Japanese honorific titles
These are some of the most common Japanese honorific titles. We've noted whether each one is used with a person's given name, full name, surname, or job title.
| Politeness | Honorific | Use for... | Add to... | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Very polite | 様 Transcription: sama | Customers | Surname | 佐藤様 (transcribed Satō sama) |
Recipients of letters | Full Name | 佐藤洋子様 (transcribed Satō Yōko sama) | ||
Members of the royal family | Given Name | 愛子様 (transcribed Aiko sama) | ||
Polite | さん Transcription: san | Classmates, coworkers, acquaintances | Surname | 佐藤さん (transcribed Satō san) |
Given Name | 洋子さん (transcribed Yōko san) | |||
先生 Transcription: sensei | Teachers, doctors, lawyers, authors | Surname | 佐藤先生 (transcribed Satō sensei) | |
Given Name | 洋子先生 (transcribed Yōko sensei) | |||
先輩 Transcription: senpai | Older students or team members; | Surname | 佐藤先輩 (transcribed Satō senpai) | |
氏 Transcription: shi | For a third person, usually a man, in | Surname | 田中氏 (transcribed Tanaka shi) | |
殿 Transcription: dono | Recipients of personal letters who | Surname | 田中健太殿 (transcribed Tanaka Kenta dono) | |
Job Title | 総理大臣殿 (transcribed Sōridaijin dono) | |||
Casual | くん / 君 Transcription: kun | Friends, classmates, younger family | Surname | 田中くん (transcribed Tanaka kun) |
First Name | 健太くん (transcribed Kenta kun) | |||
ちゃん Transcription: chan | Friends, younger family members | First Name | 洋子ちゃん (transcribed Yōko chan) |
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