Name Honorifics & Titles
These attach directly to a person’s name. Never use these to refer to yourself, as doing so is considered deeply arrogant in Japanese culture.
Suffix Japanese Meaning & Usage
-san さん The universal default. Polite and gender-neutral. Equivalent to Mr., Ms., or Mrs.
-sama 様 High respect. Used for customers, clients, deities, or royalty.
-kun 君 Casual / Downward. Mostly used for male peers, younger boys, or male subordinates.
-chan ちゃん Cute / Affectionate. Used for young children, close friends, pets, or family.
-tan たん Baby talk variation of -chan. Heavily used in anime culture or idol fanbases.
-senpai 先輩 Senior. Used for someone with more experience in your school, club, or workplace.
-sensei 先生 Expert. Used for teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, or authors.
-shi 氏 Formal print. Used in newspapers, academic papers, and legal summaries to reference people.
-dono 殿 Lord/Master. Archaic suffix. Appears today in awards, historical anime, or business certificates.
-bō 坊 Little boy. An affectionate way to refer to very young boys.
Business & Occupational Suffixes
These are common job titles that serve double duty as suffixes when appended to a person’s last name in a professional environment.
- -shachō (社長): Company president
- -kaichō (会長): Chairman
- -buchō (部長): Department manager
- -kachō (課長): Section manager
- -hakase (博士): PhD holder, doctor, or professor
Word-Building & Grammar Suffixes
These suffixes attach to base words to change their meaning, grammatical function, or status.
People & Groups
- -jin (人): Person of a specific nationality (e.g., Nihon-jin = Japanese person).
- -ka / -ke (家): Specialist, professional, or family lineage (e.g., Gaka = Painter / Artist).
- -sha (者): Person involved in a specific field or act (e.g., Isha = Medical doctor).
- -ya (屋): Shopkeeper or profession type (e.g., Hon-ya = Bookstore).
- -tachi (達): General plural marker for groups of people or animals.
- -ra (ら): Casual or humble plural marker for people.
Modifiers & Descriptions
- -teki (的): Turns a noun into an adjective, similar to “-al”, “-ic”, or “-like” (e.g., Bunka-teki = Cultural).
- -ppoi (っぽい): Tendency or “-ish” quality (e.g., Kodomo-ppoi = Childish).
- -me (目): Ordinal numbering suffix (e.g., Ichiban-me = First in order).
- -sa (さ): Turns adjectives into abstract nouns, similar to “-ness” (e.g., Takasa = Height, from takai / high).
Time & Money
- -chū / -jū (中): Throughout, during, or currently in progress (e.g., Shigoto-chū = In the middle of work).
- -dai (代): Cost, fee, or generations/decades (e.g., Denwa-dai = Phone bill).
- -ryō (料): Usage fee or rate (e.g., Jugyō-ryō = Tuition fee).