how do you u 'san', 'chan' or 'kun' after a person's name.

Started by endless_sorrow · 17 Jun 2003 · 63 replies

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17 Jun 2003, 16:36 #1
how do you u 'san', 'chan' or 'kun' after a person's name.
for example, a person's name is yuki..
do u use> yuki-chan, yuka-san, or yuki-kun....

thx
17 Jun 2003, 16:43 #2
san - male or female, polite form or to someone with respect.

chan - to females or ppl you're close to, usually of lower authority

kun - to males only, to one of equal or lower authority

Hope I'm accurate enough?
18 Jun 2003, 12:43 #3
In office enviroment, bosses (male) used to call all subordinate (male & female)with [name] + kun.
18 Jun 2003, 15:29 #4
ohhh. now i noe.
doumo arigatou gozaimas
29 Jul 2003, 16:12 #5
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.
30 Jul 2003, 02:20 #6
endless_sorrow wrote:ohhh. now i noe.
doumo arigatou gozaimas


correct spelling:

Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu
“x‚à‚ ‚肪‚Æ‚¤‚²‚´‚¢‚Ü‚·

Funny thing though, most of my friends never knew that when they say "MAS" theres a silent "U" at the end.
1 Aug 2003, 12:58 #7
But what about the shortening of names, are their any rules to that? I've never heard Ryousuke-chan, but rather Ryou-chan.
1 Aug 2003, 13:24 #8
SpOiLeR wrote:
endless_sorrow wrote:ohhh. now i noe.
doumo arigatou gozaimas


correct spelling:

Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu
“x‚à‚ ‚肪‚Æ‚¤‚²‚´‚¢‚Ü‚·

Funny thing though, most of my friends never knew that when they say "MAS" theres a silent "U" at the end.

Hmm, I thought it was Domo Arigato Gozaimashita...
1 Aug 2003, 19:42 #9
there's lots of ways of saying thanks in japanese.. [writing the words with lots of [u]s like in hiragana.. ]

doumo
doumo arigatou
doumo arigatou gozaimasu
doumo arigatou gozaimashita
arigatou
arigatou gozaimasu
arigatou gozaimashita..

i have heard all of them being used.. each is used in different situations.. to different [classes] of people..
2 Aug 2003, 00:25 #10
-shita form indicates past tense if I am not wrong.
But again, grammar never been my stuff.
2 Aug 2003, 14:37 #11
Hmm... but I noted that some female Japaese do pronounce the 'u' at the end... and go like:

arigatou gozimasu :D
2 Aug 2003, 16:32 #12
I think that is just an accent. Like how you hear some people pronouce the i at the endof owrds and some don't.
2 Aug 2003, 17:13 #13
yup, i think it varies for pple of different areas..
11 Aug 2003, 15:10 #14
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:

-Ryalth (aka Kaoru....elsewhere...)
11 Aug 2003, 15:14 #15
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)
11 Aug 2003, 23:29 #16
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...
13 Aug 2003, 11:43 #17
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!!!!!!!! ;)
25 Aug 2003, 04:29 #18
What's with senpai?

(not as formal as sensei or moreover it's for a more equal person:rolleyes: ...I guess)
25 Aug 2003, 08:39 #19
Toreyam wrote:What's with senpai?

(not as formal as sensei or moreover it's for a more equal person:rolleyes: ...I guess)


I believe you use senpai if he/she attends the same school as you are and older than you. Besides that, use -san, or -kun if you are close to him.
25 Aug 2003, 08:42 #20
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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