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.
The Japanese suffix -san is polite, but not excessively formal. It can be broadly used to: Refer to anyone you don't know, regardless of status or age. Address equals of the same age.
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).
San, the most common one, could be translated as “Mr.”, “Mrs.” and “Ms.” and is gender neutral.
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.
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.
The most common title is san (さん). It means all of "Mr", "Mrs", "Miss", and "Ms." Mr Tanaka is referred to as Tanaka-san, as is Mrs Tanaka, and their unmarried daughter.
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.
Honorifics are gender neutral, but some are used more for one gender than the other. Kun, for example, is used more for males while chan is for females.
Senpai is sometime spelled sempai. The more common transcription of the word is senpai—sempai reflects a mispronunciation that's the result of the interaction of the n consonant with the following p consonant, causing the n sound, when realized, to shift in anticipation for the p sound.
As is common in East Asian cultures, in Japanese the family name always comes first. National pride motivates many advocates of the change. From a Japanese perspective, writes Peter Tasker, a Tokyo-based commentator, in the Nikkei Asian Review, it represents “authenticity and normalisation”.
When telephones began to be used in Japan, telephone operators were at work. When those who made calls wanted to make sure if their voices were reaching the operators, they said MÔSU, MÔSU. This is said to be the origin of MOSHIMOSHI.
Direction of writing
Traditionally, Japanese is written in a format called tategaki (縦書き), which was inherited from traditional Chinese practice. In this format, the characters are written in columns going from top to bottom, with columns ordered from right to left.
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.
Even though kun / chan aren't necessarily considered to be "polite" in the purest sense (nothing wrong with using these on your significant other, though), it is considered more "polite" than just doing given name without adding an honorific to the end.
Senpai refers to the member of higher experience, hierarchy, level, or age in the organization who offers assistance, friendship, and counsel to a new or inexperienced member, known as the kōhai, who must demonstrate gratitude, respect, and occasionally personal loyalty.
?? 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.
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.
Unless you've been invited to use first names, then it's polite to stick to surnames only. Jumping to first names too quickly might well be deemed as presumptuous (and even offensive if the person is more senior to you in age or position).
San (さん) – Equivalent to “Mr.” or “Mrs.” San (さん), is the most common honorific, equivalent to “Mr.” or “Mrs.” It is a title of respect, so it is okay to use for anyone, especially if you are not sure which honorific to use. It can be used with both male and female names, and with either a surname or a first name.
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.
Daarin (ダーリン)
Daarin is the best way to say 'my darling' in Japanese. Since the Japanese language doesn't really have any native terms of endearment, they have borrowed this from English! Daarin is a gender-neutral term of endearment, so both boyfriends and girlfriends can call each other this way.
Yuri (Japanese: 百合, lit. "lily"), also known by the wasei-eigo construction girls' love (ガールズラブ, gāruzu rabu), is a genre of Japanese media focusing on intimate relationships between female characters.