Essential Japanese Manners And Etiquette

Addressing people

To address people by name is not enough in Japan. And the respectful title “-san“ is only the tip of the iceberg. There are actually more honorific suffixes for addressing or referring to people:

• ”-kun“ — a less formal honorific than the neutral “-san.” General use of ”-kun“ approximately means ”friend.“

• “-chan” — a diminutive suffix, primarily used for children, female family members, lovers, and close friends.
• “-sama“ — the most respectful version (”lord,” “honorable”). It was used to refer to lords and deities. Nowadays, it’s sometimes used to express sarcasm.
• ”-senpai“ — for addressing one’s elder colleagues or schoolmates.
• ”-kōhai“ — the opposite of “senpai.”
• ”-sensei“ — for addressing teachers, doctors, scientists, politicians, and other authority figures.
• ”-shi" — for formal writing.