What’s the difference between San, Sama, Kun, & Chan?
28. Jun, 2008
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I know this will be really basic for a lot of you, but recently, I’ve noticed a lot of people having trouble with which honorific to put on the end of a name. Not only have I gotten several emails specifically asking what the difference between them, but I’ve also had a barrage of folks using the wrong ones when referring to me. I’ll give you a hint, only one of them is truly appropriate.
Let’s go down the list of name honorifics and review each one separately. It’s really good to know how to use each of these (if you don’t), since you can come across as pretty rude when you make a mistake!
San:
Overview: This is the most common. It can be used on boys or girls. It can be used in formal and (somewhat) informal situations. Pretty much, san is your fail safe when you don’t know which one ot use. You probably won’t get in trouble if you use this one, so it’s good to use with frequency.
Do Not: Refer to yourself as [your name]-san. This is very rude. You might as well start asking people to get on their knees and bow down to you. Only use this on other people.
Other Uses: You can also attach san to some nouns, usually jobs. For example, booksellers are called honya-san. I know that some uses like this are more common than others so I’d say it’s best not to jump to conclusions and start turning every noun you see into name-honorific enders.
Trivial Fact: Ever notice how a lot of Japanese usernames on the net end with three? I just read this on Wikipedia, and it completely makes sense. Since the number three in Japanese is san, some people use this to end their names. I think it’s clever, anyways.
Also, in the Kansai area of Japan (they speak a different dialect, kind of like how people in Texas would have “southern accents” in America), some people use han instead of san (apparently). I can’t confirm this from experience, but that’s what I read.
Sama
Overview: Most likely, you’ll never run into an appropriate situation to use sama, unless of course you want to be a little sarcastic. The only time you’ll be using sama is if 1) you’re working for a company and you’re talking to a customre, or 2) you want to be sarcastic about someone who thinks really highly about themselves.
Do Not: EVER refer to yourself as sama…well, that is, unless you’re making fun of yourself. Otherwise, there’s no reason to do it, and if you do it with a serious face, people will think you’re a big stuck up snob.
Trivial Fact: Aparently, there’s also a “Chama” version of sama. Typically, you would use this when talking to someone who is older.
Kun
Overview: This is where you start getting more casual. Kun is primarily used when refering to other males, usually by someone of high status to someone younger / lower status than them. A good example would be a teacher talking to a (usually male) student. Some (masculine) females get called (name)-kun, though this is less common.
Do Not: Use this on someone of higher status than you. That means teachers, people that are older than you, parents, etc. You get the picture. If you aren’t sure, then just use san – at least you’ll be safe that way.
Chan
Overview: Now we’re in deep waters. Chan is primarily used on children, female family members, lovers, and close friends. Really, it’s a term of indearment. Often times, one’s name will be shortened to add chan to it. For example, I get the Ko-chan treatment instead of Koichi-chan, which just sounds awkward.
Do Not: (once again), use it on anyone of higher status than you. If you are using chan, the person should be much younger, or you better know that person really well.
Trivial Fact: Unlike all the other name honorifics, it’s actually not too horrible to refer to yourself and add the chan to the end. Children do this a lot, but so do some adults. Adding chan to a name can sometimes become a nickname that’s used instead of the real name, at which point it becomes acceptable to refer to yourself while using the honorific.
Another interesting thing about chan is that it is paired up with ojii and obaa (oji-chan / oba-chan), roughly meaning grandma and grandpa. Once Gma and Gpa get old, they come full circle, and you get to use the honorific reserved for children on them. Poor guys.
Anyways…
If you were confused by that, then just know this is barely touching the surface. Knowing what name honorific to use in what situation is one of the easiest things to learn in terms of the whole hierarchy in Japanese speech. It gets so much worse. Anime, I think, will often give people the wrong idea when it comes to how to use san, kun, sama, & chan (another good reason to get yourself a teacher of some sort). Anyways, speaking of anime messing honorifics up, next time I’ll be talking about the difference between senpai, kohai, and sensei. Actually, come ot think of it, this might be one of the few things they might be getting right.
So, here’s the test. If you were to email me (or someone else you don’t really know), what honorific would you use?
If I were to email our author Erin, which one would I use?
If I were to email our other author Viet, which one would I use?
Lastly, here’s a trick question, what about Santa Claus?
No related posts.
As for -sama, what about “okusama” and the like?
ah man thanks
-16 now -_-
Probably best to let it go.
The more you point it out, the more people will notice.
just replying to a post i saw in my email… i didnt have any intention to drag it out, i apologize once again
There is one thing that I do not understand in this blog entry. If you typically do not refer to yourself with suffix ‘-san’, why would the Japanese have ‘san’ (or ’3′ in this case) in their username? That would mean that they are referring to themself as ‘san’, which is something to be avoided.
i was wondering that too!
this is very good i think because i refer to most people as san but because like most people who watch anime gah i refer to alot of girls by chan not knowing at all what it ment but now i know
it is too cr4zi33 f0r m3!!!!!!
gud thing philippines never had that such thing…
actually letters and such are mostly always sama, if you don't know the person really and I believe even if you do, just because its writtin down and therefore it sound better formal I believe. At least that was the case for me always, and I wrote enough thank you letters in japan….
Hahaha, I know you'd hate me for saying this, but in a lot of animes, the people with Osaka accents usually add “han” at the end (i.e. Emishi from Get Backers says “Shido-han”.) That did not make any sense to me until now :P
Its easier just to use san every time LOL , in anime they used honorifics all the time its so confusing
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If a maid or a worker was refering to someone they work for, would they use -sama?
Fantastic Post!
Workers commonly use “sama” to refer to customers. For example at a dentist office a receptionist will use sama when calling the next customer.
What would you use with friends? Is chan/kun ok, or would that (chan in particular) sound strange? Would you just not add an honorific?
What would you use with friends? Is chan/kun ok, or would that (chan in particular) sound strange? Would you just not add an honorific?
I watch anime but I got the correct idea. But i might have confused it with my Japanese studies though. :)
If you are talking about a celebrity (obviously you have never met them and they are not there with you at the time), would you use -san on the end of their name?
females can be called -kun too, it doesn't mean they're masculine. for example a teacher or an older person in a workplace can call female student/employee who is much younger than them -kun. -kun is used for people that are at the same status or lower, people your age or younger.
if the person is older than you, especially much older, you can call them -kun, which will be very rude if you are not close fiends of them. -kun is supposed to be used only for people your age or younger. calling -chan people you are not close to can also offend them.
or you can omit honorifics altogether. another option is to call yourself -san.
Ugh, sama and chan are the worst.
Ha!
I think our sensei told us about this once, but I had forgotten. Thanks!
Ugh, sama and chan are the worst.
Ha!
I think our sensei told us about this once, but I had forgotten. Thanks!
Now I see the difference, about this Japanese call name. :D