If you are addressing a superior or a customer, use sama. If you ever go shoppping, they'll address you by Yuki-sama (usually they'll use your last name though), or Okyaku-sama (or literally Mr. or Ms. Customer). If you want to be totally formal, use dono. Yuki-dono. (Again, usually used with last names.) This is usually used in written form.
just to be obnoxious i'd like to point out that the Japanese rules for how to write words in Romanji are not the same as those in English (British or American) for example take Jujitsu. It is the mispronounced name of a Japanese martial art. Jujutsu. The reason for this mispronunciation is quite simple. Because of the Romanji and hiragana translations. in Hiragana Jujutsu is written as ‚¶‚イ‚¶‚ã‚ in litteral Romanji that would make it Jyuujutsu. Which when said properly an untrained ear would hear the same syllable twice. Therefor it came to be written as Jyuujyutsu. As one normally always hears the first syllable when spoken but to the untrained ear the second may fly by the u in the second syllable was dropped, and the y turned into an 'i' sound. so you have the ji sound replacing ju. now what happens to the jyuu. According to the rules of simplification of romanji Jyuu is obnoxious to write and can be misread. So Jyu turns in to Ju. but what of the last u. it causes a line to be but over the first 'u' in jujutsu to indicate a longer vowel. There are some who pronouce it the japanese way, but it has evolved into Jujitsu because of complexity of Romanji and the japanese kana. Now that i've been long winded. I will go on to the original topic of the posts. BRIEFLY!!!! ;) There are many many reasons to use or not use the suffixs -san, -chan, -kun, -sama. For the most part stick with -san if you dont know what to call someone it is like ms.mr.mrs.. -sama is used when addressing letters in general to people. It normally denotes someone who has more status than you. Definetly use it if you are trying to be humble. -chan can be used for either male of female younger than you it is cute and diminuitve....that has been said before. -kun is used for what has been said above by others, and for tomboys.
thanks for listening to my long windedness :sweat: .....hontoni gomenasai atakushi ha ojamaoshimashita sumimasen! :say_sorry:
meh sorry again to steal the thunder..... Japanese females like pronouncing the 'u' at the end of words at times to be 'cute' same with changing the words abit. Chisai turns into chichai when someone is trying to be cute. That is why most females in anime say 'MAAASSUUU!' chou kawaiiiiiiiNE!!!!!!!!! chou is informal for very. and is more cute than totemo desune!
nice long essay... :hehe: but is totally right... actually there's really no such rule as to how to use the different words after a person's name.. should be based on your closeness to that person and their personality...
Ryaltheyre wrote:meh sorry again to steal the thunder..... Japanese females like pronouncing the 'u' at the end of words at times to be 'cute' same with changing the words abit. Chisai turns into chichai when someone is trying to be cute. That is why most females in anime say 'MAAASSUUU!' chou kawaiiiiiiiNE!!!!!!!!! chou is informal for very. and is more cute than totemo desune!
-ryalth (aka kaoru)
wow that's some knowledge ya got there!!! i learn new things everyday thanks
oh and by the way i love it when girls talk cute! sepecialy when they say
'MAAASSUUU!' chou kawaiiiiiiiNE!!!!!!!! ;)
gohmifune wrote:But what about the shortening of names, are their any rules to that? I've never heard Ryousuke-chan, but rather Ryou-chan.
I think you use shorter name if you know that person really well. In Anime, most of characters have deep relationship or relationship since they were kids and refer them in a shorter name. And most of the time, it is the girl who likes to call her guy friends shorter names for been cute!
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