself are senpai. Students of the same or lower grade are not senpai, nor are teachers. In a business environment, colleagues with more experience are senpai, but one's boss is not a senpai. Like "Doctor" in English, senpai can be used by itself as well as with a name.
A kōhai (後輩 【こうはい】?) is a junior, the reverse of senpai, but it is not normally used as an honorific.
Sensei
Sensei (先生 【せんせい】?) (literally meaning "born before me") is used to refer to or address teachers, doctors, politicians and other authority figures. It is used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill, and is also applied to novelists, poets, painters, and other artists, including manga artists. In Japanese martial arts, sensei typically refers to someone who is the head of a dojo. As with senpai, sensei can be used not only as a suffix, but also as a stand-alone title.
Sensei can be used fawningly, and it can also be employed sarcastically to ridicule such fawning. The Japanese media invoke it (rendered in katakana, akin to scare quotes or italics in English) to highlight the megalomania of those who allow themselves to be sycophantically addressed with the term.
Sama
Sama (様 【さま】?) is a significantly more respectful version of san. It is used primarily in addressing or referring to people much higher in rank than oneself, toward one's customers, and sometimes toward people one greatly admires. When used to refer to oneself, sama expresses extreme arrogance (or self-effacing irony), as with ore-sama (俺様?, "my esteemed self").
Sama customarily follows the addressee's name on postal packages and letters, and in business email.
Sama also appears in such set phrases as o-machidō sama ("sorry to keep you waiting"), o-tsukare sama (an expression of empathy for people who have been working long and hard), and go-kurō sama (an expression recognizing someone's labors), but although this is written with the same kanji, it is semantically distinct from the sama used as a term of address.
Shi
Shi (氏 【し】?) is used in formal writing, and sometimes in very formal speech, for referring to a person who is unfamiliar to the speaker, typically a person known through publications whom the speaker has never actually met. 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. 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.
Edit:
Other titles
Occupation-related titles
It is common to use a job title after someone's name, instead of using a general honorific. For example, athletes are referred to as xxx-senshu (選手?) rather than xxx-san, and a master carpenter (棟梁 tōryō?) named Suzuki might be referred to as "Suzuki-tōryō" rather than "Suzuki-san".
In a business setting, it is common to refer to people using their company rank, especially for positions of authority, such as department chief (部長 buchō?) or company president (社長 shachō?). Within one's own company or when speaking of another company, title + san is used, so a president is Shachō-san. When speaking of one's own company to a customer or another company, the title is used by itself or attached to a name, so a department chief named Suzuki is referred to as Buchō or Suzuki-buchō.
Titles for criminals and the accused
Convicted and suspected criminals were once referred to without any title, but now an effort is made to distinguish between suspects (容疑者 yōgisha?), defendants (被告 hikoku?), and convicts (受刑者 jukeisha?), so as not to presume guilt before anything has been proven. These titles can be used by themselves or attached to names.
However, although "suspect" and "defendant" began as neutral descriptions, they have become derogatory over time. When Gorō Inagaki was arrested for a traffic accident in 2001, some media referred him with the newly made title menbā (メンバー?), originating from the English word member, to avoid use of yōgisha (容疑者?, suspect).[citation needed] But in addition to being criticized as an unnatural term, this title also became derogatory almost instantly.
Titles for companies
There are several different words for "our company" and "your company." "Our company" can be expressed with the humble heisha (弊社?, "clumsy/poor company) or the neutral jisha (自社?, "our own company"), and "your company" can be expressed with the honorific kisha (貴社?, "noble company" - used in writing) or onsha (御社?, "honorable company" - used in speech). Additionally, the neutral tōsha (当社?, "this company") can refer to either the speaker's or the listener's company. All of these titles are used by themselves, not attached to names.
When mentioning a company's name, it is considered important to include the status of the company, either incorporated (株式会社 kabushikigaisha?) or limited (有限会社 yūgen gaisha?). These are often abbreviated as 株 and 有.
Dono/tono
Tono (殿 【との】?), pronounced dono (どの?) when attached to a name, roughly means "lord" or "master." It doesn't equate noble status, rather it is a term akin to "milord" or French "monseigneur," and lies between san and sama in level of respect. This title is no longer used in daily conversation, but it is still used in some types of written business correspondence, as well as on certificates and awards, and in written correspondence in tea ceremonies.
No kimi
No kimi (の君?) is another archaic suffix with a meaning roughly equivalent to "milord."
Ue
Ue (上?) literally means "above," and denotes a high level of respect. While its use is no longer very common, it is still seen in constructions like chichi-ue (父上?) and haha-ue (母上?), reverent terms for "father" and "mother," respectively. Receipts that do not require specification of the payer's name are often filled in with ue-sama.
