Saikou Ni Happy! ~ Honorifics

Saikou Ni Happy! ~ Honorifics HONORIFICS

What are Honorifics? ~ Honorifics are words/suffixes, which Japanese people add to the end of peoples names to determine the relationship with people. They are used in everydau life with the Japanese people, so you will find honorifics being used a lot in every Anime/Manga. Below are the common honorifics which has been used in TMM.

Chan ~ Whenever I watch the making of TMM, producers in interviews calls Ichigo, "Ichigo-chan" which is term used for someone the same age as you or younger. This honorific is usually attatched by a name to someone very close to you, like a friend. This honorific is also used for girls, however it can be used for boys. Usually a girl use this honorific for a boy when they show affection.

Kun ~ It has the same meaning and uses as "chan" however it is usually used for boys. Ichigo calls Masaya "Aoyama-kun" as he about the same age as her and he is a very close friend, actually her crush is a better word.

Sama ~ This honorific is rarely used. It is used to address someone with a high status whom you show a lot of respect for. Sometimes when Japanese address their brothers or sisters, they add "sama" at the end for a more polite way of addressing your siblings.

San ~ Unlike "Sama" this honorific is used frequently. San is a type of honorific to show respect. It is used to address someone a lot older or younger than you or someone you don't know very well. "San" is another way of saying Mister, Master, Ms, Miss, Mrs, Sir etc... Ichigo calls Zakuro, "Zakuro-san" and Zakuro calls Ichigo, "Ichigo-san" meaning "Miss Zakuro" and " Miss Ichigo" respectively.

Senpai ~ This honorific is most often used in schools. It suggest that the addressee is one's "senior" in a group or organisation. It can be used in a work place for a new employee.

Sensei ~ A term used to call your teacher or doctor. Usually you will call your teacher "sensei" only (without the surname), but for a doctor you would called the doctor by its name followed by "sensei"

When no honorifics are used ~ This determines a friendly relationship. If someone is really close to another person, then premission is required not to use any honorifics. e.g. Masaya calls Ichigo, with no honorifics as they got close.

These are my definitions of the most commonly used honorifics. There are more honorifics then the ones listed above, but they are really rarely used and I know very little info. If you want more information, then I suggest you check out Wikipedia's Japanese titles page.