Japanese titles
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Japanese, like other languages, uses a broad array of titles for addressing or referring to people with respect. In Japanese, these forms of address follow a person's name in the manner of a suffix. The most common—and well-known outside Japan—is san, which semantically coincides roughly with the courtesy titles "Mr.", "Mrs.", and "Ms." in English. Different from English, Japanese allows its honorifics to be attached to surnames, first names, and even professional titles. Other common ones include sama (the more-respectful form of san), sensei (for teachers and professionals), kun (usually used among or towards boys), and chan (used towards children).
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[edit] Use
Correct use of titles is considered very important in Japan, as it is just about everywhere else in the world. Omitting a title when addressing or referring to someone is called yobisute (呼び捨て?). Although yobisute is generally considered bad manners, in Japanese conversations, many non-Japanese (particularly in Japan) experience yobisute when a Japanese person would probably be addressed more politely[1].
Although titles are usually added to names, there are some exceptions. They are not usually used when talking about a family member or another member of one's "in-group" to someone from outside the group. Inside a group such as a company, the members use titles such as san towards each other. However, when talking to people from outside their company, they do not use the titles when referring to each other. This applies even to superiors. For example, a receptionist, when talking to the company president, will certainly use a title such as shachō or Maeda-shachō; however, when referring to the president when talking to outsiders, the same receptionist will simply refer to President Maeda as Maeda, without any title. Honorific titles are also usually dropped when referring to historical figures, although awarded titles, such as military titles, are sometimes used.
[edit] Common honorifics
[edit] San
San (さん?) is the most common honorific and is used when addressing persons outside one's immediate family and close circle of friends—non-family members and acquaintances, for example. San is used unless the addressee's status or the relationship with the addressee warrants one of the other terms mentioned below. Although in translation san is usually rendered as a common courtesy title like “Mr.” or “Ms.”, unlike these it is never used in self-reference.
San may also be used in combination with nouns describing the addressee or referrant other than the person's name; for example, a bookseller might be addressed or referred to as honya-san ("bookseller" + san) and a butcher, as nikuya-san ("butcher" + san).
San is also used when talking about companies and other similar entities. 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.
Although, strictly speaking, not an honorific title in this usage, san is also attached to the names of some kinds of foods; for example, fish used for cooking can be referred to as sakana-san. Likewise, this suffix is sometimes applied to animals—a rabbit might be usagi-san.[dubious — see talk page]
In western Japan (Kansai), particularly the the Kyoto area, Han (はん?) is used instead of san.
[edit] Kun
Kun (君?) is an informal and intimate honorific primarily used towards males. (It is still used towards females, but rarely.) It is used by persons of senior status in addressing those of junior status, by males of roughly the same age and status when addressing each other, and by anyone in addressing male children. In business settings, women, particularly young women, may also be addressed as kun by older males of senior status. It is sometimes used towards male pets as well.
Schoolteachers typically address male students using kun, while female students are addressed as san or chan. The use of kun to address male children is similar to the use of san when addressing adults. In other words, not using kun would be considered rude in most situations, but, like the rule for using san in reference to family members, kun is traditionally not used when addressing or referring to one's own child (unless kun is part of a nickname: "Akira-kun"—Akkun).
In the Diet of Japan, diet members and ministers are called kun by the chairpersons. For example, Junichiro Koizumi is called "Koizumi Jun'ichirō-kun". The only exception was that when Takako Doi was the chairperson of the lower house, she used the san title.
[edit] Chan
Chan (ちゃん?) is a diminutive suffix used to refer to or address children, animals, and people whom one has known since childhood. It is an informal version of "san" used to address children and female family members. "Chan" continues to be used as a term of endearment, especially for girls, into adulthood. Parents will probably always call their daughters "chan" and their sons "kun," though "chan" can be used towards boys just as easily. Adults will use "chan" as a term of endearment to women with whom they are on close terms.
Chan is used more among women than men and requires considerable intimacy to be used with adults with whom one has not known for an extended period of time or since their childhood. Furthermore, attaching chan to a modified stem is more intimate than attaching it to the full form of the basic name.
Chan may also be used for celebrities as a title of affection. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger gained the nickname Shuwa chan in Japanese. Although traditionally honorifics are not applied to oneself, some young women occasionally develop the habit of referring to themselves in the third person using chan. For example, a young woman named Maki might call herself Maki-chan rather than using a first person pronoun. Chan is also used for pets' names and when referring to animals, such as usagi-chan (or, more frequently, usa-chan: rabbit+chan) (e.g. Tama-chan, the flying turtle in Love Hina and Hunny's stuffed bunny in "Ouran High School Host Club"), or when speaking to small children.
If the speaker were to use this suffix to a person his/her age then he/she would have to realize that the ~chan suffix is a casual suffix and is mainly used only for girls, if they are the same age or only a little bit younger than the speaker. If a boy was to call another boy his name and add -chan onto the other boy's name, then it could be deemed as an insult, if the other boy didn't agree on that name, unless it was said as a joke, or under other circumstances.[citation needed][original research?]
The Japanese media use chan when mentioning pre-elementary school children and sometimes elementary-school girls.
[edit] Chan and Moé anthropomorphism
Non-standard variations of chan include chin (ちん?) and tan (たん?). Chin and tan are mispronunciations typical of small children and therefore remind of baby or child talk, hence their association with cuteness. They, but particularly tan, are thus popular in the names of moé anthropomorphisms, artistic memes on Japanese imageboards typified by a female character, usually depicted in cosplay, representing a non-human being, inanimate object, concept, or phenomena, or a popular consumer product. Well-known examples include OS-tan (representing computer operating systems) and Bisuke-tan (representing KFC biscuits). Some of these characters, such as Binchō-tan, are real corporate mascots.
[edit] Senpai and kōhai
Senpai (先輩?) is used by students to refer to or address senior students in an academic or other learning environment, in athletics and sports clubs, and also in business settings to refer to those in more senior positions. Kōhai (後輩?) is the reverse of this. It is used to refer to or address juniors, though it might be considered somewhat insulting or overly condescending in some circles to refer to someone as kōhai directly--kun is frequently used toward kōhai in direct address.
[edit] Sensei
Sensei (先生?) is used to refer to or address teachers, practitioners of a profession such as doctors and lawyers, 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. For example, Japanese manga fans refer to manga artists using the term sensei, as in Takahashi sensei for manga artist Rumiko Takahashi; the term is used similarly by fans of other creative professionals such as novelists, musicians, and artists. It is also a common martial arts title when referring to the instructor.
Sensei can also be used fawningly, as evinced by adherents in addressing or talking about charismatic business, political, and religious leaders (especially unordained ones). Japanese speakers will also use the term sarcastically to ridicule overblown or fawning adulation of such leaders, and the Japanese media frequently 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. A further, similar use is to address or refer to someone who acts in a self-important or self-aggrandizing manner.
This suffix is a little different than others used in the Japanese language in that -sensei can also be used just by itself when talking to someone. So instead of having to add the person's name and then the suffix, the speaker can just say sensei which is the same as just saying Professor or Teacher.
[edit] Sama
Sama (様?) is the formal version of san. This honorific is used primarily in addressing persons much higher in rank than oneself and in commercial and business settings to address and refer to customers. It also appears in words used to address or speak of persons or objects for which the speaker wishes to show respect or deference, such as okyaku-sama (customer) or Tateishi-sama (a stone revered as a deity). Additionally, Japanese Christians will refer to God in prayer as Kami-sama. People will also affix sama to the names of personages who have a special talent or are considered particularly attractive, though this usage can also be tongue-in-cheek, exaggerated, or even ironic. Examples include "Tanaka-sama" to refer to a young man named Tanaka who is considered rather handsome by his admirers and the "Leo-Sama" (or "Reo-sama") that has become the media's pet name for Leonardo DiCaprio. Further, sama can be used to express arrogance (or self-effacing irony), such as in the arrogant male pronoun ore-sama ("my esteemed self") for "I". Referring to oneself with -sama is considered to be highly egotistical.
Sama also follows the addressee's name on postal packages and letters and is frequently seen in business e-mails.
It is worth noting that the sama appearing 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-kuro sama (an expression recognizing someone's labors), though written with the same kanji, is etymologically and semantically distinct from the sama used as term of address.
In the same way that chan is a version of san, there is also chama from sama, typically used for an older person.
[edit] Shi
Shi (氏?) 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] Combination
These suffixes can all be used in combination in whichever way a person decides to use them. One such example would be the use of -chan and -sama. If someone were wanting to express both affection and respect, he/she could say -chama to have both meanings in one suffix. There are many different ways that a person could interchange and combine each of the suffixes.[citation needed] This is the opposite of what the English have as prefixes before a name; there is little freedom to interchange prefixes such as "Mr., Mrs., or Ms."[citation needed]
[edit] Other titles
[edit] Occupation-related titles
Instead of the above general honorifics, it is fairly common to use the name of the person's job after the name. It is common for sports athletes to be referred to as XXX-senshu (選手?) rather than XXX-san. The Japanese soccer-player Robert Cullen is referred to as Karen-senshu. A master carpenter might have the title tōryō (棟梁?), meaning "master carpenter", attached to his name, and be referred to as "Suzuki-Tōryō" rather than "Suzuki-San". Television lawyer Kazuya Maruyama is referred to by television presenters and in promotional literature as Maruyama bengoshi (丸山弁護士?) (literally "Maruyama-lawyer"), but would be called Maruyama-sensei by a private client. A minority of educated Japanese now prefer to address their attorneys as XXX-bengoshi because the traditional appellation XXX-sensei is felt to be unduly deferential.
Inside companies, it is also common to refer to people using their company rank, particularly for those of a high rank, such as a company president, shachō (社長?), or other titles such as buchō (部長?), a department chief, etc.
[edit] Honorific job titles
The name of a job may have two versions. For example, "translator" may be hon'yakuka (翻訳家?) or hon'yakusha (翻訳者?). Job titles ending in ka (家?), literally "house", usually imply some kind of expertise[citation needed] and, thus, by the rules of modesty in Japanese, they are not usually used for oneself. The plain form with sha (者?), literally "person", may be used by the person or in plain text, such as a book title. Use of the ka ending implies respect. Similarly, there are jūdōka (柔道家?), or "judo experts" in judo, and manga authors are referred to as mangaka (漫画家?) or "manga experts".[citation needed]
In the case of farmers, the old name hyakushō (百姓?), literally "one hundred surnames", is now considered offensive (see kotobagari), and farmers are referred to, and refer to themselves as, nōka (農家?), or "farming experts".[citation needed]
Honorific job titles such as sensei, which is applied to teachers, doctors, and lawyers, also have plain forms. For example, in plain language[citation needed], a teacher is a kyōshi (教師?), a doctor is an isha (医者?) or ishi (医師?), and a lawyer is bengoshi (弁護士?). The polite versions are used when addressing or talking about the person, but the plain forms are used when referring to their profession.
[edit] Titles for criminals and the accused
Convicted criminals were once referred to without any title, though today with the title hikoku (被告? defendant) for political correctness. For example, Matsumoto-hikoku of Aum Shinrikyo. Suspects awaiting trial are referred to by the title yōgisha (容疑者? suspect) for the same reason.
These titles were made for political correctness, however, they have become derogatory as time passes. When Gorō Inagaki was arrested for a traffic accident in 2001, some media referred him with the new-made title menbaa (メンバー?), originating from the English word member, to avoid use of yōgisha (容疑者? suspect).[original research?][citation needed] This title, however, was criticized as an unnatural term and became derogatory almost instantly.
The title jukeisha (受刑者) indicates a criminal serving a sentence.
[edit] Titles for companies
As mentioned above, companies often refer to each other's offices informally using the company name plus san. In correspondence, the title onchū (御中) is added to the company name when the letter is not addressed to a specific person in the company. Furthermore, it is considered highly important to mention the status of the company, either incorporated, kabushikigaisha (株式会社?), often abbreviated with the kanji kabu (株?) in brackets, or limited, yūgen gaisha (有限会社?), often abbreviated with the kanji yū (有?) in brackets either before or after the company's name.[citation needed]
There are also separate words for "our company", heisha (弊社?), (which literally means "clumsy/poor company") and "your company", kisha (貴社?) in writing or onsha (御社?) in speech (these last two literally mean "honoured company"). Heisha or onsha can also be replaced with the more neutral tōsha (当社?) (literally "this company") or jisha (自社?).
For organizations that provide professional services, such as law or accounting firms, sha may be substituted by jimusho (事務所, meaning "office") in the above constructs.
See also Japanese etiquette.
[edit] Dono/tono
Dono and tono (both written 殿) roughly mean "lord". This title is no longer used in daily conversation, though it is still used in some types of written business correspondence. It is also seen on drug prescriptions, certificates and awards, and in written correspondence in tea ceremonies.
Note: Fans of anime and manga may notice that the use of this honorific is not uncommon, in those media, especially in period works. It often comes up in two forms:
- submissive -- Using its "lord" or "master" roots, this form of dono is often considered to show slightly less respect than sama, but more than san. In the anime Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki, the character Mihoshi is addressed by her computer unit as "Mihoshi-dono." In fansubbed anime where military or para-military organisations are featured, "dono" is translated as "sir." Likewise, when used by Himura Kenshin in the anime Rurouni Kenshin when referring to women it is intended to show great humility and respect for the addressee.
- equal -- This form of dono is used by a powerful/important person to address another powerful/important person with a great deal of respect without elevating the addressee above the addresser. In the anime, Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki, the characters Seto-sama and Washu address the main character Tenchi as "Tenchi-dono" out of respect for his great abilities. A more blatant usage is in the anime Naruto when Sarutobi addresses Orochimaru disguised as the Fourth Kazekage as "Kazekage-dono" out of equality of both being Kage-level Ninja.
[edit] Ue
Ue (上) literally means "above" and, appropriately, denotes a high level of respect. While its use is no longer very common, it is still seen in constructions like 父上 (chichi-ue) and 母上 (haha-ue), reverent terms for one's own, or someone else's, father and mother, respectively.
[edit] Iemoto
Iemoto (家元?) is an even more polite version of sensei[citation needed] used for the highest ranking person heading a school or group in traditional art forms such as calligraphy, flower arrangement or tea ceremony. It is not generally used with the martial arts.
[edit] Royal and Official Titles
- Heika (陛下?) is affixed to the end of a royal title, with a meaning similar to "Majesty". For example, Tennō heika (天皇陛下?) means "His Majesty, the Emperor" and Joō heika (女王陛下?) means "Her Majesty, the Queen" (e.g. of Denmark). Heika by itself can also be used as a direct term of address, similar to "Your Majesty".
- Denka (殿下?) is affixed to the end of a royal title, with a meaning similar to "Royal Highness" or "Majesty". For example Suwēden Ōkoku Bikutoria Kōtaishi denka (スウェーデン王国 ビクトリア皇太子殿下?) "Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of the Kingdom of Sweden".
- Kakka (閣下?) means "Your Excellency" and is used for ambassadors and heads of state.
- Hime (姫?) is used as an honorific if one is addressing a princess[citation needed][original research?]. For example, the Japanese name of the anime Princess Mononoke is Mononoke Hime. Hime may also be used as a direct address, akin to calling a person simply "Princess". To convey even greater respect, the honorific sama will be added to both the title and the honorific. Using the "o" prefix honorific ("Ohimesama") conveys the greatest amount of respect.[citation needed][dubious — see talk page]
[edit] Martial Arts Titles
Martial artists often address their teachers as sensei. Junior and senior students are organized via a sempai/kohai system.
Various titles are also employed to refer to senior instructors. Which titles are used depends on the particular licensing organization.
- Hanshi (範士?) or sometimes Shihan (師範?) refers to a senior expert considered a "teacher of teachers." This title is used by many different arts for the top few instructors of that style, and is sometimes translated "master."
- Renshi (錬士?) often refers to an advanced instructor. Renshi means "teacher" or "one who has mastered himself." The term may be linguistically related to the sanskrit word, "rishi".
- Kyoshi (教士?), which in everyday Japanese can be a more modest synonym for sensei, is sometimes used to indicate an instructor.
- Shishou (師匠?) is another title used for martial arts instructors.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- How to use Japanese suffixes
- Some notes on Japanese names and suffixes
- Wiktionary: Japanese Suffixes
- Japanese Suffixes: Clues to Locations
- Japanese Suffix Flashcards
- Teach Yourself Japanese
[edit] References
- Gaijinpot discussion on yobisute. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
Categories: Articles lacking sources from February 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Wikipedia references cleanup | Articles lacking page references | Accuracy disputes | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles which may contain original research | Japanese honorifics | Japanese vocabulary | Japanese names
