さん
-san
In Japanese, さん (-san) is an honorific title added to the end of a person's name to show politeness.
The honorific さん is attached to a person's last name or full name regardless of gender or social status and is the default honorific used in formal situations. For example, appending さん after a family name, such as Yamada-san, is appropriate in a business setting. In casual conversations, さん may be omitted and the person addressed by only their first name.
Which one should you use?
While さん is the standard polite honorific for most social interactions, -sama is a much higher level of respect used for customers, deities or people of much higher status.
How does it change in a sentence?
The honorific is attached to the end of a name, typically after the family name or given name.
How do you pronounce it?
-san
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly add -san to their own names when introducing themselves in Japanese, which is a social error.
Did you know?
- The suffix さん can be attached to occupations to show respect, such as calling a baker Pan-ya-san (the bread shop person/owner).
- The word さん is actually a phonetic evolution of the much more formal honorific 様 (sama).
- In very casual or 'cute' speech, さん can be replaced by たん to show extreme affection, a style often associated with children or internet subcultures.
Examples in context
- さすが池田さん。お上手ですね。Nothing less coming from you, Ikeda-san. You're great at what you do.This example shows how to use さん when praising someone.Tatoeba #10623416 by bunbuku, translation #10766744 by end
- 奈津さんが安藤さんと結婚したら、「あんどうなつ」になっちゃうんだよね。If Natsu marries Ando-san, then it will make "Andonatsu", won't it?This example illustrates the use of さん when discussing marriage between two people.Tatoeba #2469340 by bunbuku, translation #2594068 by WestofEden
- 「あ、田中さん！」「あっ……！」「元気だった？」「うん。えっと、あっ……！名前ど忘れしちゃった。ごめんなさい。名前なんて言うんだったけ？」「もぉ、国貞よ。国貞恵子」「そうそう、国貞さん。お久しぶり！」"Oh, Tanaka-san!" "Uh…!" "Have you been doing well?" "Yeah. Um, uh…! Oh my god, I'm so sorry, but your name is slipping my mind. What's your name again?" "Really? Come on. I'm Kunisada. Keiko Kunisada." "Oh, right, Kunisada-san. It's been a while!"This example demonstrates a situation where someone forgets a name and then remembers it with さん.Tatoeba #10349079 by small_snow, translation #10794318 by end
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two classmates are discussing a new teacher during break time.
- 美咲 Misaki佐藤さんは優しい先生ですか？Satō-san wa yasashii sensei desu ka?Is Mr. Sato a kind teacher?
- 陽太 Yotaはい、佐藤さんはとても親切ですよ。Hai, Satō-san wa totemo shinsetsu desu yo.Yes, Mr. Sato is very kind.
- 美咲 Misakiそれは安心しました。Sore wa anshin shimashita.That is a relief.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さんもきっと気に入るはずです。Misaki-san mo kitto kiniiru hazu desu.I'm sure you will like him too, Misaki.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry さん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries さん, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
