Japanese attaches honorific suffixes to names to signal politeness and relationship. さん (san) is the neutral default (Mr./Ms.). 様 (sama) is highly respectful (customers, business). くん (kun) is for younger/junior males; ちゃん (chan) is affectionate (children, close friends). 先輩 (senpai) and 先生 (sensei) mark seniors and teachers. Never use any honorific for yourself.
If you watch anime or work with Japanese colleagues, you’ve heard them: Tanaka-san, Yuki-chan, Sato-senpai. These suffixes aren’t decoration — they encode respect, closeness and hierarchy in a single syllable. Dropping the wrong one (or none at all) sends a real social signal. The good news: a handful of rules cover almost every situation.
The Core Honorifics
| Honorific | Romaji | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| さん | san | Neutral, polite default — almost anyone (Mr./Ms.) |
| 様 | sama | Very respectful — customers, business, deities |
| くん | kun | Boys, younger/junior males, juniors at work |
| ちゃん | chan | Children, close friends, pets, cute things (often girls) |
| 先輩 | senpai | A senior (school/work) — can replace the name |
| 先生 | sensei | Teachers, doctors, experts, mentors |
さん: Your Safe Default
When in doubt, use さん. It’s neutral, polite and rarely wrong. Attach it to someone’s surname in most settings (Tanaka-san), or given name when you’re friendlier. It works regardless of gender or marital status — far simpler than English titles.
田中さん、おはようございます。
tanaka-san, ohayō gozaimasu.
Good morning, Mr./Ms. Tanaka.
くん vs ちゃん: The Closeness Pair
Both are casual and signal closeness, but they differ in feel:
くん (kun) — for boys and younger or junior males; also used by a boss or teacher addressing a junior of either gender. Carries a slightly firm, familiar tone.
ちゃん (chan) — affectionate and soft; for children, close friends, partners, pets and cute things, often (not only) girls. Using it implies real closeness.
Calling a new coworker ちゃん would be too familiar; calling a small child or a close friend さん can feel oddly distant. Closeness is the deciding factor.
様: Maximum Respect
様 outranks さん in politeness. You meet it constantly as a customer:
お客様 — okyakusama
“Honoured customer” — heard in every shop and restaurant.
It also appears on formal mail (name + 様) and for revered figures (神様, kamisama, “god”). It’s too formal for everyday peers.
The Rules That Keep You Polite
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| Never add an honorific to your own name | It sounds arrogant — you only honour others |
| Default to さん with new people | Safe, neutral, rarely wrong |
| Drop honorifics only when very close (呼び捨て) | Using just the name signals intimacy — or rudeness if unearned |
| Use 先生 for teachers/doctors, not さん | Their role carries its own honorific |
| Match the family’s own usage with kids | ちゃん/くん follow how they’re addressed at home |
Note: 先輩 and 先生 can stand alone as a form of address (just “Senpai!”), unlike さん which needs a name.
Make Honorifics Second Nature
Honorifics are learned best in context, because the “right” one depends entirely on the relationship in the sentence. Kanjijo teaches them inside real example dialogues so you see さん, くん and 様 doing their social work, with exclusive mnemonics anchoring the くん/ちゃん distinction and SRS resurfacing the patterns until they’re automatic. Listening practice tunes your ear to how natives attach them in fast speech, the OCR scanner decodes 様 on real letters and signs, and home and lock screen widgets keep the set fresh — while mock JLPT questions test the politeness rules that exams love.
Get Japanese Politeness Right
Kanjijo locks in honorifics and the whole politeness system with example sentences, exclusive mnemonics, SRS, reading, listening, OCR scanning, widgets, and mock JLPT practice — from N5 to N1.
Download Kanjijo FreeFrequently Asked Questions
No — honorifics are only for other people. Using one on your own name sounds arrogant. Just say your name plainly when introducing yourself.
No. ちゃん is mainly about affection and closeness. It’s common for girls and children but also used for close male friends, partners and pets.
Called 呼び捨て (yobisute), using a bare name shows close intimacy — or rudeness if you haven’t earned that closeness.
In most settings, surname + さん. Given names (often with ちゃん/くん) come out only among friends, family and people who’ve invited that closeness.