The Japanese language has a wide variety of honorifics and suffixes different honorifics can be used on the same person/character depending on who they’re talking to and the situation they’re in. Today we go through some of the Japanese Honorifics and common suffixes that are frequently used in anime and manga!
San (さん)
Perhaps the most common honorific used. San (さん) is used in both formal and informal occasions, san can simply be understood as Mr., Mrs., or Ms. in most occasions, However, if used with a noun, it could mean a person related to said noun. An example of this would be “Honya-san” (本屋さん). In this case, Honya, which means bookstore, in combination with “san” would mean the bookstore person or simply the bookseller.
Kun (君)
Kun is generally used when a person of seniority is addressing those of a junior status. Kun is used predominately for male, but not exclusively. People of the same age or status can also use kun when referring to each other, but this is usually used between friends. As mentioned, kun is not exclusive to male. Although uncommon kun can also be used for female without disrespect. The use of Kun can be seen clearly in most school-related situations:
Teachers –> Students: Kun
Senior Students –> Junior Students: Kun
Junior Students –> Senior Students: Senpai
Student –> Student (of the same status): San/Kun
Students –> Teacher: Sensei
Teacher –> Teacher: Sensei/San/Kun
Sama (様)
Sama is one of the more respectful ways to address someone. It is usually used when addressing a person of higher rank. Sama is also used to address one’s gusts or customer. Sama is also commonly used when addressing deities. Common examples are Okyakusama (お客様) which is used in stores when employees greet customers. Another example will be Ojousama (お嬢様)which is equivalent to “My Lady” in english, if you are a female and you visit a butler cafe, that’s what you’ll be called, typically.
Chan (ちゃん)/ Tan (たん)
Chan and Tan are both “cute” variants of San, however, the use is quite different. In the case of Chan, it is generally used for infants and young children. Chan will also be used close friends who have known each other for a very long time.
On the other hand, Tan is a variation that imitates the mispronunciations small children make. It can be considered a sort of baby talk. It is most commonly used for moe anthropomorphisms.