Brenton
Philip SharpExplaining "San" "Kun" "Chan" and "Sama"
June 27th 2007 15:31
No matter what your level of Japanese Knowledge you've probably come across the 'san' sama' 'chan' or 'kun' terms from Japanese.
In Japan, to be polite you address others (never yourself) by an honorable suffix. Let's look at Dr Spin's best friend's son, Ben.
To be polite you most generally refer to an individual as their name followed by 'San'.
"Konnichi wa Ben san"
As Ben is a young man he can be also referred to by a special suffix which is only appropriate for young men - Kun. His friends may call him Ben Kun.
"Konnichi wa Ben Kun"
Chan is not appropriate for Boys. Chan is a softer less respectful version of San, used mostly for young girls (between themselves) and to express affection. However, if can be used by family members (Ben's brother Tom may call him Ben Chan) and to make fun of somebody (In this context, "Ben Chan" is best translated as "Little Benny".
"Konnichi wa Ben Chan!"
"Waaa!"
You have to be extra polite when speaking to somebody of a higher status than you. Japanese society is all about status. So istead of any of the above option, you use the extra polite Sama suffix with someone of higher status. For example, if Ben addressed his boss Mr Tanaka he'd say.
Konnichi wa Tanaka Sama.
In Japan, to be polite you address others (never yourself) by an honorable suffix. Let's look at Dr Spin's best friend's son, Ben.
To be polite you most generally refer to an individual as their name followed by 'San'.
"Konnichi wa Ben san"
As Ben is a young man he can be also referred to by a special suffix which is only appropriate for young men - Kun. His friends may call him Ben Kun.
"Konnichi wa Ben Kun"
Chan is not appropriate for Boys. Chan is a softer less respectful version of San, used mostly for young girls (between themselves) and to express affection. However, if can be used by family members (Ben's brother Tom may call him Ben Chan) and to make fun of somebody (In this context, "Ben Chan" is best translated as "Little Benny".
"Waaa!"
You have to be extra polite when speaking to somebody of a higher status than you. Japanese society is all about status. So istead of any of the above option, you use the extra polite Sama suffix with someone of higher status. For example, if Ben addressed his boss Mr Tanaka he'd say.
Konnichi wa Tanaka Sama.
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