Using “San” expresses one's caring for others. Therefore, it is recommended to use “San” in any type of situations. “Kun(君)” is usually used for boys, especially the younger ones. On the contrary, “Chan” is for girls. But the nuance is quite different.
San is a generic formal honorific, used for coworkers and bosses (Japanese refer to coworkers formally). Chan is an informal and endearing honorific, female. You might use it among female relatives or for small children.
What does san in Japanese names mean? The word san in Japanese names is an honorary title used to show respect to the person being mentioned. It is not used with one's own name. San comes after the name, so a person with the surname Tanaka is referred to as Tanaka-san, with the san following the name.
What can I call my boyfriend in Japanese?
September 2, 2017 8:07 am. For the most part, a senpai seems to use “surname-san” or a diminutive -kun or -chan if asserting your superior social rank or are close to the person you are addressing.
Chan (ちゃん) Chan, the childish version of san, refers to children and girls. The change from “s” sound to “ch” is considered cute in Japanese. Like for kun, friends and lovers can also address each other with this honorific.
Chan ちゃん This is the most familiar honorific and is supposedly derived from children who couldn't say “San” properly. This small mistake was considered cute and stayed in the language. It is used to refer to young women you're close with, children, babies, a grandmother, or even an animal you're especially fond of.
Kun is not only used to address females formally; it can also be used for a very close friend or family member. Calling a female -kun is not insulting and can also mean that the person is respected, although that is not the normal implication.
–Kun (くん), the most commonly used honorific in anime. It is used to address young males. It is also used by superiors to inferiors and male of the same age and status. –Chan (ちゃん), most frequently used for girls and between them, children, close friends, or lovers.
"San," "kun," and "chan" are added to the ends of names and occupation titles to convey varying degrees of intimacy and respect in the Japanese language. They are used very often and it is considered impolite if you use the terms incorrectly.
an upperclassmanSenpai made its first appearance in Urban Dictionary back in 2004, when a user defined it as "an upperclassman." Other entries (a number of which mention anime and manga) have since been added; it's defined there variously as "someone older than you," "someone you look up to," "mentor," "senior," an "older person who ...
Meanwhile, Hinata called Naruto with "kun" as an informal honorific for a boy with the same age, that applies too for kun.