In Japanese, "~ san （～さん）" is a title of respect added to a name. It can be used with both male and female names, and with either surnames or given names. It can also be attached to the name of occupations and titles.
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.
Although the closest analog in English are the honorifics "Mr.", "Miss", "Ms.", or "Mrs.", -san is almost universally added to a person's name; -san can be used in formal and informal contexts, regardless of the person's gender.
For boyfriends and girlfriends, you'll often use -ちゃん or -くん, or call them by their name. You can also call them 彼 (kare, “he” or “boyfriend”) and 彼女 (kanojo, “she” or “girlfriend”) when talking to others.
O-ne-chan is acceptable as a form of address for a young girl (under 10).
Josei (女性)
Comprised of two kanji characters, “woman” and “sex,” this is the most general term used to refer to women and is the equivalent to “female” in English. It's also the safest and most politically correct of them all.
Woman / Women / Lady / Ladies
The politically correct and most common way to refer to a woman or women in Japanese is josei / 女性. Josei is a compound word which combines the kanji for woman (onna), pronounced here with its onyomi reading (jo), and sei / 性 which refers to the biological sex / gender of a person.
In Japanese, "~ san （～さん）" is a title of respect added to a name. It can be used with both male and female names, and with either surnames or given names.
It's gender neutral and works functionally like Mr./Ms/Miss/Mrs., but is much more commonly used in modern language than those examples. -San also gets added onto the names of some companies and professions to refer to the shop or the people who work there.
Japanese does not really use terms of endearment like in English (honey, babe etc). The most common way for Japanese guys to call their girlfriend is simply to use their first name, either by itself or with the suffix -chan.
San is a girl's name of English origin, meaning "the sandpiper bird." San is related to the English name Sanny.
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.
As a rule of thumb, in Japanese business life, the surname name is always followed by the honorific suffix “san” (meaning “dear” or actually “honorable Mr/Ms.”). There are of course many other options such as “sama” (highly revered customer or company manager) or “sensei” (Dr. or professor).
Address the Person Respectfully
In Japan, it's best to use the person's surname followed by the honorific “-san” or “-sama.” For example, rather than typing “Hello John,” use “Hello Smith-san” or “Hello Smith-sama.”
Kun (くん) – used by people of senior status to refer to people of junior status or by anyone when referring to male children or teenagers. Women may also used the term when referring to a guy they are emotionally attached or known a long time. Kun isn't male exclusive, but mostly used for male references.
-me (奴): A derogatory honorific, used when you refer to people, things, or concepts you're a) pissed at, b) deem despicable/inferior. Not as common in real life as anime and manga would have you believe, and it's usually used jokingly or sarcastically.
?? Senpai (先輩、せんぱい)
As with "Sensei" is used interchangeably by sex, and does not necessarily follows the name. You might find it transcribed as "sempai". Its opposite is "Kohai/kouhai" but it is rarely used when talking to someone.
2 Answers. All are nominal suffixes with 'san' as being the most regular and an equivalent to Miss, Ms, Mrs and Mr. 'Chan' may implies a familial and affectionate relationship while 'tan' is even cuter and infantile. 'Sama' is reserved for more formal or honorific address.
Japanese naming conventions arrange names as follows: [FAMILY NAME] [given name]. For example, YAMAMOTO Yukio (male) and SATŌ Akari (female). The family name (known as 'myouji' or 'ue no namae') is inherited patrilineally from one's father and shared with other siblings. It always comes before the given name.
When addressing someone you should suffix that person's surname with the term 'san'. So, if you're speaking to Mr Sato, then the correct way to address him would be as Sato-san. If you're speaking to Mrs Sato, then she too should be addressed as Sato-san. This term does not discriminate between genders.
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Depending on the age and character of the person you are asking, they may respond with either their given name or their surname. In either case, unless told otherwise, it is best to show respect by adding “san” at the end of their name whenever you refer to them.