Japanese Honorifics Explained: San, Sama, Kun, Chan, Sensei and Senpai
Japanese honorifics are short suffixes added to people’s names to show respect or closeness. The safe default is -san, which works for almost any adult in almost any situation. -sama is more formal and is used for customers and in letters; -kun and -chan are familiar forms used mainly for children, friends and juniors; and titles like sensei and senpai can be used on their own or after a name. The one firm rule: never use an honorific with your own name. Here’s how each one works, with examples.
The main honorifics at a glance
| Honorific | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| さん -san | Almost anyone: colleagues, neighbours, shop staff, acquaintances. The all-purpose polite choice. | 田中さん Tanaka-san |
| さま／様 -sama | Customers, clients, and people you address in formal letters and emails. Very respectful. | 山田様 Yamada-sama, お客様 okyaku-sama (customer) |
| くん -kun | Boys, and young men by friends or seniors. At some workplaces, juniors of any gender. | けんたくん Kenta-kun |
| ちゃん -chan | Small children, close friends, family members and pets. Affectionate. | ゆいちゃん Yui-chan |
| 先生 sensei | Teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians and other experts. | 鈴木先生 Suzuki-sensei |
| 先輩 senpai | Someone who joined your school, club or company before you. | 佐藤先輩 Satō-senpai |
-san: the safe default
If you’re unsure, use さん. It works with family names (田中さん) and, between friends or in casual settings, with given names (ゆきさん). In Japan, adults usually call each other by family name plus -san, especially at work, until invited to do otherwise. You can also attach -san to job titles and shop names in everyday speech, as in お医者さん (the doctor) or パン屋さん (the bakery).
-sama: for customers and formal writing
You’ll hear さま constantly as a customer in Japan: shops and hotels call you お客様, and your name on a booking appears as name + 様. In business emails and letters, address people as 様. When writing to a company or department rather than a person, use 御中 (onchū) instead. Our guide to business emails in Japanese shows how.
-kun and -chan: familiar forms
These are friendly, not formal, so be careful as a learner. Teachers often call boys -kun and girls -chan or -san; friends use them with each other; and parents use -chan for their children. In some offices, a manager may call junior staff -kun, but you shouldn’t use -kun or -chan for someone senior to you. If a Japanese friend tells you to call them by a nickname with -chan, that’s a sign of closeness, so go ahead.
Titles used as honorifics
Some job titles act like honorifics and replace -san. Students call their teacher 先生, alone or after the family name. At work, people often address managers by title: 部長 (buchō, department head) or 課長 (kachō, section manager), sometimes after the family name (田中部長). Don’t add -san on top: 部長さん is used by outsiders but sounds odd from your own team. See Japanese job titles and hierarchy.
Rules learners often miss
- Never use an honorific with your own name. Introduce yourself as スミスです, not スミスさんです.
- Drop honorifics for your own side when talking to outsiders. When a customer calls, a Japanese employee refers to their own boss without -san: 田中は外出しております (“Tanaka is out”). This is part of keigo.
- Calling someone with no honorific (yobisute) is for close friends, family and sometimes from seniors to juniors. From a learner it can sound rude.
- Use honorifics for foreign names, too. You will be your name + -san, and that’s how you should address your Japanese colleagues.
- Don’t use “-san” in English emails with Japanese colleagues unless you know they’re happy with it. Many are, but some prefer “Mr” or “Ms” in English.
Practise with real situations
Honorifics are simple to learn but easy to get wrong in the moment, especially at work. In lessons, a tutor can role-play situations, such as calling a client, introducing your manager or chatting with a senior colleague, so the right form becomes automatic. For more on choosing the right level of politeness, see casual vs polite Japanese.