The Japanese Honorifics/Suffixes Thread

I was inspired to make this topic after posting this list in another thread. "[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]". I thought this would be a great idea for at least a referential thread. I originally asked for permission, but I didn't get a reply in the matter and decided that this is too good an opportunity to pass up. Hope it helps you guys!

In order to understand Japanese honorifics better, I want to explain a bit about the implications of using nicknames, given names and family names.

Nicknames are always the most informal choice, and is typically only used between close friends. In less common scenarios, they can be used to bully or otherwise, as an insult. An example of a nickname used as an insult would be Jeremiah Gottwald from Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch. After a certain incident, his colleagues and
superiors alike started to call him "Orange-kun".

Given names are also an informal choice, but not as much as a nickname. In most cases, this indicates a high level of closeness. You'll commonly see this between good friends, especially of the same gender. Occasionally, given names with no honorifics are used as an insult or the speaker's show of not respecting the recipient. This is commonly seen in Japanese media in rough and/or delinquent characters.

Family names are much more commonly used in general. Two people can be close to one another, but still refer to each other by their last names. You see this often in close friends of opposing genders. Sometimes, a character is simply very polite. In Japanese businesses and services, customers are referred to by their family names. Family names are the most formal and polite and in general, indicating a lower level of closeness.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Buchou (部長)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Dono (殿)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Chan (ちゃん)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Kaichou (会長)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Kun (君; くん)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Nee; Nee-chan; Nee-san (姉; 姉ちゃん; 姉さん)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Nii; Nii-chan; Nii-san (兄; 兄ちゃん; 兄さん)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Sama (様)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -San (さん) *-Han (はん) in Kansai dialect.

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Senpai/Sempai (先輩)

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] -Ue (上)

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What does it mean when an honorific isn't used?
It really depends on the scenario, but for the most part, it indicates that the referer is very close with the recipient. In Japanese, this is called "yobisute ni suru (呼び捨てにする)" or "yobisute (呼び捨て)". Using a family name without an honorific does indicate a high level of closeness, but in most cases, referring to another by their given name without honorifics denotes the most closeness, alongside nicknames. Rude characters and people tend to drop honorifics. This is commonly seen in
Japanese fiction in delinquent characters.

This helped me. Thanks ^_^  My sister really bothered asking me -_- And because I saw this I answered here question ^_^

thanks for posting!

No problem, everyone! I'm glad I could help.

Ah, finally a much clearer info without the hassle of too much examples.

Thank you so much, Laramie Castiel-san!

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you: 3 I learned something new for yourself

This helped!!! (and it was fun to read xD)
Thank you for spending time crafting this.