What does Kun and San mean?

“San” is the most convenient expression and the safest way when someone wants to show his (light) sense of respect. Using “San” expresses one's caring for others. Therefore, it is recommended to use “San” in any type of situations. “Kun(君)” is usually used for boys, especially the younger ones.

Can you use kun for a girl?

Kun for females is a more respectful honorific than -chan, implying childlike cuteness. Kun is not only used to address females formally; it can also be used for a very close friend or family member.

Is San for male or female?

Even having the person's given name won't help if you're not familiar with which Japanese names are male and which are female. But –san is a catch-all that can be used for both sexes.

What does Kun mean Japanese?

Kun くん This is a suffix seen as masculine, used for teenagers and young men. Sometimes, it is used to refer to young women, but only in very specific situations. It's usually used by people seen as superior, since this honorific is mostly used when one person of higher status is talking to a younger person.

Why do the anime say san?

Introduced to many Westerners through 'The Karate Kid', ~san is the most common honorific suffix in Japanese. It's gender-neutral and can be used with people you don't know or even amongst friends if you aren't particularly close. It is often added to inanimate objects or animals too! Basically, if in doubt, use ~san!

Japanese Honorific Titles: san, sama, kun and chan

Why do the Japanese say san?

As a rule of thumb, in Japanese business life, the surname name is always followed by the honorific suffix “san” (meaning “dear” or actually “honorable Mr/Ms.”). There are of course many other options such as “sama” (highly revered customer or company manager) or “sensei” (Dr. or professor).

Can a girl be called senpai?

A senpai addresses a kōhai with the suffix -kun after the kōhai's given name or surname, regardless if the kōhai is male or female.

What senpai means?

Senpai made its first appearance in Urban Dictionary back in 2004, when a user defined it as "an upperclassman." Other entries (a number of which mention anime and manga) have since been added; it's defined there variously as "someone older than you," "someone you look up to," "mentor," "senior," an "older person who ...

Is it kun or chan?

–Kun (くん), the most commonly used honorific in anime. It is used to address young males. It is also used by superiors to inferiors and male of the same age and status. –Chan (ちゃん), most frequently used for girls and between them, children, close friends, or lovers.

Can I call my boyfriend kun?

Kun in Japanese

You can address a woman or girl by -kun, but it's usually used by women to men. They might call their boyfriends or spouses -くん to show affection, like -ちゃん. Likewise, women often call children, especially boys, by -くん.

Is San used for female?

In Japanese, "~ san （～さん）" is a title of respect added to a name. It can be used with both male and female names, and with either surnames or given names. It can also be attached to the name of occupations and titles.

Is senpai for both genders?

Senpai may teach you something but still sensei is a teacher in formal. No, senpai is for both genders. I went to an all girls school through elementary, middle, and high school and senpai was the most used word in school.

What does Sama?

Sama (様) is the most formal and polite Japanese honorific and means "Mr", "Mrs", "Ms", or "Miss" in English. It is primarily used when addressing guests, visitors, customers, or addressees in letters.

What do you call your boyfriend in Japanese?

The language is very formal – always referring to someone by their last name plus -san. For example, Mr. Tanaka is “Tanaka-san”. So when it comes to expressing love, affection, and friendship in Japanese, it's usually as simple as calling your significant other by their first name only.

What does Domo mean in Japanese?

DOMO means "very". It's especially helpful when stressing appreciation or making an apology. When you buy something at a store, store clerk would say "DOMO ARIGATOU", meaning thank you "very much". You can also use DOMO as a greeting like "hello". And just saying DOMO can mean a casual way of "thank you" like thanks.

Can senpai mean crush?

Senpai is often used in the English in the expression “notice me senpai” and its variants. Originally this was used in the context of a person hoping a crush or someone they admire will pay attention to them, but it has more broadly been used online in reference to famous people acknowledging a fan's existence.

What is Chan in Japanese?

Chan (ちゃん)

Chan, the childish version of san, refers to children and girls. The change from “s” sound to “ch” is considered cute in Japanese. Like for kun, friends and lovers can also address each other with this honorific.

What do you call a boy older than you in Japanese?

Senpai' can be addressed as either -kun or -san depending upon their age and their relationship with the one addressing them. An older man would never call a younger man senpai, it is always from a junior student to a more senior male student.

Can I use SAN for first name?

You CAN use -SAN after a person's first name.

Why do Japanese say senpai?

Japanese Senpai: Definition

① “Older, more experienced, in a higher social position, etc.,” or regardless of age. ② “Have entered the same school or workplace earlier,” and there is a culture of approaching them with polite manners and speech. In other words, the women from before were actually both correct.

What does otaku Kun mean?

Otaku (Japanese: おたく, オタク, or ヲタク) is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in Manga Burikko.

Can you call a boy Chan?

Honorifics are gender neutral, but some are used more for one gender than the other. Kun, for example, is used more for males while chan is for females. Honorifics are generally required when referring to someone, but sometimes they must be dropped altogether.

Is senpai a dirty word?

Senpai (せんぱい or 先輩) is an honorific used to address someone who is superior to you in status. Honorifics are parts of speech used to denote relationship and social status relative to the speaker. English's closest equivalents include Mr., Ms., Mrs., and Sir/Ma'am.

Can a senpai be younger than you?

In the same way, people who have entered your company or school before you regardless of age are "senpai" (senior), and even those older than you but entered after you are "kohai" (junior).

How do you politely call a Japanese name?

Being polite: san and sama

様 (Sama) is usually added to the end of particularly esteemed people's names. The good news is that, most of the time, you will only have to use sama to talk directly to customers. Either add sama to the end of someone's name or refer to them as 客様 (Kyaku-sama) if you don't know their name.