Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| さん | san | |
| 氏 | shi | [ɕi] (narrow) |
The honorific さん is a gender-neutral term used after the person's name or title to address someone formally.
Which one should you use?
さん is used in daily conversation, whereas 氏 is a much more formal version used primarily in writing, such as in news reports, legal documents or formal business letters.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The term おっさん is a colloquial and often derogatory way to say 'mister' or 'old man,' used to address middle-aged or older men in a rude or overly familiar manner.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai region, people commonly use the honorific はん instead of さん when speaking casually.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Japanese, さん functions as a suffix that must follow a name (e.g., Tanaka-san) rather than standing alone as a noun like the English word 'mister'.
How do you pronounce it?
san
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use さん when referring to themselves. In Japanese, you should never use an honorific like さん when stating your own name.
Did you know?
- While さん is used for 'mister' and 'miss', it is also frequently attached to non-human things, such as お月さん (O-tsuki-san) for the moon.
- The suffix 氏 traces its linguistic roots back to Middle Chinese, reflecting the historical influence of Chinese writing systems on formal Japanese documentation.
- If you omit さん when referring to someone else, it is called 'yobisute' and is often perceived as a sign of extreme rudeness or aggression.
Examples in context
- おっさん、つべこべ言うな！No ifs, ands, or buts, mister!This example shows how the term can be used in a rude or confrontational manner.Tatoeba #9689432 by small_snow, translation #6586431 by Eccles17
- 田中さんは優しいです。Tanaka-san wa yasashii desu.Mr. Tanaka is kind.
- 佐藤さん、こんにちは。Satō-san, konnichiwa.Hello, Mr. Sato.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are talking about their new colleague at work.
- 結衣 Yui新しい上司は鈴木さんです。Atarashii jōshi wa Suzuki-san desu.The new boss is Mr. Suzuki.
- 蓮 Ren鈴木さんはどんな人ですか？Suzuki-san wa donna hito desu ka?What kind of person is Mr. Suzuki?
- 結衣 Yuiとても真面目な人ですよ。Totemo majime na hito desu yo.He is a very serious person.
- 蓮 Renそれは安心しました。Sore wa anshin shimashita.That is a relief.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mister” translations and entries さん, 氏, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries さん, 氏, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
