DON'T Call Me Junior!

~When George Washington was unanimously elected to be the first President of the United States, people were unsure of how to address him. Should the title be "His Excellency", the usual honorific for Washington? Or perhaps, "Sir George Washington"? Fed up with this nonsense, Washington declared that his official title would simply be "Mister". From that day forth, every Chief Executive has been "Mr. President".

The situation in Japan is considerably more complicated. There are many different suffixes that can be attached to a person's name, and using the proper suffix is an essential part of speaking correct Japanese. Most Americans, I'd guess, have heard of the suffix "-san" (as in, "Tanaka-san"), but there are several more to know.

• As I've said, -san is the basic, default suffix. While most foreigners equate it with "Mr." or "Mrs.", it's not quite the same; instead, it indicates a level of polite respect beyond a simple "Mr." If you're not sure what suffix to use, -san will always work and will offend no one. However, unless you're talking to a child, always attach -san to the person's surname, not their given name!

The -san suffix is also used in some unusual situations that have no parallel in English, such as for the names of mountains. Mount Fuji, for example, is Fuji-san in Japanese. Young children often attach -san onto the names of animals. One of my students is a young girl who always addresses the teddy bear we use in class as "Kuma-san" (kuma meaning bear).

• A very common suffix around my workplace is -sensei, which you've likely heard of before (especially if you've been following this blog!). "Sensei" does not exactly mean teacher, but rather anyone whose knowledge is superior to ours. Hence, a teacher can be a sensei, but so can certain professionals (usually, doctors get the -sensei suffix).

Unlike the other suffixes, "sensei" can be used alone, or as a suffix; most of my students refer to me as "Sensei" or "David-sensei". They're not supposed to speak Japanese, but I make an exception for this! I also refer to the Japanese teachers at my school by their given names with -sensei attached, even though they are not technically my teachers. Although they have, of course, taught me a lot!

• -kun is another very common suffix. It's used in casual settings between equals, and is therefore less respectful than -san, but more familiar and friendly. This suffix is usually used for men, but sometimes can be used for women; in the patriarchal Japanese culture, attaching -kun to a woman's name indicates a significant level of respect, and hence is something of a complement.
  

One peculiar usage of -kun is in the Japanese Parliament (called the Diet), where legislators address each other using -kun. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, for example, is referred to as "Abe-san" by the average Japanese, but as "Abe-kun" by his colleagues. To me, this comes off as vaguely communist, like calling your coworkers "comrades".

• -chan is a term of affection used only by people who are very familiar and fond of each other. Children often use this term when referring to each other; for example, the student who calls the bear "Kuma-san" refers to herself in the third-person using her name and -chan. This is considered very childish, but then, she is a child.
  

-chan can also be used among family members, especially when referring to beloved grandparents, etc. "Oba-chan" is roughly equivalent to "grandma", as opposed to the more formal, "Oba-san" (closer to grandmother).

• -sama is a title of great respect for someone of much higher status. It's used in very formal situations. Most store clerks and staff members refer to customers using this suffix, which to me comes off as a little strange. One common usage is "Miina-sama", which roughly means, "Ladies and Gentlemen".

-sama is also used for individuals whom you greatly respect. I've heard Japanese people refer to their beloved Princess Aiko as "Aiko-sama" and her infant cousin Prince Hisahito as "Hisahito-sama", despite the fact that they are children.

• -senpai means "senior", and is used in academic settings to refer to someone in a higher class than you. It's only used for males, and is sometimes used in businesses as Japanese companies greatly respect seniority. The opposite of -senpai is -kohai ("junior"), but it isn't demeaning to refer to someone as your junior; rather, it's a sign that you respect them despite the fact that they are below you. I'm sure Indy would disagree with this assessment.
  

There are also many other, less common suffixes. For example, -dono is a somewhat archaic term used to refer to customers in business communications, -chama is an affectionate, childish combination of -san and -chan, and -tan is slang for -san. There are a few others reserved for royalty.

My favorite uncommon suffix is -bouzu, which roughly means "punk". It was originally the title of Buddhist monks, but has somehow come to refer to young boys who behave impudently. I've only heard it a few times, but it always makes me laugh, since so many of my own students deserve to called "-bouzu"! ~Oyasumi!