The Japanese Culture Thread

[Saori Suzuki-chan]

Well, I had been giving it some thought and figured that it would be helpful to have a thread to ask questions about things we see in anime or manga. I guess there arn't really any rules... just try to stick to the topic I guess. I'll start ^.^

Honorifics

What are they?

-Honorifics are basically words used to describe someone's title. For example in english we have Mr., Miss., Mrs., Dr., etc. In Japanese culture, honorifics are a very important part of life, for it is a major sign of respect. Examples:

-San

The most basic form, it is comparable to Mr., Mrs., etc. It's most often used when speaking to someone that you can somewhat know, and are on the same level.

Ex: Businessman to Businessman, Classmate to Classmate

-Kun

Mostly used for boys, and is a sign of admiration or friendship. Boys on occasion call eachother by this, while girls would only use this if they are very close friends or if the girl has feelings for him.

Ex: Childhood friend to childhood friend, Girl to boy she likes

-Chan

Used mostly for cute young girls, little boys, or pets. It kind of has a "cute" sound to it, which is why it is mostly used for girls and not boys (lol).

Ex: Girl to Girl, Boy to Girl, Family pet, Smaller sibling

-Senpai

This one is comonly used in shools when talking to an upperclassman or in the workplace when talking to a senior.

Ex: Freshman to Senior, New guy in office to experienced guy in office

-Kohai

Basically the opposite of Sempai, only this term isn't used to often.

Ex: Senior to Freshman, Experienced guy in office to the noob of the office =P

-Sensei

Mostly heard when talking to a teacher, but it can actually be used for any authority type figure.

Ex: Teachers, Doctors, Politicians, etc.

-Sama

Ironically, this can be taken as "Master", but really it's just used when talking to someone of a higher status than you. It shows great respect if someone uses this, but it is also very disrespectful and arrogant to use it to describe yourself.

Ex: Fan talking to an Actor or Actress, Shopr owner to customer, (Sterotype) Maid waiteress to customer

-Dono

Even higher level of respect than Sama, dono is similar to the word "tono" which is japanese for lord or master. This really isn't used too often in modern Japan, but is seen a lot in anime and manga, or in use of traditional tea ceremonies.

Ex: Employee to CEO of a large company, Japanese Embassador to foriegn Embassador

-[No honorific]

This can go two ways. One, it could be used to insult someone, due to the fact that adding no honorific to their name represents a very relaxed or close relaionship. Two, it could be used to represent extreme intimacy between lovers/couples or closeness in a family.

Ex: (1st version) Person to another person during a fight, (2nd version), Boyfriend and girlfriend, Husband and wife, Family member to family member