様First sentences
Names and people
Japanese names come with little endings that show your relationship. Choosing the right one is part of being polite.
The set
Who gets which ending
Never add any of these to your own name.
| Ending | Use it for | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| 様 (さま) | customers, letters, very formal situations | Very respectful |
| さん | almost anyone, including job titles | Safe and polite |
| 君 (くん) | boys, and juniors at school or work | Friendly, from above or equal |
| ちゃん | children, close friends, family | Affectionate |
In use
Names with endings
Mr. or Ms. Tanaka, this way please.
You'd hear this at a hotel or on an envelope.
Where's the greengrocer's?
さん also goes on some shops and jobs.
Yamamoto, look at this.
A boss might say this to a junior of any gender.
Little Hanako is five.
Shops and jobs
屋: the place, or the person
Add 屋 to a product and you've named the shop.
a bakery
a bookstore, or the bookseller
Adding さん makes it polite when talking about the person.
More than one
Making people plural
we
達 goes on people.
the children
Tanaka and the others
On a name, it means that person and their group.
the teachers (respectful)
方 is the respectful version.
we (humble)
Heard from shop and company staff. On other people, ども can sound disparaging.
they
ら is the least formal.
Good to know
Plurals are usually optional
Japanese doesn't need plurals: 学生 can be one student or fifty. Add 達 only for people, and only when it matters. ら is a casual plural, as in 彼ら, “they”. For a group of men, say 彼ら instead of 彼達.
Check yourself
Which situation is this from?
Your turn
Which ending?
This is Kimura, our new manager.
Say it yourself
Meeting a client
A client named Mori walks into your office. Greet them and ask them to come this way.
Automatic feedback on your own answers is coming to Premium.