さん
san
In Japanese, さん (san) is the abbreviation for Mr.
The term さん is gender-neutral and can be used for both men and women. For example, you can use it for 田中さん (Mr. Tanaka), 山本さん (Mr. Yamamoto), or たけしさん (Mr. Takeshi).
Meaning: abbreviation of mister (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The honorific さん is always attached to the end of a person's name, never at the beginning.
How do you pronounce it?
san
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use さん for themselves, but it is considered rude to use an honorific for your own name.
Did you know?
- It is common to attach さん to a profession, such as 運転手さん for 'Mr. Driver', even if you do not know the person's name.
- It is possible to add さん to a nickname or a brand name to create a personified, friendly version of that entity.
- In many Japanese business settings, people often bypass names entirely and use a person's job title, such as 'Manager' or 'Teacher', as a substitute for さん.
Examples in context
- 田中さんは優しいです。Tanaka-san wa yasashii desu.Mr. Tanaka is kind.
- 佐藤さんは学生ですか。Satou-san wa gakusei desu ka.Is Mr. Sato a student?
- 鈴木さんはどこにいますか。Suzuki-san wa doko ni imasu ka.Where is Mr. Suzuki?
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are talking about a teacher.
- 陽太 Yota山田さんはいい先生だね。Yamada-san wa ii sensei da ne.Mr. Yamada is a good teacher, isn't he?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、とても親切だよ。Un, totemo shinsetsu da yo.Yeah, he is very kind.
- 陽太 Yota明日、山田さんに会うかな。Ashita, Yamada-san ni au kana.I wonder if I'll see Mr. Yamada tomorrow.
- 陽葵 Himariきっと会えると思うよ。Kitto aeru to omou yo.I think you definitely will.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mr.” translations and entries さん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
