How to use honorifics in Japanese
Honorifics are an important part of the Japanese language, and are used to show respect to others. Here are some basics on how to use them.
When addressing someone by their first name, you should use the person’s last name followed by -san. For example, if your name is John Michael, you would address someone as Michael-san.
If you are addressing someone by their title, such as Dr. or Professor, you should use the title followed by -san. For example, if you were addressing a doctor named John Michael, you would say Dr. Michael-san.
When referring to a group of people, you can use -sama to show respect. For example, if you were referring to a group of businesspeople, you could say bizuman-sama.
Finally, when talking about someone who is not present, it is polite to use the person’s last name followed by -san. For example, if you wanted to talk about John Michael who was not present, you would say Michael-san ga… (John Michael is…). The -san is an important part of the way a Japanese person would talk about another person who is not present.
Usage of honorifics in Japanese
Nouns:
-ご主人 (goshujinsama): husband
-ご家族 (gokazoku): family
-先生 (sensei): teacher, doctor
-さん (san): Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms.
Verbs:
-お見舞います (omimaimasu): to visit someone who is sick or injured
-お祝いします (oiwaimasu): to celebrate someone’s birthday or anniversary
-お祝いに行く (oiwainiiku): to celebrate with a visit -お祝いに来る (oiwainikuru): to celebrate with a visit -お祝いにでかける (oiwainidakakeru): to celebrate with a trip -お祝いにお出かけする (oiwainiodekakes uru): to celebrate with a trip