さん
-san
The Japanese honorific suffix さん (-san) is used to show politeness and respect when addressing others.
さん is an honorific suffix added to the end of a person's name. It is the standard way to address both men and women politely in most social situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix さん is attached directly to the end of a person's name without a space.
How do you pronounce it?
-san
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid adding さん to your own name. Because the suffix is used to show respect to others, applying it to yourself sounds unnatural or self-important.
Did you know?
- In some cases, さん is used as a shorthand for the word 'three' 三, leading to puns or wordplay in Japanese advertisements and jokes.
- While it is used for people, さん is also frequently attached to animals or inanimate objects in certain contexts, such as in stories or when personifying a cute object.
- In some professional settings, さん is attached to a job title instead of a name, such as calling a driver 運転手さん.
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 sentence shows how to use さん when praising someone's skill.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 sentence demonstrates the use of さん when referring to two different 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 sentence shows a conversation where さん is used to address someone after a brief moment of forgetting their name.Tatoeba #10349079 by small_snow, translation #10794318 by end
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are talking about their teacher.
- 蓮 Ren佐藤さんはどこにいますか？Satō-san wa doko ni imasu ka?Where is Mr. Sato?
- 陽葵 Himariあそこにいますよ。Asoko ni imasu yo.He is over there.
- 蓮 Renあ、本当だ。見つかりました。A, hontō da. Mitsukarimashita.Oh, you're right. I found him.
- 陽葵 Himari急いで佐藤さんのところへ行きましょう。Isoide Satō-san no tokoro e ikimashō.Let's hurry and go to Mr. Sato.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry さん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
