さま / さん

さま / さん Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Suffix

Essential Meaning: Mr. / Mrs. / Ms.

Construction: 

• Name + さん / 様 さま
  • E.g. 柴原しばはらさん [Mr. Shibahara]
  • E.g 柴原しばはら様 さま [Mr. Shibahara]

Notes:

• 様 さま and さん are used to show respect to someone by referring to them indirectly. For example, 柴原しばはら様 さま [Shibahara-sama] is less direct than 柴原しばはら [Shibahara] and is therefore more polite. 柴原しばはら様 さま literally means “Appearance of Shibahara“. 様 さま is extremely formal and conveys a very large difference in social status between the speaker and the referent. さん is less formal than 様さま and is used quite frequently.

• First names are generally not followed by 様さま, but there are some highly polite situation (e.g. customer service) in which first name + 様さま may be used.
  • E.g. *ジョンさま [John-sama] Affixing 様 さま to a personal name is strange in most situations. There is a conflict in respectfulness between using the first name (which is very personal) and using 様 さま (which is very polite).
  • E.g. お客様きゃくさま [Mr. Customer] In the absence of knowing someone’s name, a customer service worker will often refer to a customer / guest as お客様きゃくさま. This is somewhat equivalent to referring to someone as sir or madam in English.

• When 様さま is attached to a personified object, it expresses endearment rather than respect.
  • E.g. 花子はなこちゃん、今夜こんばんはお月様つきさまもお星様ほしさまもきれいねえ。[Hanako-chan, the moon and the stars are pretty tonight, aren’t they?] In this case, 様 さま is used to refer endearingly to the moon and stars.

• In some cases, 様さま may be attached to some action or state that is related to the hearer in order convey politeness. These usages are mainly idiomatic and may be remembered on a case by case basis.
  • E.g. ごちそう様 さま [Thank you for the food]
  • E.g. お世話せわ様 さまになりました [Thank you for taking care of me.]
  • E.g. お気きの毒どく様 さま [I give you my condolences]
  • E.g. お疲つかれ様 さま [You must be tired.]
  • E.g おかげ様 さまで元気げんきです [Thanks to you, I’m doing well.]

• 様 さま is often used in writing when referring to some addressee (as in a letter).
  • E.g. 山本やまもと様 さまへ [To Mr. Yamamoto]

• さん is the informal version of 様 さま and is therefore less formal and more intimate. さん can generally replace 様 さま when the difference in social status between the speaker and referent is not particularly large (which is most of the time). In these cases, 様 さま would be overkill.
  • E.g. 田中たなかさん [Ms. Tanaka]

• さん is also attached idiomatically to certain occupations。
  • E.g. 魚屋さかなやさん [A fisherman]
  • E.g. お菓子屋かしやさん [A confectioner]
  • E.g. 酒屋さけやさん [A liquor dealer]
  • E.g. 校長こうちょうさん [A school principal]
  • E.g 市長しちょうさん [A city mayor]
  • E.g. 課長かちょうさん [A section chief]

• ちゃん is used with children’s names and with terms of kinship to express close intimacy.
  • E.g. お母かあちゃん [Mom]
  • E.g. お父とうちゃん [Dad]
  • E.g. おじいちゃん [Grandpa]
  • E.g. おばあちゃん [Grandma]
  • E.g. おじちゃん [Uncle]
  • E.g. おばちゃん [Aunt]
  • E.g 花子はなこちゃん [Hanako]
  • E.g. 太郎たろうちゃん [Taro]

• くん is is a similar term to ちゃん, but it is etymologically distinct from 様 さま and is actually derived from Chinese. くん typically attaches to the first or last name of a male equal or someone of lower social status. For example, it may be used to refer to a male or female in an institution setting (e.g. a school).
  • E.g. マイクくん [Mike]

• In some cases, an honorific can be affixed to someone’s name based on their position or job title.
  • E.g. 田中たなか先生せんせい [Master / Teacher Tanaka]
  • E.g. 柴原しばはら所長しょちょう [Section Chief Shibahara]
  • E.g. 菅すが首相しゅしょう [Prime Minister Suga]

Example Sentences:

王様おうさまの耳みみはろばの耳みみだ。[The king’s ears are donkey’s ears]

神様かみさまを信しんじますか。[Do you believe in God?]

お母かあ様さま、どこにいらっしゃるの。[Mother, where are you?]

お客きゃく様さまが見みえたよ。[A customer has come.]

WILD Examples:

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