Japanese Honorifics: San, Kun, Chan, Sama and When to Use Each

Japanese honorifics: さん, くん, ちゃん, 様 (san, kun, chan, sama)

Japanese honorifics are short endings you add to a person's name to show how you stand with them. The four to learn first are さん (san), 君 (くん, kun), ちゃん (chan) and 様 (さま, sama): polite, friendly, affectionate and very respectful. さん is the polite default for almost anyone, くん is for boys and juniors, ちゃん is for children and close friends, and 様 is for people you hold in great respect, such as customers.

Here is how the four compare:

Roughly, from most distant to most familiar: 様, さん, くん, ちゃん, then the bare name. Never add any of them to your own name.

If you are unsure, use さん. It is almost never wrong, and the worst it can be is slightly distant. The exceptions are teachers and doctors, who are 先生, and customers, who are 様.

さん is two hiragana, さ and ん. ちゃん is ち, a small や and ん, and くん is く and ん. The rest of this guide covers who uses each ending with whom, titles such as sensei and senpai, the written endings, dropping the ending altogether, and family words like お母さん.

How Japanese honorifics work: the basic rules

An honorific goes straight after the name, with no space, and it is not optional in polite company. The Japanese word for it is 敬称 (けいしょう, keishō, “honorific title”). Five rules cover most situations.

• Add it to the surname by default. Say 田中さん for someone called Tanaka. Given names with an ending (like Anna-san) are for people you are closer to. Foreign names take endings too: Lingopie says Smith-san is perfectly natural, so expect to be called by your surname or given name plus さん. If you are curious about surnames, see Japanese Last Names: The 50 Most Common.
• Never add it to your own name. More on that below.
• The ending depends on the relationship. Age, rank, how close you are and the setting all count. A word that is fine from a teacher to a pupil can be rude the other way round.
• Match the other people in the room. If everyone calls a colleague by the same ending, do the same.
• Match the level of your speech. A very respectful ending like 様 sits with polite, formal language (敬語 (けいご, keigo, “honorific”)), and a cute one like ちゃん sits with casual speech.

Honorifics also work as a quiet map of how people relate. They show personal distance as much as rank.

What does san mean? San (さん), the safe default

さん means roughly Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, and it works for men and women of any age. It is the most common honorific in everyday conversation, and it is the one to use when you don't know what else to say. The dictionary lists it as an honorific suffix and also as a general politeness marker.

Kotobank's dictionary explains さん as a sound change of 様 (さま). It is less formal, and it fits far more situations.

さん attaches to more than people's names:

• Surnames and given names: 田中さん, or with someone closer to you, their first name.
• Job and shop words: 本屋 (ほんや, honya) becomes 本屋さん (the bookshop, or the person who runs it), and the police officer on the corner is the お巡りさん (おまわりさん, omawarisan, “police officer”).
• Companies and groups: a client company's name plus さん is a common way to refer to it.
• Job titles: Japanese Wikipedia calls 社長さん and 店長さん common too.

Schools use it too. Japanese Wikipedia says schools increasingly encourage さん for every pupil, boys and girls alike, to treat everyone equally.

One thing to know: さん keeps a little distance. Business Insider Japan calls it the safest, most trouble-free choice at work, but with close friends people move to a first name, a nickname or a different ending.

So can you say san to a girl? Yes, always. さん is not gender-specific, so it is the right choice for women, girls and mixed groups.

What does kun mean? Kun (くん), for boys, juniors and equals

くん is written 君 and is a friendly ending for people of equal or lower standing. The dictionary lists it as a suffix meaning "Mr; master; boy", and also "Ms; miss". Kotobank's dictionary says it is added to the names of equals and juniors to show friendliness or light respect, and that it is mainly used by men.

In practice:

• Teachers to pupils: boys are traditionally 田中君, girls 田中さん.
• Seniors to juniors: a manager might call a young employee by surname plus くん, and Ikuzo says that can include women.
• Between male friends or classmates: it is easy and relaxed.
• Upwards: don't. Tofugu and other learning sites warn against using 君 with someone of higher status than you.

The kanji 君, read きみ, was once a word for rulers. Tofugu says that as the samurai classes ended, it gained the reading くん, an ending to respect anyone. Japanese Wikipedia instead credits Yoshida Shōin, who it says began using it at his school so that students of different rank could talk as equals. The exact origin is not settled.

Can you call a girl or a woman kun?

Sometimes, but さん is the safer choice. Japanese Wikipedia notes that using くん for boys and さん for girls in school is criticised as gender discrimination. The English Wikipedia says that くん for a woman can suggest childlike cuteness, or, from an older man to a younger female employee, a senior-to-junior tone. Lingopie adds that a teacher may use くん with older female students to keep a respectful distance without the coldness of さん or the intimacy of ちゃん. Tofugu says 君 can be used for either gender, especially in formal and business situations. As a learner, use さん.

Is kun or san more respectful?

さん is more respectful. くん sits slightly below it, because it marks the person as an equal or a junior.

The same kanji, read 君 (きみ, kimi), is a casual "you", and it is a different word.

What does chan mean? Chan (ちゃん), the affectionate ending

ちゃん is a soft, familiar ending for people you feel warmly about. The dictionary calls it a suffix for a familiar person. Tofugu and Lingopie say it probably began as a child's way of saying さん, though Tofugu adds that there is no settled etymology.

You will hear it with:

• Small children, of any gender.
• Close friends, especially girls and young women among themselves.
• Family: grandparents and siblings are often called with ちゃん forms (see the family section).
• Pets, so a cat or dog can be ちゃん too.

It is mostly feminine in use, but boys are called ちゃん when young, too.

The rule is simple: don't use it with a boss, a client or anyone you must show respect to. Tofugu puts it memorably: you wouldn't call your boss "Sweetie". Family is the exception: おばあちゃん and お兄ちゃん are normal, because there the ending shows love, not rank. From a stranger, ちゃん can sound childish or patronising.

Is the chan suffix flirty?

Not by itself. ちゃん expresses affection and familiarity, not romance. Whether it sounds friendly, babyish, or flirty depends on who says it, to whom and in what setting.

Between adults at work, it is risky, and a Tokyo court recently held that it can be harassment. In October 2025, the Tokyo District Court, in a first-instance ruling, found that an older male former colleague had sexually harassed a woman in her forties at a delivery company by calling her ちゃん, along with comments on her looks and her underwear. According to reports, the court said ちゃん is aimed at small children and isn't needed for work, and that it causes discomfort even if the speaker means it kindly. It awarded 220,000 yen of the 5.5 million yen claimed. The ending alone wasn't the whole case: the court looked at the remarks as a series. So at work, keep to さん. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-01.

What does sama mean? Sama (様), for customers, letters and gods

様 is the highest of the everyday endings. It shows great respect, and it is the one you see on envelopes, in customer service and in business emails. The dictionary lists it as an honorific suffix (Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms), and notes it also makes a word more polite, usually in fixed phrases.

The word you will meet most is お客様 (おきゃくさま, okyakusama, “customer”). Customer service uses it for every customer. After a name, 様 appears on letters and in emails to customers and clients (田中様).

様 also goes with words for things people revere. 神様 (かみさま, kamisama, “God”) means "god" or "deity". It also sits inside fixed phrases, such as the common thank-you-for-your-work greeting お疲れ様 (おつかれさま, otsukaresama, “thank you (for your hard work)”). Hello in Japanese shows when colleagues use it.

Two practical points:

• Pair it with polite speech. 様 sits in a formal sentence, with respectful verbs.
• Don't put it straight after a job title. Tofugu gives 人事部長様 as wrong, and the form with の, 人事部長のコウイチ様, as right.
• Don't use it on friends unless you are joking, and not on yourself.

Titles instead of names: sensei, senpai and job titles

Some honorifics are titles. They can stand in for the name or follow it.

Sensei. 先生 is the title for a teacher, but also for doctors, lawyers, politicians, artists and masters of a craft. You say it alone (to your teacher) or after the name (田中先生). Japanese Wikipedia adds that people in the same profession also call each other 先生, whatever their age. Calling someone 先生 when they are not a recognised expert can read as sarcasm, Lingopie warns.

Senpai. 先輩 is a person who joined your school, club or company before you. A Japanese Wikipedia article says what counts is the order of joining, not age, so a senpai can be younger than the person who addresses them. You can use it alone or after the name, as in 田中先輩. The opposite word, 後輩, is how you describe a junior, and as a rule you don't call someone 後輩 to their face. When you introduce your senpai from your company to someone outside it, Lingopie says you switch to さん.

Job titles. In Japanese workplaces people are often called by their role, as in 部長 or 社長. A title already carries respect, so it is usually used alone or after the surname (田中部長). Adding さん, as in 社長さん, is also common, according to Japanese Wikipedia. On formal letters you may see 殿 after a title, though Japanese Wikipedia calls 山田部長殿 a double honorific and marks that point as needing verification. Some companies are replacing job titles with さん to flatten the hierarchy: the TKG dictionary says more firms now address both bosses and juniors with さん, in place of 役職呼び (calling people by their job title).

Rare and written honorifics: 殿, 氏, 御中 and more

Some honorifics belong mostly on paper. You are more likely to read them than to hear them.

殿 (dono) is a historical word for a lord, and as an ending it is formal and written. Japanese Wikipedia says it appears mainly in official and administrative documents. It sits below 様 in respect, and many writers have switched to 様 today.

氏 (shi) is used when you introduce someone without their title. Japanese Wikipedia says it is rarely spoken, and belongs to writing and formal settings such as reports and news.

御中 (onchū) goes on a letter to an organisation, not a person. Japanese Wikipedia explains it as meaning "among the members" of the group. For a named person at the company, use 様 instead.

各位 (kakui) means each of you, so it needs several readers. Japanese Wikipedia says 各位殿 and 各位様 are wrong, because 各位 is already an honorific.

陛下 (heika) is for the emperor and empress, and for foreign kings and queens. According to the English Wikipedia, other members of the imperial family are addressed with 殿下 (denka).

女史 (joshi) and 嬢 are older words for women. Japanese Wikipedia says the Kyodo News style handbook has listed 女史 as discriminatory language since 1997, and Tofugu says the original, serious use of 嬢 as an ending has all but disappeared.

たん is a cuter version of ちゃん, taken from baby talk. Tofugu says it turns up in anime contexts, between couples and when adults talk to babies, not in ordinary polite speech.

Dropping the honorific (呼び捨て, yobisute)

Calling someone by their bare name is called 呼び捨て (よびすて, yobisute, “addressing (someone) without using a suffix such as "-san" or "-chan" (considered impolite)”). The dictionary adds a warning: it is considered impolite.

Japanese Wikipedia (on a page flagged as unreferenced in parts) says it is natural in a few places:

• Between close friends. Dropping the ending signals closeness.
• In a family, where younger relatives are called by their bare names.
• From a boss or senior to a junior. Japanese Wikipedia lists this as common and accepted.

From a younger or lower-ranking person to an older or higher-ranking one, it is generally felt as rude. Japanese Wikipedia says the same bare name that sounds warm between friends can sound like contempt when it is aimed at someone you dislike.

For a learner the rule is easy: keep the ending until a Japanese friend tells you to drop it, or drops it themselves.

There are two other ways of having no ending that are not rude. Historical figures usually get none: a history book writes 徳川家康, not 家康さん. And news lists often say 敬称略 (けいしょうりゃく, keishōryaku, “titles omitted”), meaning "honorifics left out", for the sake of space.

Don't use honorifics on your own name

Don't add an honorific to your own name, and don't use one for your own family when you speak to outsiders. Saying "I'm Anna-san" sounds strange: the ending exists to honour another person, so using it on yourself is like giving yourself a medal.

Ikuzo is explicit: introduce yourself with just your name. The English Wikipedia lists three exceptions: arrogance (ore-sama, "my esteemed self"), cuteness (a child or a cute-sounding speaker adding ちゃん to their own name), and adults teaching small children how to address them. None is for a learner. Japanese Wikipedia adds that speakers don't attach honorifics to members of their own group either, such as their family or their company's executives.

When you introduce yourself, say your name plain. Someone else will add the さん.

Family honorifics: お母さん, お父さん and talking about your own family

Japanese has two sets of family words: one for your own family when you speak to outsiders and one for other people's families. Many of them include さん or ちゃん, and the ending is part of the word.

Inside the home, family members are addressed with さん or ちゃん, according to Japanese Wikipedia: a child calls their mother お母さん and an older brother お兄さん or お兄ちゃん.

Talking about your own family to other people is different. To a teacher or a colleague, you say 母 and 父, the humble forms, and you don't add an ending. For someone else's family you use the respectful words: お母さん for their mother, ご主人 (ごしゅじん, goshujin, “your husband”) for their husband, 奥さん (おくさん, okusan, “wife”) for their wife, お嬢さん (おじょうさん, ojōsan, “(another's) daughter”) for their daughter and 坊ちゃん (ぼっちゃん, botchan, “(another's) son”) for their son.

Notice that お母さん carries two honorific pieces, the prefix お and the ending さん. Some speakers now find ご主人 and 奥さん old-fashioned, and use other words for a husband or wife. The idea is to lower your own side and raise the other person's. The English Wikipedia describes it as two forms for family words, depending on who is speaking and who is listening.

Honorifics at work: companies, customers and your boss

At work, honorifics follow the same three questions: who is senior, who is inside your company and who is outside.

• Colleagues: surname plus さん is the standard, and it is the default that more companies are adopting for everyone, bosses included. Older or senior colleagues may call a junior by surname plus くん, and some workplaces use job titles.
• Customers and clients: お客様 for customers in general, and surname plus 様 for a named person. A company name plus さん works when you speak about another firm.
• Letters: 様 for a named person, 御中 for a company or department.
• Your own boss, talking to outsiders: don't use name honorifics for your own group. Tofugu says its staff wouldn't call their boss コウイチ社長 to people outside the company. The English Wikipedia gives role plus name, as in 部長の鈴木, as the way to introduce yourself, rather than 鈴木部長. The surname alone, or role plus name, is the safe form for your own boss.

The ending you pick shows who is senior, who is outside, and how close you are.

Questions about Japanese honorifics

What do san, kun, chan and sama mean?

San (さん) is polite and neutral, kun (くん) is friendly and for boys and juniors, chan (ちゃん) is affectionate and for children and close friends, and sama (様) is very respectful. Roughly, they run from most distant to most familiar: 様, さん, くん, ちゃん.

Can you say san to a girl?

Yes, you can say さん to a girl or a woman, and it is the safe choice. さん is gender-neutral, so it is used for women, men, girls and boys. For a close friend or a small child, ちゃん is friendlier.

What is chan vs san vs kun?

さん is polite and neutral, くん is friendly and goes to boys and juniors, and ちゃん is affectionate and goes to children and close friends. さん works with almost anyone, くん only downwards or sideways, and ちゃん only with people you are close to. See the table at the top.

Is kun or san more respectful?

さん is more respectful than くん. くん marks the person as an equal or a junior, so you should never use it towards someone above you.

Why do Japanese say san or kun?

Japanese people say さん or くん because a bare name can sound blunt or cold. The ending shows respect and tells the listener how you see your relationship: さん for polite distance, くん for a friendly equal or junior. Dropping it altogether is saved for close friends, family and juniors.

Is it appropriate to call girls kun?

Calling a girl or woman くん is possible, but さん is the safer choice. くん is mainly used for boys and men. For a woman, it can come across as childlike or senior-to-junior, and schools have been moving to さん for everyone. Use さん, unless a friend invites you to do otherwise.

Why does Nami call Sanji Kun?

In One Piece, Nami says Sanji-kun because くん is a friendly ending a woman can use for a man she knows well. The English Wikipedia says men or women use くん for a man to whom they are emotionally attached, or whom they have known for a long time. It does not by itself mean romance. We have no source on the author's reasons for this pair.

Is the chan suffix flirty?

No, ちゃん is not flirty on its own. It is affectionate and familiar, used for small children, close friends and family. Between adults who are not close, it can sound too familiar, and a Tokyo court in 2025 treated it as part of workplace harassment in one case (a first-instance ruling).

What are some rare Japanese honorifics?

The rare honorifics include 殿 (dono) for official documents, 氏 (shi) for formal writing and news, 御中 (onchū) for companies on letters, 各位 (kakui) for several readers, 陛下 (heika) for an emperor, and たん, a cutesy form of ちゃん. See the section above for what each one does.

What is a senpai chan?

A senpai chan is a senior (先輩) addressed with the affectionate ちゃん. It mixes a respectful title with a cute, familiar ending, and as far as we can tell it is mostly heard in anime and fiction. In real life, people say the name plus 先輩, or 先輩 alone. For another anime word of this kind, see Tsundere Meaning: ツンデレ, Yandere and the Other Dere Types.

Can senpai mean daddy?

No, 先輩 does not mean "daddy" in Japanese. It means a senior at school, work or a club. English-language fans sometimes use "senpai" in jokes, but the dictionary lists no such meaning.

What does "I suki you" mean?

"I suki you" is a mix of English and Japanese that English speakers use, often as a joke, to say "I like you" or "I love you". The Japanese part is 好き (すき, suki, “liking”), and the dictionary also lists "liking (romantically)" as a sense. It isn't a Japanese sentence, and it is not a normal Japanese sentence. For how people really say it, see I Love You in Japanese.

Sources

• Readings and meanings: JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), including its notes on さん, 君, ちゃん, 様, 殿, 氏, 呼び捨て, 母 and 父 and the humble and honorific labels.
• Overview, endings, titles, family, double honorifics, 御中, 各位, 女史 and the school gender debate: Japanese Wikipedia, 敬称; English Wikipedia, Japanese honorifics.
• 呼び捨て: Japanese Wikipedia, 呼び捨て. 先輩 and 後輩: Japanese Wikipedia, 先輩.
• さん as a sound change of さま: Kotobank, さん (Digital Daijisen). くん: Kotobank, 君.
• Learning guides for usage: Tofugu, Chan, Kun, San and Sama; Ikuzo Japanese, Japanese honorifics; Lingopie, Japanese honorifics.
• さん at work: TKG Japanese-English Learner's Dictionary, さん付け; Business Insider Japan, Names used at work.
• The 2025 Tokyo District Court ruling on ちゃん付け: Bengo4.com News, ちゃん付け判決; Gentosha GOLD ONLINE, ちゃん付けの判決. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-01.
• Reviewed independently; the points about women and くん, ちゃん at work, job titles with さん, how bosses are named to outsiders and the anime examples are waiting for a native speaker's check.