Main dialogue: the first day at a part-time job
Lin Mei is a university student from abroad, and today is her first day working part-time at a café. The manager, Nakamura, introduces her to Takahashi Haruka, who has worked there longest. Notice how each of the three addresses the others.
- 店長
リンさん、こちら、高橋さん。うちの店でいちばん長いから、何でも聞いてね。
Lin, this is Takahashi. She’s been here the longest, so ask her anything.
- リン
はじめまして、リン・メイです。よろしくお願いします。
Nice to meet you. I’m Lin Mei. I look forward to working with you.
- 高橋
よろしくね。リンさんって呼べばいい？ それとも、下の名前のほうがいい？
Nice to meet you. Shall I call you “Lin-san”? Or would you rather I used your first name?
- リン
どちらでもいいです。名前はメイです。
Either is fine. My first name is Mei.
- 高橋
じゃあ、メイちゃんって呼ぶね。わたしのことは、はるかでいいよ。
Then I’ll call you “Mei-chan”. And you can just call me Haruka.
- リン
えっと……じゃあ、はるか先輩？
Um… then, Haruka-senpai?
- 高橋
先輩はやめてよ、部活じゃないんだから。じゃあ、はるかさんで。
Not “senpai”, please. This isn’t a school club. OK, “Haruka-san”, then.
- リン
はい、はるかさん。あの、店長のことは……？
OK, Haruka-san. Um, and what about the manager…?
- 高橋
店長は「店長」。名前で呼んでる人、いないんじゃないかな。
The manager is just “Manager”. I don’t think anyone calls him by his name.
- 店長
リンさん、エプロンはこれ使ってね。
Lin, use this apron.
Each of the three addresses people differently. The manager follows the usual custom and calls the newcomer by her surname plus 「さん」: 「リンさん」. Takahashi is close to Mei in age and the café is relaxed, so she uses Mei’s first name plus 「ちゃん」 and asks Mei to use her first name alone. Mei feels awkward adding nothing and thinks of 「先輩」, but Takahashi sees that as something school club members say, so they settle on her first name plus 「さん」. Everyone calls the manager by his job title, 「店長」.
Working out what to call each other like this is common at part-time jobs and at school. At a typical company, colleagues mostly keep using surname plus 「さん」. Which form is right depends on the place, the relationship and what the other person wants; the sections below take these one at a time.
What goes after the name
When you address someone in Japanese, you generally add a title after their surname or first name. 「さん」 is the default: when in doubt, you can’t go wrong with it. The others each have their own situations.
| Expression | Meaning | Where and to whom | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜さん | the most common honorific, for men and women alike | colleagues, classmates, neighbours, shop staff; after a surname, first name or full name | neutral |
| 〜様 | much more formal than 「さん」 | staff to customers; emails, envelopes; calling names at a counter, announcements | formal |
| 〜くん | friendly; mostly for males | boys, young men; between equals, or teacher to student, boss to junior staff | between friends; to juniors |
| 〜ちゃん | affectionate | children, family, close friends, pets; also after nicknames | between friends |
| 呼び捨て | nothing added: just the surname or first name | family, close friends; seniors to juniors in clubs and sports teams | between friends |
| みなさん／みなさま | everyone | speaking to a group; 「みなさま」 mostly in announcements and speeches | neutral / formal |
| 〜氏 | Mr or Ms so-and-so (written) | the news, reports, articles | understand only |
山口さん、この傘、山口さんのですか。
Yamaguchi, is this umbrella yours?
Japanese often uses surname plus 「さん」 instead of “you”; saying it twice in one sentence is not odd.
小林様、二番の窓口へどうぞ。
Mr or Ms Kobayashi, please go to counter 2.
Often heard when names are called at banks, hospitals and pharmacies.
健太くん、宿題、もう出した？
Kenta, have you handed in your homework yet?
Between classmates, or from a teacher to a boy.
ゆいちゃん、靴、ひとりではけた？
Yui, did you put your shoes on by yourself?
To a child. Family, neighbours and nursery teachers all use it.
みなさん、ちょっとこっちを見てください。
Everyone, please look this way for a moment.
Tip
「さん」 isn’t only for names「さん」 also goes after jobs, shop names and company names: 「運転手さん」 (driver), 「お医者さん」 (doctor), 「パン屋さん」 (bakery), 「ひかり電機さん」 (Hikari Electric). It refers to the other person’s side or someone else’s, so it adds a little politeness.
Watch out
More 「様」 is not always better「様」 is common in shops and emails. But calling someone you know 「〇〇様」 to their face sounds either very distant or like a joke. With colleagues and neighbours, 「さん」 is enough.
Culture
Rules for 「くん」 and 「ちゃん」 vary「くん」 is generally used for males, but some bosses call female staff 「〜くん」 too; on the other hand, some schools and companies have a rule of 「〜さん」 for everyone, male or female. Using 「ちゃん」 with an adult you don’t know well seems overfamiliar, and some people are uncomfortable when colleagues use it at work. In a new place, the safest thing is to listen first to what the people around you say.
Using a name with nothing added is called 「呼び捨て」. It is natural in families and between friends who grew up together, and seniors in clubs and sports teams often address juniors this way. But dropping 「さん」 before the other person has said it’s OK sounds quite rude. In the main dialogue, Takahashi says 「はるかでいいよ」, but Mei still adds a title; that is common when you have just met.
Roles, not names: 先生, 先輩 and job titles
Some people are usually addressed not by name but by their role. 「先生」, 「先輩」 and job titles are honorifics in themselves: you can use them alone or after a surname, and you don’t add 「さん」 or 「様」 after them.
| Expression | Meaning | Where and to whom | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 先生 | teacher, doctor, etc. | teachers at schools and cram schools, doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers, manga artists | neutral |
| 先輩 | senior; older student | someone who joined your school or club before you | neutral |
| 部長、課長、店長 | job titles | addressing your boss at a company or shop | neutral |
| お客様 | customer | staff or companies to customers; 「お客さん」 is more casual | formal |
| すみません | (to get someone’s attention) | to shop staff or passers-by whose names you don’t know | neutral |
先生、この字、何て読むんですか。
Sensei, how do you read this character?
To address a teacher, 「先生」 alone is enough.
鈴木先生、薬はいつまで飲めばいいですか。
Dr Suzuki, how long should I keep taking the medicine?
Doctors are called 「先生」 too.
先輩、明日の練習って何時からですか。
Senpai, what time does practice start tomorrow?
In clubs, 「先輩」 on its own is very common.
課長、資料、机の上に置いておきました。
I’ve put the documents on your desk, Section Manager.
Watch out
Don’t stack them「先生さん」, 「先輩さん」 and 「課長さん」 all stack two titles. To address your boss in your own company, 「課長」 or 「高橋課長」 is enough. People outside a company sometimes say 「課長さん」 when they mention another company’s section manager, but it isn’t used within the company.
「先輩」 as a form of address is most common in junior high, high school and university clubs. At a company, people who joined before you are also your 「先輩」, but to their face you generally say 「〜さん」; 「先輩」 is mostly used when talking about them: 「会社の先輩」. Some workplaces do use 「先輩」 face to face, so follow what the people around you say. Someone who came after you is your 「後輩」, but this word can’t be used to address anyone.
Culture
Every company does it differentlyAddressing your boss by job title is the custom at many companies, but not all. Some have a rule that even the company president is 「〜さん」 (this is called 「さん付け」), and at some foreign-owned companies and start-ups people use first names or English names. When you join a new company, listen first to what everyone says. When you mention people from your own company to outsiders, you don’t add 「さん」 or put the job title after the surname; lesson 1 of the Keigo at work course covers this in detail.
Surname or first name
At school, at work and among neighbours, people generally use surname plus 「さん」. First names are mostly for family, friends you have known since childhood, or when the other person asks for it. At part-time jobs and in university clubs, quite a few young people use each other’s first names. When a department has two 「佐藤さん」, people often tell them apart by first name or full name: 「佐藤まゆみさん」.
Foreign names are generally written in katakana, and Japanese people usually call you by the name you gave when you introduced yourself. If you say 「リン・メイです」, some people will call you 「リンさん」 and others 「メイさん」. If you have a preference, make it clear when you introduce yourself; see the next section.
- As a relationship gets closer, the form of address often changes with it: 「中村さん」 → 「まゆみさん」 → 「まゆみちゃん」 or the nickname 「まゆ」.
- A change is usually suggested by the older or more senior person: 「下の名前で呼んでいいよ」.
- Once the other person says it’s OK, just call them what they asked. If you can’t switch straight away, first name plus 「さん」 for a while is not rude either.
- Some people use surname plus 「さん」 from start to finish; it doesn’t mean the relationship is bad.
Culture
Every family has its own namesChildren call their parents 「お父さん」 and 「お母さん」 in some families and 「パパ」 and 「ママ」 in others, and some regions and families say 「父ちゃん」 and 「母ちゃん」. Older brothers and sisters are often 「お兄ちゃん」 and 「お姉ちゃん」; younger ones are generally called by name. Older people around Kyoto and Osaka sometimes say 「はん」 for 「さん」; Kansai speech is covered in lesson 17 of this course.
Watch out
Use 「あなた」 sparinglyWhen you know someone’s name, you generally don’t say 「あなた」 to them; you use surname plus 「さん」, or leave it out altogether: 「山口さんは行きますか」, 「行きますか」. Saying 「あなた」 to a boss or an older person is even more likely to sound rude. 「あなた」 is mostly seen in questionnaires, adverts and song lyrics.
First meetings: ask, and say clearly
With someone you have just met, the safest choice is the name they gave when introducing themselves, plus 「さん」: if they gave only their surname, use the surname plus 「さん」; if they said 「マリアです」, call them 「マリアさん」. If you don’t know what to call someone, ask; if you want to be called something, say so.
| Expression | Meaning | Where and to whom | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 何て呼べばいいですか | What should I call you? | classmates and colleagues you’ve just met | neutral |
| 何とお呼びすればよろしいですか | How may I address you? | clients, older people; keigo, so learn it as a whole | formal |
| 〜と呼んでください | Please call me … | telling people what to call you | neutral |
| 〜でいいですよ | Just call me … | when someone addresses you very politely and you invite them to be more casual | neutral |
| 〜って呼んでもいい？ | Can I call you …? | between classmates and friends; 「って」 is the spoken form of 「と」 | between friends |
- ジョン
はじめまして、ジョン・パーカーです。ジョンと呼んでください。
Nice to meet you. I’m John Parker. Please call me John.
- 小川
ジョンね。二年の小川です。
John, got it. I’m Ogawa, second year.
- ジョン
小川さん……あ、小川先輩、のほうがいいですか。
Ogawa-san… oh, would “Ogawa-senpai” be better?
- 小川
どっちでもいいよ。うちのサークルだと、先輩って呼ぶ子が多いかな。
Either’s fine. In our club, I guess most people say “senpai”.
- ジョン
じゃあ、小川先輩で。よろしくお願いします。
Then Ogawa-senpai it is. Nice to meet you.
Culture
When someone says you can be less formalWhen someone says 「〜でいいよ」 or 「呼び捨てでいいよ」, just call them what they said. Many people can’t switch straight away and use first name plus 「さん」 for a while before dropping it; that is quite natural too. The other way round, if you don’t want a nickname or 「ちゃん」, you can say so directly: 「〜さんでお願いします」.
Easy misunderstandings
Compare
First names and 「さん」English speakers move to first names quickly, but in Japanese you start with surname plus 「さん」 and switch only when the other person asks you to use their first name. Even if you call him “Kenji” when you speak English together, in Japanese he is 「健二さん」. Unlike “Mr” and “Ms”, which go only with a surname, 「さん」 sounds natural after a first name too: 「ジョンさん」, 「エミリーさん」. English has “you” in nearly every sentence; Japanese uses the other person’s surname plus 「さん」 or leaves it out: “Do you want some coffee, Ms Sato?” is simply 「佐藤さん、コーヒー飲みますか」.
Watch out
Titles are for other people「さん」, 「様」 and 「先生」 can’t be used about yourself: to introduce yourself, you say 「リンです」, not 「リンさんです」; a teacher describing their job says 「教師です」 (lesson 1 of the N5 grammar course).