Japanese salutation

In Japan , great emphasis is placed on etiquette and good manners , which is also reflected in the Japanese salutations . These are an essential part of the Japanese language of courtesy .

First and last name of a person

Addressing them by their first name , if possible with a clarifying addition, in Japanese either indicates a very high level of personal closeness to the person addressed or is very impolite.

In Japanese, the family name comes before the first name. In translated texts for foreigners, however, the order of names common in German and Western-speaking countries is often (but not always) “first name last name”.

A suffix is usually added to the name. (Military) titles are also named using these additions.

When introducing yourself, you should never add a suffix to your name.

The suffixes are not only used with real names, but also other word combinations are possible: minna (Japanese 皆) means 'all' in Japanese. When giving a speech, one would politely address those present with a minna-san or something similar.

Suffixes

A suffix is usually added to the name. Also, academic , professional and military titles will be indicated by these additives. There are both forms of address that are used exclusively as a suffix (such as -san or -dono ) and forms of address that can be used alone without the name (such as sensei, senpai or buchō ).

(only the name)

Close friends in Japan speak to each other simply by name. Even when speaking of yourself or your relatives to strangers, you only use the name without any addition. Among strangers, deliberately omitting any addition is extremely impolite and is known as yobisute ( 呼び捨て ).

-buchō 部長

Means 'head of department' and is appended to the name when it is used by subordinates. The same applies to -kachō ( 課長 , 'section head') and -shachō ( 社長 , 'company boss ').

-chan ちゃん

Mitigated form , corresponds roughly to the German -chen (e.g. for "Hänschen"). It is mostly used among and towards smaller children, good friends or couples in love. Small children often cannot pronounce -san correctly and therefore say -chan and instead of -sama also -chama . Boys are usually only addressed with -chan up to kindergarten age , then with -kun (see below). With girls and women who are close friends and with female subordinates, -chan is often used after the first name until old age. If the last name is more unusual than the first name, -chan is also used after that. -Chan is often used among more distant relatives such as between cousins and friendships from early childhood and adolescence . A -chan can also be added to nicknames .

Even with cute creatures can -chan be attached, such as cats ( 猫ちゃん neko-chan ) or infants ( 赤ちゃん aka-chan ).

-tan たん

With -tan and -tama there are diminutive forms of the two forms of address -chan and -chama, which are used for babies. Furthermore, this salutation for babies is also used for particularly cute mostly female Moes figures in mangas and animes . The suffixes -tan and -tama can also stand for the expression 'sweetheart' or 'darling'.

-dono or -tono 殿 (literally 'prince')

A form of address that is unusual nowadays and is sometimes still used on documents or in the military. A polite form of address among socially equals, which nevertheless shows a higher level of respect on the part of the speaker. Takes a level roughly between -san and -sama .

-hakase 博士

Academic doctorate, comparable to the "Dr." before the name in German.

-kun 君

Normal salutation for male adolescents if it is used with first names. Teachers add -kun to the surname of male students .

In companies, young employees (including women) are often addressed with -kun . In the lower house of Japan , all MPs, regardless of age and gender, are addressed by the speaker of parliament as -kun .

-sama 様 (literally 'appearance, exterior')

Very polite, because the person you are talking to is only addressed indirectly (comparable to 'revered' in German). Is used by employees in relation to customers and for very high-ranking personalities, also for deities or idolized persons. -Sama is usually used in letters to add the addressee's name. Applied to personified objects, it expresses tenderness rather than respect.

-san (see there) is derived from -sama .

-san さん

Neutral form of address among adults who do not know each other or who have professional dealings with each other. Is mostly used with the surname and thus corresponds to 'Herr / Frau' in German. In connection with profession or title, -san is used as a generic salutation, for example okashiya-san ('Mr. Confectioner') or kōchō-san ('Mr. Rector').

Japanese people who are close friends have -san added to their first names. You can also hear this form from time to time with foreigners, especially in connection with nicknames.

Sometimes the company name (company) of the partner is even given the salutation -san in business negotiations (e.g. Yahoo-san ).

- senpai / sempai 先輩 (a name does not have to be put in front)

This polite form of address is used for classmates from higher grades or fellow students from higher semesters, but girls also use this for their 'lover / crush'. The counterpart to -senpai is kōhai ( 後輩 ), but the subordinate is not given an honorary title and is instead addressed with -kun .

- sensei 先生 (literally 'born earlier') (a name does not have to be put in front)

This salutation is used for teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, artists, martial arts trainers or other persons of authority who have mastered certain skills. -sensei is used either with the surname or alone.

-shi 氏

This suffix is only used in the written language and corresponds to the German 'Herr / Frau'. It is mainly used in letters when referring to third parties.

-oneechan お姉ちゃん or -neesan 姉さん (a name does not have to be put in front)

This form of address is used for the older sister.

-oniichan お兄ちゃん or -niisan 兄さん (a name does not have to be put in front)

This form of address is used for the older brother.

-imoutochan 妹ちゃん or -imoutosan 妹さん (a name does not have to be put in front)

This form of address is used for the younger sister.

-otoutochan お弟ちゃん or -toutosan 弟さん (a name does not have to be put in front)

This form of address is used for the younger brother, but can also (as a single Kanji) generally stand for siblings.

-okachan お母ちゃん or -kasan 母さん (a name does not have to be put in front)

This form of address is used for one's own mother.

-otouchan お父ちゃん or -tousan 父さん (a name does not have to be put in front)

This form of address is used for one's own father.

More phrases

Relatives can use very differentiated levels among themselves. For example, onee-chan, onee-san or onee-sama all mean ' older sister', but denote a different social or trust relationship between the respective people.

Job titles as salutation

Sometimes rank, office or job titles are also used in the salutation. In such a case, -san is not added. For example, the former Prime Minister can also be called Koizumi-sōridaijin ( 小泉総理大臣 ). In companies, titles like kachō 課長 , 'section head', are usually used singly without the surname, unless several department heads are present.

literature

Langenscheidt's phrase book Japanese, ISBN 978-3-468-22192-7 , page 15

Web links