[ o ]Japanese Titles with Kirby![ o ]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. Although yobisute is generally considered bad manners, in Japanese conversatiions, many non-Japanese (particularly in Japan) experience yobiste when a Japanese person would probably be addressed more politely. Many Japanese understand the yobisute given by tourists and usually ignore it or politely remind the or teach them proper Japanese titles.
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.So as you can see, Japanese Honorific titles can sometimes be confusing.
So i made a simple guide to help refresh or teach you on using Japanese Honorifics. ^_^
~Common Honorifics~
San
San is the most common honorific and is a title of respect. It is used for the surnames or given names of both males and females. 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. Using san to refer to oneself makes one appear childish.
San may also be used in combination with nouns describing the addressee or referent 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.
In western Japan (Kansai), particularly in the Kyoto area, Han is used instead of san.
Kun
Kun is an informal 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.
School teachers 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 (yummy ^_^), diet members and ministers are called kun by the chairpersons. For example, Shinzo Abe is called "Abe Shinzō-kun". The only exception was that when Takako Doi was the chairperson of the lower house: she used the san title.
Senpai
Senpai is used to address senior colleagues or mentor figures, e.g. students referring to or addressing more senior students in schools, junior athletes more senior ones in a sports club, or a mentor or more experienced or senior colleague in a business environment. As with English titles such as Doctor, senpai can be used either by itself as a title, or with a person's name in place of san. Kōhai is the reverse of this. It is used to refer to juniors (but you should add it to their name, addressing someone as just Kōhai is somewhat rude)
Sensei
Sensei 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.
As with senpai, Sensei can be used not only as a suffix but a title by itself, translating to "Professor" or "Teacher".
Sama
Sama 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 idolised as a deity). Additionally, Japanese Christians will refer to God in prayer as Kami-sama. -sama is regularly used by the press to mention female members of the Imperial Family (as in Masako-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. There is also the much less used "tama", which is the most childish and is usually used by young children for older siblings (like "Onii-tama", which means "big brother"), or someone else they admire.
Shi
Shi 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.
~Uncommon Titles~
Dono/Tono
Dono and tono roughly mean "lord" or "master". 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 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:
1. submissive -- Using its "lord" or "master" roots, this form of dono is often considered to show slightly more respect than sama and more than san.
2. 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.
Ue(may need editing)
Ue 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 chichi-ue and haha-ue, reverent terms for one's own, or someone else's, father and mother, respectively. Receipts that do not require specification of the payer's name are often filled-in with ue-sama.
Lemoto (may need editing)
Iemoto is an even more polite version of sensei 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 authentically used with the martial arts.
Royal and official titles:
*Heika is affixed to the end of a royal title, with a meaning similar to "Majesty" reserverd for reigning sovereigns. For example, Tennō heika means "His Majesty, the Emperor" and Joō heika 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 is affixed to the end of a non-sovereign royal title, with a meaning similar to "Royal Highness" or "Majesty". For example Suwēden Ōkoku Bikutoria Kōtaishi denka (such a cool name ^_^)"Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of the Kingdom of Sweden".
* Kakka means "Your Excellency" and is used for ambassadors and heads of state.
* Hime(may need editing) is used as an honorific if one is addressing a princess 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.
~More coming soon!~
