What does San mean in Japanese? When and how to use it?

What does San signify in Japanese if you’re a serious student of the language? when to use this word in a discussion and how to do so.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It is the most typical honorific and denotes “Mr,” “Mrs,” “Ms,” or “Miss” in English. Men and women, a person’s first or last name, titles, and other common nouns can all use the suffix.

Below is a list of all the various Japanese words that can signify “san” if you’d like a more thorough explanation of what it means. You will learn how to use the honorific suffix san with common nouns, titles, and occupations as well as when to use it and when not to.

What does “San” mean in Japanese?

The actual meaning of a word in Japanese is frequently determined by how it is written. The same is true of the Japanese word san. If written in Hiragana as さん (san), it is a Japanese honorific title that is added after a person’s name and means “Mr”, “Mrs”, “Miss”, or “Ms”.

However, when written in Katakana as サン (san), it means “sun” in English.

Meaning of San in Japanese honorific title

In Japan, referring to someone by their given name and calling them Mr. Aki or Mrs./Miss/Miss Steffi, respectively, is totally acceptable.

The suffix suggests that the other person is familiar with or knowledgeable of you, but it also suggests that you are not very close with them or that they are in a position of authority or higher rank. They might have only recently met, or the other individual

How and when to use San in Japanese

San (さん) is used politely to address strangers, acquaintances, and familiars, but not personal names or friends. It can be added to occupations, businesses, and certain items.

As a general rule, if you are unsure about which honorific suffix to use, go with San (さん). It is the most secure option in both informal and formal settings, particularly among adults.

Using San in daily life situations

In Japan, referring to someone by their given name and calling them Mr. Aki or Mrs./Miss/Miss Steffi, respectively, is totally acceptable.

The suffix suggests that the other person is familiar with or knowledgeable of you, but it also suggests that you are not very close with them or that they are in a position of authority or higher rank.

Using San in formal situations

Address your boss, coworkers, and seniors by their last name plus san () in professional or business contexts. When you get to know juniors better, you might be able to transition to the first name followed by san () or even Kun ().

To express your gratitude, you can also attach San () to the name of someone else’s company. You can address Microsoft as “san,” just as you can address Toyota as “san.”

You must omit the honorific suffix when referring to a superior or coworker who works for another organization (out-group).

For instance, even though at your workplace you would typically refer to Mr. Tanaka as Tanaka-san or Tanaka-kaichou

Conclusion

You must keep coming back to this manual until you master San; otherwise, you risk making a hostile environment for yourself.