How to use Honorifics in Japan (san, chan, kun, tan, sensei, sama)

[@50sKid]

My name is Jason and my nickname is Jay, so in Japan people could call me Jay-san and that would make me smile every time, I'm sure.

[@NebulaMirage]

+victor von doom Actually it's z->j not j->z

[@NebulaMirage]

+victor von doom That's how they mispronounce the letter z, they hardly ever mispronounce j

[@NebulaMirage]

+victor von doom Why can't it end in y?

[@NebulaMirage]

+victor von doom But it isn't a y sound. It's an ay sound.

[@tellarite3000]

Wouldn't it just be something like: 「ジェーさっ」

[@epiquewenqa]

Aka san: mr, mrs, miss etc chan: cute way for a close girl friend or little girl or boy kun: older boy. and also close guy friend sensei: teacher sama: master

[@trivlex5759]

epique wenqa aka epik what about senpai?

[@Lol-pl7sm]

How about a older sister?

[@krayzieegg7294]

They did talked alot and made it more confusing. Thanks for this

[@Tidepod_Prince]

Lol 65 nee-San or nee-Chan

[@Vincent-yq3ti]

you dont translate this

[@ThatJapaneseManYuta]

I always make friends with older women and call them 'chan'. I don't really like being called 'Yuta-san' because it feels a bit distance. 'Yuta-kun' or simply 'Yuta' is better. ...but you can call me Yuta-sama! hahaha

[@Shanonoko]

+ThatJapaneseManYuta Yuta-sama! I love watching your videos! Cool to see you on this channel haha keep up the good work :D

[@Shaykker]

+That Japanese Man Yuta Omg i like your vids Yuta-sama ! xDD

[@kiraholemon6802]

+That Japanese Man Yuta Same way in English I hate being called ma'am when I'm 21 by people 17+ and even older people. I know it's respectful but I would rather be called Miss since I'm still relatively young XD

[@zan3958]

That Japanese Man Yuta Wow mate, I was just watching your videos. Small world hahah.

[@battal4341]

Well that's why u r single.

[@RachelandJun]

So helpful!! :D We get asked this all the time too so now I can just send them your link! ♥

[@TexaninTokyo]

+Rachel & Jun Yay!

[@harout555]

Rachel and Jun I love your videos hahaha 💕

[@dreamof_me]

A lot of anime fans REALLY know senpai, more than they do kohai

[@dreamof_me]

Very true, I've never seen that either

[@imaaniswki1288]

Sōdesune. sorry i just had this urge to say that

[@joshuajuanta545]

and u do know that the correct spelling is kouhai right?

[@silentsmiles7159]

@@joshuajuanta545 technically yeah, but you can also spell it without the u and still be fine. I'm pretty sure it's just some translation bullshit.

[@BillionSix]

Our president has the best name, since Obama-sama has a cool rhyming quality.

[@mijumaru97]

+BillionSix Haha you're right, it does! xD

[@truebluekit]

+BillionSix Obama-sama goes to Fuji-sama with his kids' mama. No, Eminem I am not.

[@crystal.matter]

+truebluekit "Eminem I am not"... Hmm, sounds like something someone who is Eminem would say....

[@ShiroKage009]

+BillionSix Obama-chin sounds better though.

[@metae.4256]

+BillionSix I cracked up.

[@Evija3000]

I loved how Ryosuke seemed to rediscover each of them :D

[@keontran1752]

i think it takes a while for his brain to translate English, pretty sure

[@Evija3000]

KaLuAh Mid No, I mean how he rediscovered each honorific. That's not really related to translation.

[@TheFubz]

It's probably because day to day we're not fully aware of our own culture, it's so normal you don't think about it.

[@Evija3000]

TheFubz True. But I also think he's just a really active listener :)

[@dapivotmaster]

Ryosuke was right! We need to know what to call a rock, what if one is in my way how would I politely ask it to move? If I don't use the proper term it might get offended. I can't take those risks Grace!

[@anthonyhernandez9632]

Yesss so true, I had a rock throw a rock at me before just because I did not use the proper grammar😔.

[@dapivotmaster]

+TY 84H Don't you hate it when that happens?

[@ivorytwinkle5215]

omg yas it happed just today when I was in the park

[@LivePastTheEnd]

+Nuno Morais Rock-unko?

[@dapivotmaster]

+LivePastTheEnd That's just rude!

[@brendanashe5133]

Ryosuke is such a funny guy, humor is so difficult in a second language.

[@clairesilverleaf6153]

Grace:''He calls me Grace-Sensei''Ryosuke:''And it really works'' *laughs to himself*Best moment ever xD

[@TinyMothman]

All Hail Roysuke-Sama! xD

[@TexaninTokyo]

+California Jisoo Haha I am Ryo-chan :)

[@dreamdrawer8615]

Texan in Tokyo りょちゃん~(lol probably got that wrong)

[@morninghope1]

Gracie and Ryoske are so entertaining even when trying to be a sensei. Love the interaction between you two. You two seem like polar personalities but combined together is just so entertaining and just harmony. Your affection for each other is inspiring. I am embarrassed to say but I discovered you two less than a week ago and I've watched pretty much all your videos save a handful. Your videos are so well done and among the best on youtube among bloggers. Thanks!

[@onetouchtwo]

I love the quiz part at the end, it's fun!

[@TexaninTokyo]

+Mark Canlas I am glad you liked the quiz! I had fun doing that too :D (Ryosuke)

[@jeffreyposs751]

I’ve been watching a lot of Japanese shows and I hear them use those words but never got the hang of what they mean. Your video has been very informative and I appreciate you guys taking the time to post this and educate me on it. 😁

[@shonenfan10]

This is so interesting haha it reminds me of Spanish bc in Spanish, we use "usted" to refer to someone respectfully (grandmother, teacher, or anyone who you do not know that is typically older than you). Additionally, by using "usted", it changes the conjugation of the verb. However, to refer to someone you know well or someone who is younger than you (could be parents, siblings, little elementary kids, best friends) you use "tú" and the word "tú" has its own separate conjugations as well! I love learning about different languages

[@LoyaFrostwind]

This also goes for other Latin-based languages.

[@Jimbo386000]

I guess it's kinda near to calling someone "sir" or "man" in english. "Sir" is for customers/people you don't know, and "man" is for friends or people that are probably your age or younger.

[@zzbiegel]

Finally! I have waited for this for a long time. Thanks! Grace-sensei and Ryosuke-sama! :D

[@SlavicSavage]

Ryosuke-sama took over the show :P

[@Zahara46]

My brother and i are planning to go to japan for teaching, so we have been practicing allot of Japanese. Today i memorized almost all of katakana, and i have memorized hiragana last week. Its fun to watch your videos and pause to look and the writing behind you, although i sill have to memorize kanji it is so much fun to try and translate.

[@MisterD90x]

I was thinking about this the other day and boooom you guy rock up this video!

[@poolahpot]

You all have got to be the most adorable couple on KZbin!!! Your videos always give a cheer to my day❤️😊

[@salmakassimi5365]

Grace sensei. RYOSUKE CHAN

[@jbyjTV]

Another cute and informative video. Thank you guys! BTW, Grace, your eyes popped with the dark liner in this video! WOW! And hi Ryo-chan!

[@Xayr]

you guys are so cute together! Good stuff, I only recently discovered you guys but your videos are awesome! これからみねたさんの動画見ていくのでよろしくお願いします！応援してます！

[@TexaninTokyo]

+Xayr Yaaay!!　ありがとうございま〜す！やったね☆

[@mwaminakihimba]

+Texan in Tokyo What about famous people? Are they called 'sama'?

[@immultifandomsueme5320]

+Toto Nakihimba 'Sama' is used for like Gods, really important people in society or royality like for example you would say 'hime-sama' which means princess :)

[@overchill4465]

+Toto Nakihimba a well respected person.

[@overchill4465]

+OverChill like, SUPER respected. like royalty

[@TheElvenKeys]

that quiz at the end really boosted my confidence. ありがとう great video!

[@itrickyalove]

When you talked about English teachers and your first name was "Amy-sensei" I was like o.O MEEEE?

[@TexaninTokyo]

+itrickyalove Haha of course we were thinking about you! :D

[@tawnkuimi-uru7212]

These two have good chemistry. They allow humor into their interaction between each other in their relationship. Quite enjoyable to see.

[@Maxid1]

You call someone Kun in America you could have a fight on your hands...

[@Maxid1]

@oramato It sounds a lot like a black racial slur.

[@Team_ghost9503]

I laughed my ass off when they said that

[@Spiritual_AJ01]

Cuh

[@takuachememes]

That is amazing!

[@nikita9310]

I like KZbin-chan, it's cute. 😊

[@TexaninTokyo]

+Idiot Kitty Hehe Thanks! I love being cute :D (Ryosuke)

[@nikita9310]

haha. ^.^

[@hazeldubourdieu5736]

Thank you for this, I've been hoping someone would do a video explaining these and I'm glad it was you guys 😀

[@benchmark7832]

Oh so it’s shin-CHAN, I thought chan comes with his name “shinchan”.....wholesome lmao

[@justanotherweeb258]

I am your dad plsese come to home as soon as possible We have to go to the plane right now come Quick

[@benchmark7832]

I’m sorry mister, someone whose english is broken as yours can’t be my dad............ Peace

[@DMDM-dc9ep]

I just love how Ryosuke expresses himself ... both are so adorable, what a lovely couple ...

[@tjarsun]

Ryosuke-sama you are great!

[@studdedgalaxy]

new sub here! just wanted to write a comment telling you guys how much i love ALL your videos!! ive been spending all my free time to watch all your videos. i especially love all your "day in my life" videos!!! Even if Grace says they arent interesting, i think they are! love you two! keep posting♡ love from america!

[@YoshikazuHayashi]

Clever. I, a Japanese, can't explain very well the differences between those honorifics. I just use them "instinctively". One remark, though. Recently more and more people use "higher" honorifics in the public like "sama" instead of "san" or even "kun". And more and more people use "lower" or no honorifics to closer friends.

[@TexaninTokyo]

+Yoshikazu Hayashi Very true! You are so smart Yoshi!!

[@YoshikazuHayashi]

+Texan in Tokyo Thanks, Grace-chan! 😉

[@Naomiif]

+Yoshikazu Hayashi Isn't it also more polite to use last name + san instead of first name + san?

[@genisay]

+Rambard Haha, this makes me think of a student from Brazil asking me what the difference was between 'hi' and 'hello'. I didn't really know....so I looked it up. Turns out 'hi' has been around longer, and may have come from 'ahoy'. And 'howdy' is short for 'how do you do.'

[@YoshikazuHayashi]

+Naomiif That's right. [Given name]+san tends to be used to a close friends usually. In some cases, though, a superior at workplace may use that pattern to distinguish someone from the other colleagues with the same surname.

[@jaravillanueva2163]

I'm an online English tutor and I just realized I should be calling my younger students like -kun or -chan. I just automatically attach -san. haha thanks for this video you lovely couple! :)

[@raychumon]

no such thing as "ladies jacket", ryosuke looks great :D informative video too!

[@EleneMarsden]

I love watching your videos, thanks for being so entertaining

[@JohnDaleski]

I've never heard about "tan" but the others i was familiar with.

[@scratc930]

you can hear it a lot in Re:Zero

[@varunthakur1329]

Emilia-tan

[@lethimdohisworkforyou1177]

@@varunthakur1329 It's not really used

[@BawesomeBurf]

Hooray! Got all the quiz answers right at the end! Still have a long way to go before I can hold a conversation, but every little bit of knowledge helps.

[@wasabichips933]

san - workplace, casual acquaintances, someone you've just met for the first time chan - pre-elementary school kids of both sexes, adults addressing elementary school age girls, female friends addressing each other kun - adults addressing elementary school age boys, elementary to high school aged kids addressing an older boy, an older man addressing his female subordinate tan - rarely used if ever in every day life. Sometimes used between lovey-dovey couples. Also a part of otaku culture and used for favorite female anime characters. sensei - teachers, anyone in a traditionally respectable profession (e.g. politicians, doctors, lawyers), anyone who is considered a master in their field sama - customers, anyone in the imperial family no honorific - close friends of the same age usually from high school or earlier, family members

[@callunya]

I just imagined Ryosuke trying to get his niece to call him Ryo-chan but she keeps calling him Ryosuke-ojisan instead and I started laughing. You should do a comic about her calling him that if you haven't already, lol!

[@tornagh9200]

ok , so: A Hobo walks into my shop any buys some beer - Sama Royal Family- Sama Everyone else: San

[@douglashtang]

if you meet the customer for the first time, you call them Sama. But when you start getting closer to them. you may call them "san". or even "chan" if you are very very close to that customer, and they are younger than you, and they have a kawaii personality.

[@willdg8108]

Is your profile really your political position

[@MrConshunce]

Very informative, Grace-sensei!

[@erilaz7]

I remember this one time when I bought gyūdon (beef and onion over rice) at a shop in Narita Airport. I had left my drink or something at the counter, so the woman called out to me, "Gyūdon okyaku-sama!" ("Honorable gyūdon guest!" LOL).

[@dreamdrawer8615]

I accidentally called a exchange student chan........I f*cked up.

[@AnthonySouls]

Interesting. I knew senpai for teacher and those older than you in school on anime. I heard Chan before, guess I never really thought too deeply into it: they just used the term with friends. But the other ones I didn't really know. Now that I think about it, they use Sama on Fruit Baskets a lot. Interesting how they use post-fixes to donate types of relationships. Never really considered it before on a deeper level. Nicknames would serve that purpose in USA. Also affectionate terms and addressing terms like Mr and Miss. Take care,

[@professoryeetus8955]

I love Furuba! It was my second anime.

[@DaveTrippin]

Cool Vid. I've made the mistake in the past where I used an honorific for myself and realized afterwards it was goofy. Good info!

[@avidian888]

I prefer to be called out ONLY with "dono"! ;D

[@gracemaxwell2935]

Same with me ;D

[@Thydus.]

+Grace Maxwell I know I'm late af to this party, but is dono The same as sama?

[@avidian888]

The Aidas No it´s an old-fashioned "Honorific" for Japanese royalty, that´s why it´s not mentioned in this video. ;)

[@Thydus.]

Arvid Shirasb oh okay, thanks

[@massallister7961]

This was so helpful actually. This channel is like Americans Guide to Japanese

[@WNHobley]

You two are adorable! :D *subscribing now*

[@AleInTheSkyWithDiamonds]

omg you're so cute together, and I'm learning so much about Japan with you guys!

[@Beauweir]

Using surnames all the time is reminds me of when I was at the boys school (I'm English). You didn't call people by their first names really unless you knew them quite well :P

[@TexaninTokyo]

+Beauweir That's very interesting! Thanks for telling me about your story! Nice (Ryosuke)

[@spookyfish2605]

This is also very true in military settings in the western world. New recruits at basic training will think that everything will be informal and loose, but by the end of the first week it's all family names unless you're really close. And more often than not, you'll go by rank anyway, unless it's one of your peers. (Sorry for commenting on something old, I just thought it was super interesting!)

[@bokkidokki]

ryo sama

[@nunyabiznez6381]

I'm from the U.S. and I was taught to use Mr., Mrs., Miss etc. followed by the person's surname for anyone who is your teacher, boss, your customer or a generation or more older than you until such time as that person invites you to address them in a less formal or more familiar manner. I'm nearly sixty and I find it disconcerting when the children who are employed as tellers at my bank call me by my first name. I'm old enough to be their grandfather and I find it disrespectful.

[@gayanetorosyan8052]

awwwhhh cute...I miss your videos so much...thank you for all the great videos.Hope you are healthy, happy and enjoying life

[@TheShotBar]

Hey Grace, can you let Ryosuke make a video about rockets? I'm pretty interested in what he has to say about'em.

[@joeallen6887]

Wow! This just reminded me of the movie "the Karate Kid". Mr Miagi kept calling him "Daniel San". I always thought he was saying Daniel Son, like he was referring to him as his son. You learn something new everyday!

[@starryshark]

Did he say macho-chan?? Lol omg xDD

[@TexaninTokyo]

+starryshark Yes I did say that proudly :D

[@Kenko_4]

The only person that I call "chan" is my grandma! But I feel that is the most appropriate way to use "chan" with someone older than you. Very informative video! Thanks!

[@epicsakura101]

I once heard that Sensei literally translates to "one who knows more" which makes sense when you talk about teachers and various professionals since they "know more" than you ;)

[@tarisae]

actually the kanji literally means "born earlier"

[@LoyaFrostwind]

sensei is an elder being

[@lucth16]

Great video! I'd like to add a few things if I may. You didn't mention it but honorific are also use for companies/store names when talking about them formally(mostly for business I guess) but not when you just say to someone you went there. Chan, I find that "boku"(gentle) guys will get called chan more then "ore"(tough) guys but that being said one of my best friend calls me "Riku-chan" and I never say boku so it's more about how the person sees you than how you see yourself. Nice catch about nicknames, almost only used with chan and kun and with someone's first name. For example my son's name is Tokuaki but everyone calls him Tokkun. The shorter your name is the less likely it is that you'll have such a "nickname" and vice versa. One more thing about jpn and nicknames, lots of close friends (especially young people) will add stuff like tchi(Sayuri > Sayuritchi) and ppe (Shino > Shinoppe) etc... instead of saying chan/kun.

[@draxpendragon]

chan+sama=Chama

[@karaluza7522]

this was very helpful. i have an assignment due and found all these names very confusing, and i understand now hahah thank you!!

[@chapachuu]

Girls can be called with "-kun", too. I've heard superiors use it for women in the workplace sometimes.

[@Team_ghost9503]

Glorious

[@wandering.raccoon1]

From what i've read, some girls want to be called with "kun" too if they want to have a boyish personality but aside from our examples, are there anymore situations girls are called "kun"?

[@mkdkabds]

Ok, you two are the cutest couple I've seen in a long time ❤❤ So adorable!!

[@jayisoldem56]

Ryosuke and Grace please, please make more videos!!! you are my favorite KZbinrs so please keep making more videos even if it is a short video!!! 😄🐕🐇🐈🐱🐩:-D 😀😇😊:-) O:-)

[@TexaninTokyo]

+jayisoldem56 We will keep making more as long as we have fun with it :D haha (Ryosuke)

[@imdaunting6029]

Ryo Sama picking up Emperor's granddaughter chan. Made me chuckle. 😂 This was so fun and informative.

[@Rebelgirlmatrix]

Gray-Sama! (If you get this reference I will love you forever XD)

[@hevenparadice1982]

fairytail hhhhh you made my day , that's the only expression i remember

[@Rebelgirlmatrix]

heven paradice XD

[@angelinblack77]

hehe I immediately thought of this.

[@Rebelgirlmatrix]

Kira Bridgewater Me too XD

[@vickipedia8409]

Fairy Tail is awesome ❤️

[@Peripatetic45]

Used to have a Japanese landlady when I was in London: she had a son they all called 'Toru-chung', which I imagine was a variation on the pronunciation of 'chan.' A lovely woman, a lovely family; a very hospitable host.

[@Nabiki73]

Question: Does anyone in Japan use the honorific "dono" when addressing someone else?

[@FaeQueenCory]

Sometimes. It's between sama and san. But is a bit archaic and can be troll-y. (I've heard it often as a sardonic sama... but that's also just context based.)

[@tortoisesoup16]

I think it's an old word between sama and san or something near that. I could be wrong though but that's what I heard.

[@LoyaFrostwind]

From watching anime and old Japanese historical dramas, "-dono" seems to be used when addressing lords and other male nobles.

[@ryugamingultrapromax]

like hunter x hunter haha the 3 body guards of Chimera Ant King... they call themselves dono

[@ryugamingultrapromax]

Neferpitou-Dono something

[@khayashi4955]

Hi Grace and Ryosuke! I just wanted to say that I'm a huge fan of your channel! I always check to see when you've uploaded a new video and/or comic.Thank you so much for choosing to share about your lives and Japan! Looking forward to your next posting :) 私はキラと申します！今大学二年生です。このごろ日本で留学プログラムに申し込みます。私は日本が大好きです。長い間日本語を勉強しますが、あまり上手になりません。ちょっとがっかりします。でも、GraceさんとRyosukeさんのチャネルを見る時、私はいつも喜びになるから、ありがとう。新しいビデオをアップロードを楽しみにしています！❤

[@daffo595]

But when can you drop honourifics?

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

+Daph Duck Basically you never ever do. Even when speaking to your immediate family, best friends, or spouse, honorifics are always used. One of the few situations where you wouldn't use any honorifics is if you were seriously pissed off and yelling at someone by calling them just their name because dropping honorifics is in itself a sign of disrespect. The only other time where it might be okay to drop an honorific is to get someone's attention, because again, dropping honorifics is kinda shocking to Japanese people. So if you wanted to say something to a friend or coworker but they weren't listening to you, you might just say their name without an honorific to get them to notice you. But then of course you'd go back to using an honorific right after that.

[@daffo595]

Satoshi Matrix oh okay. Thanks! I always thought you could drop it if given permission

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

+Aki mitaki Well hold on. Best friends most certainly do use ~kun or ~chan. Parents....that depends on the parents. But teachers certainly do call their students with kun, chan or san. I have Japanese friends myself and I often speak Japanese with them and listen as they speak Japanese with each other. I suppose it's true to say there are exceptions, but generally speaking, you use honorifics all the friggin time as I've observed both in real life and in film, anime games and radio drama.

[@truebluekit]

+Aki mitaki But you know the culture, and you most likely know when not to do it. For foreigners, wouldn't it be better to just use the honorifics all the time, just to be respectful?

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

+Aki mitaki Well, that has been my personal experience. I suppose spouses often use anata which is like "dear" or "darling".....but even so I'm totally used to using and hearing honorifics 99% of the time.

[@Wdcrabby]

helpful! and entertaining. y'all are adorbs!

[@elenacallegari2933]

how about senpai?

[@LoyaFrostwind]

Use sempai when addressing your upperclassmen. usually in an academic environment.

[@eyewarsx]

+Loya Frostwind senpai*

[@ambertaylor-green9761]

Elena Callegari Senpai means upperclassmen, someone older

[@roshpotter06]

AmberTheLlama I think it also has to do with more experience? Mind you, I only heard this on backstage on musicals, but they refer to those who worked there for longer as 'senpai', even if they were younger or the same age... but they didn't actually call them that, only referred...

[@won1853]

As a Korean, I think it would be interesting if somebody did a video on the differences between honorifics in Japan, Korea and China. Those three cultures are always so similar yet so different. For example, we have the Korean equivalents of san, kun, sensei, and sama, but no "chan" really.

[@Raja-bz4yw]

what about Senpai?

[@tronlegacy1993]

+raja abdul-badee notice me senpai! xD

[@overchill4465]

senpai means senior or one you look up to

[@kalisteau]

sentais is for a mentor or a senior at work or school

[@kalisteau]

senpai*

[@animalcrossingwildworld]

You know what SENPAI means tho

[@sweetarchangel6748]

Thanks for this. I've heard most of them before - apart from 'tan'. What I also didn't know, was when to change from chan to san or kun.

[@roosoo8207]

I thought senpai was one?

[@Truecrimeresearcher224]

I think it is too for an older student

[@Brained05]

+Aporusu Yes, it is mostly used for older students, and sometimes with more experienced co-workers.

[@SantomPh]

Senpai is an indicator of rank within an organization and not a real honorific. It belongs to rank-based honorifics like military,professional and corporate ranks (managers,etc). The main honorifics genrally don't change as much apart from -chan.

[@ARedactedHistory]

I do like the jacket too. Before the hipster revolution, it was really hard to find clothes that fit me in the US while in Japan my size was basically one of the most common, which I loved.

[@ryanyoak1017]

was the niece the same one who tried to get you a boyfriend?

[@TexaninTokyo]

+Ryan Yoak Yeah actually the same one! haha

[@TheLadyMedina]

this was helpful guys! ありがとございます!

[@pipuk3]

Notice me senpai ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

[@edtheangler4930]

Hi

[@Whoareyoupeople900]

Please do more quizzes at the end of videos like this. It was really fun 😊

I know all of this from watching Naruto

[@araceliv4710]

But naruto has not taught us what to call a rock in the event that we encounter one.

[@-littlesquidge-4121]

I'm a Texan too! But I'm moving to Ireland... Thx for this vid! This helps with my anime addiction a little better

[@sssushieee]

Did she just pronounced anime as "uh-ni-mei" ?

[@Vincent-yq3ti]

no its aniime

[@pieceaisa5046]

that’s how it’s pronounced properly. “ann-ni-mei” is the western way of pronouncing

[@Sch0lli]

Thank you for explaining that I really often asked myself when to use which form :)

[@ChristianNavarreteMoldavite]

I love y'alls videos. I really enjoyed the quiz at the end.

[@MilkDeep17]

KZbin-CHAN!!! XD I love it Ryosuke-sama!

[@TheZakana]

Thanks! This was very easy to understand. I got all the honorifics right at the end! 🙂

[@YuukiM509]

Thanks so much for this video! If not to much would you both please make more videos like this with quizzes in the end? I'm planning on studying abroad in the future and am learning Japanese ☺️

[@Meat_Tofu]

My name is Jason. If someone called me Jason-san, I cannot guarantee that I wouldn't laugh at how it sounded.

[@TheFubz]

"it works" - best line of the video

[@coldmage]

Great Ryosuke Sama!

[@tsuzumist]

Most people also use san with shops or temples. 'The (nieghborhood) bookstore' would be honya-san. Or Otera-san for the temple. But not for schools, I think. Also, in a customer or supplier relationship, san is used with company names.

[@jellyhoney2240]

I had trouble with honorifics but this video helped alot :) thanks so much!

[@geema2281]

This was very interesting but also pretty intimidating. I have a hard time calling people Mr. or Mrs. since I find it so strangely formal and my country is super casual and everyone goes by their first came: teachers, doctors, friends' parents, the President). The thought of having to get that right is making me anxious and I'm not even planning on going to Japan (although I'd love to visit one day). :)

[@genisay]

I think the only one of out these I didn't know was Tan, but as you said, it seems to be rarely used. I know a few others as well, like domo (though that seems to be an archaic form of 'sama'), taichou, senpai, aibou and, of course, the sibling honorifics. Haha, been interested in manga/anime since I was in middle school, and it branched into wanting to learn things beyond just those forms of media. I always thought of -san being like saying 'Mr, Ms, Mrs or Mrz' here in the US. We add those to be polite.

[@DingDong-nk4yf]

+Genisay I believe you mean "dono". Yeah, it has gone out of fashion and become quite outdated as a result; it was mainly used back then by common folks to address military nobility of the samurai class. Hardly anyone ever use it in real life nowadays. "Haha, been interested in manga/anime since I was in middle school, and it branched into wanting to learn things beyond just those forms of media." Same here. xD

[@genisay]

Hmm....i've never seen it spelled dono before, but it could be the same word. Just all uses I've seen of it were always 'domo'. But yes, we are talking about the same honorific at least. The one I always got a kick of out was 'Domo-kun', as it can be considered a bit of an oxymoron, since 'domo/dono' implies great respect, and kun tends to imply a lower position, or familiarity.

[@DingDong-nk4yf]

+Genisay While it's clear we are talking about the same honorific, I'm pretty sure the instances that you've seen of it is a misspelling, since "domo"(どうも) is actually a word for colloquial/informal thank you. Think of it as equivalent to how you'd say a quick "Thanks" instead of "Thank you". There's also another phrase which contains the word that you might be familiar with, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domo_arigato. Is Domo a person's name in this case? I've never seen multiple honorifics used with each other, as that would be invalid syntax I think. I would say it's very rare to find a name that sounds like a honorific, especially Japanese one. The only few I can think of are Chinese names like Michael Tan or Jackie Chan.

[@genisay]

Hmm...I'd have to look back at the places I have have seen 'dono' used. It could be I was mis-remembering, as I do know that 'domo' is a short part of domo arigato. I've been familiarizing myself with Japanese media and culture for more then fifteen years, and have known that since I was twelve. The series I was thinking of to were early US translations, and it it very possible they were misspelled, as many manga had not only misspellings, but other translation errors (or just plain lazy) in late 80s and early 90s when they were starting to catch on more and were still harder to find outside of bigger cities. (I had to go to a city about an hour away to find even a small selection of manga, and Sun Coast was really the only place in the area that carried them for a long time) You don't know Domo-kun? Domo's been around for a long time. He's the mascot for Japan's NHK. img03.deviantart.net/e986/i/2011/258/f/3/domo_kun_by_jacksmafia-d49xffj.png

[@DingDong-nk4yf]

More than fifteen years? That's hardcore, man. :D I get where you're coming from though, as I don't think that many people overseas were interested in manga or have any sort of respect for Japanese culture in general back then in the 90s. Since there's not much interest and the demand is quite low at that time, I reckon not many publishing houses were willing to spend sufficient amount of money towards bringing manga stateside and localizing them to a satisfying degree of standard. So those early efforts at translating were bound to have numerous mistakes, and coupled with almost non-existent QA; it is to be expected the resulting product would be of rather poor quality. I've seen him make cameo appearances in media before, and also here and there on the internet. Never knew he has a name or that he's a NHK's mascot. The thing does looks freaking weird, though. What's he supposed to be, anyway? Teletubbies's experiment gone wrong? xD

[@see.me.smilenot2362]

You 2 are seriously the cutest couple I've seen

[@onyxiam4203]

This was a great video ! I learned a lot today :D

[@vkiba9418]

Excellent video!!!