Japan - How to #19 - Status

[kidddflash]

I thought "dono" was the highest title you can give someone

[qwertyb18]

So Jackie Chan is Jacki Chan San, or Jackie Chan Chan?

[jodelle6]

funny, i've never heard boys call each other chan. i really though it was only for kids and girls.

[mizlilly236]

Did you mean they'll JUST call each other "san"? I thought it was a prefix for the last name? So if I were to introduce Yamada-san to someone would the other person refer to Yamada-san as Yamada-san or simply "San"?

[HippyGoat]

@mizlilly236 The way he said it was confusing, but yes, they use "san", "kun", "chan", etc. as suffixes on last names. For example, if your name was Yamada, it becomes Yamada-san, Yamada-kun, etc.

[giandra22]

It was kind of funny listening to this, because where I come from 'chan' means 'but' as in posterior.

[Goat5611]

as a follow up to this well-made video: when in doubt, use san. questions? refer to his #15 compliments and modesty video :)

[razoraresharp]

Hi, i'm wondering you said about asking their age. But isn't it rude to ask girl about their age? i saw once in a documentary that if you like to know a girl's age you better off asking her driver's license or something.

[goldcherries]

@razoraresharp was that actually in japan or America? because i think that's kind of wierd to suddenly ask for someone's license no matter where you are. when I was in japan, the news identified old ladies ages all the time so i'm pretty sure no one care's about giving their age.

[razoraresharp]

@goldcherries

i saw it in a documentay about japan. They say it's rude to ask a girl/woman their age directly.

[DarkDFlame]

Japan is really complicated.

[UncleFred34]

Which suffix would you uses if you were talking to a priest or monk?

[CelloTuning]

you really have the eyes of a sociologist, I love your videos!

[springfever2002]

So that's why my two Japanese instructors veered away from the status topic so much. Every time they were asked to explain it, they were so reluctant to. it may not be complicated, but I think they prefer none Japanese people to know. This is truly a difficult topic to get into.

[avegailtadiarca]

is kun for men, women, or both? Also in some dramas, I hear them saying "kun" to their assistants.

[TofuUnion]

I'm Japanese and have to say this video is quite misleading. There isn't actually such complex honorific status system in Japan as you would imagine. It's more about the usage of politeness to call somebody in Japanese language. In French for example, they have "Tu" and "Vous" which is You in English. They never call their boss "Tu". There are lots more variations in Japanese.

[Mehagles]

@TofuUnion Well, you may be right if you talk about English but to my mind he also refers to Western culture in general. In Germany, I saw a lot of examples where the bosses are called by their first name and addressed with the "tu". Even I do that when talking to my mentors at school. Teachers teaching smaller courses at university are nearly always addressed with the informal you. At least in Germany. But on the other side, your the Japanese person not me and neither of us knows everything.

[TofuUnion]

@Mehagles I can't explain it in short sentences, Could you search " To Japan with respect " on Youtube ? lingosteve is talking about Japan and its Respect culture (or egalitarian society). By the way, Ich verstehe ganz gut Deutsch und see große Unterschieht zwischen Japanischen und Deutschen Menschen Beziehungen im Allgemeinen, obwohl Japanische Höflichkeit ist nicht so etwas wie gezwungen.

[TheAle89515]

In Sri Lanka there is an honorific status system that is sort of in between Japan and Western countries. Definitely not as structured as Japan but certainly more than in the US -- mostly it applies to family, where there are different honorifics for older siblings/relatives and younger relatives, (similar to onee-san, onii-san, imoto/ototo in Japanese). It's also a Buddhist country so there are honorifics for addressing priests as well. I'm sure many Asian countries have similar systems.

[cutiexa111]

ive been here in japan for almost 2yrs now, and working in a certain company.

at first, my japanese co workers and boss used to call me ~san..

but now they call me duane, which is my name,. haha lucky!

and oh! btw, `lucky` is mostly used expression in japan. ラッキ！

[wilric01]

do u get into much trouble if u use the wrong san, senpai, kohai etc?

[DeepBlueSkyy]

You forget to mention that if you say just the first name then it mean you close(family) or girlfriend/boyfriend.

[Ah4b]

Would you say that its more difficult for western people to blend in with the japanese than vice versa?

[divawithatude]

very interesting

[Larindarr]

what about dono?

[arby22207]

You would never use "san" for children or anybody under 16 yo.

[AliceHale93]

I red somewhere that it´s rude to ask a young girl/woman about her age in Japan. Is that true?

[timboiscool]

I hear they did ceremony with big penisses is this right?

[nasooli]

koon means ass in my language . lol

[xTenshiAi]

I once heard someone call a GIRL -kun

[atoxicdoll]

so kun is for boys only then right? so for girls it would still be chan?

[seraphinapandora]

@atoxicdoll - "-chan" is girls and boys, but "-kun" is just for boys.

[romanceunderthemoon]

@seraphinapandora

I address a younger adult male friend as 'san' while his aunt addresses him as 'kun'.

[seraphinapandora]

@romanceunderthemoon - I mean "-kun" is used to address boys, but girls can say it too.

[sidescrollin]

i have a real problem with that fact you are supposed to use last named but alot of the time peoples names in japanese are stated Last name first....i guess if you knew alot of names or the language itd be easier to identify them as first or last but i cant at all for the moment.

[XXsoshiXX]

i wonder how japanese treat american soldires posted there

[TheChopstickWitch]

I understand high school girls often call their their (guy) classmates "Kun". . but why does a wife call their husband "san"?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@TheChopstickWitch

They don't usually.

[omatsu123]

@TheJapanChannelDcom Most of married couple call each other "oto-san" father and "oka-san" mother even after their children have grown up and left home. And I know some wives prefer to call husband "first name-san". Fewer but some husbands call wives with "san". Here, I guess only parents are allowed to call their children by first names without "san". And it's more like, "John Smith, are you listening to me?"

[omatsu123]

Anyway, friendliness is expressed thru keeping distance and showing respect among Japanese rather patting shoulders and calling each other by first name. My first name is Yoko but only my mother Yoko me, seriously. My gaijin friends are exceptions just like you guys are tolerant about my wrong pronunciations of lice and rice ;)

[oootyan]

@TheChopstickWitch

I think "kun" is childish words If adult woman call a adult man.

but, If they are old friends is No problem.

"san" is useful words. is not rude if call "san".

I'm sorry for my poor English.I hope you'll understand

[TheChopstickWitch]

@oootyan Yes, essentially you are saying it's a way to be polite towards your husband since -Kun is for young people. Thank you.

[savetherocks]

So do Japanese people usually call westerners by their first name?

[dsiderreck6]

THIS VIDEO IS SO COOL LOL BCAUSE U POSTED THIS ON MY B-DAY!!!!!!!!!!! also i love all of your vids this is as far as i am right now and im gonna watch em all!

[Leecher4711]

The question about the age would be regarded very rude and persoal in most western countries. ... hmmm, and ou forgot "chama" for old chaps ...

[Vikingchips5]

Not to be picky. But they also add chan when people are referring to girls and kun when they are referring to boys.

[Quy4life]

i want to be called dono or sama. hehehe

[animelove2021]

@Quy4life lol

[KiriouSs]

i wonder if they are known to the american cultue by all the movies and stuff.

[takamper]

chan and kun are for kids. chan is for girls and kun is for boys. has nothing to do with friend thing or not stuff

[gillianorley]

Most people are either smart and capable or are idiots and incompetent all their lives. If you were a young idiot, you will likely be an old idiot who THINKS he has wisdom.

What if someone who is older is an idiot? I guess in Japan you have to call him Sempai.

[JungleFuury]

@gillianorley I will be higher ranked in a company than that idiot xD

[RAZRHANDS]

Just wondering if it would be rude to ask a japanese person what they would prefer to be called?.... or would they down play it in an attempt to be modest?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@RAZRHANDS

Would put them in an uncomfortable position.

Just better to use family name + san until they say otherwise.

[perfume444]

My name is Gus Kund so in Japan they call me Gus Kun ????

[VertigaDesignMEDIA]

this guy is really humble.

[PnoyBoi4Ever]

that explains the japanese animes with every1 saying senpai lol

[tawan20082008]

I didn't understand the last part. Did you say it's best to usually call be by their given (non-surname) name, followed by "san" , or to call them by their surname followed by "san" ?

[5orAiA]

I've heard somethings japanese friends call each other by "-chin" i think that's how it's written, is that something like -chan? sorry if it's a confusing question >_<

[ImIwilliamImI]

I've heard something about japanese having something called ''true feelings''

You have the ''don't say anything to make someone feel bad'' and the ''true feelings'' What the true feelings about then?

[Unzaman]

How Japanese people call foreigners, do they have title for Gaijin's.

"However if the honorific san is attached to the word Gaijin as Gaijin-san, some see it as a friendly expression." - Wikipedia.

[pinksunflower100]

i thought sama was used between girlfriend and boyfriend.

[Masqueradia]

It doesn't seem so complex it seems like just sort of a "You're more experienced, you're my senpai." be it by age or how long you've worked/gone to school somewhere. "You're less experienced, you're my kohai." Well that's honesty. I mean who says japanese people aren't honest?

[JuliaLordOfTheTrees]

It does make me feel uncomfortable in the sense that they actually think they are better or worse than me. I like to treat pretty much everybody I know equal, because I feel it's nice and fair. That's how I'd like to be treated. I didn't know if it was really that big of a deal, knowing now that it is a bigger deal than I thought before I still feel comfortable calling others ya know. I think I'd do san and kun the most though because I want them to feel like their equal, even if they aren't. XD

[Bpro64]

Do people or yourself get offended when someone calls them you a lower friend?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@Bpro64

No, their egos are not like that.

[sacura605]

@Bpro64 no its like master apprentice friend like sempai is your upperclassman i guess its based by seniority like over there kohai is underclassman san is respectful formal chan and kun is refered to close friends girl boy respectively ect

[xXhopey96Xx]

i thought chan was used for girls that are friends n kun for boys that are friends

[Beki01X]

@xXhopey96Xx Yes, if you watch anime that's typically what you think from the context but it's slightly different in the real world Japan.

[DarkNSF]

is there a sign you can wear for "warning, does not completely understand social patterns?".

[Casaltex]

I've already hear "dono" aplying o a woman, do you know anything about it?

[xXhopey96Xx]

@Casaltex dono means lord i think or tono, i might be mixed up

[khmaster4]

what if they were born on the exact same day?

[Jade7272]

i was taught that "kun" was only for guy friends, and that "chan" was for girl friends/kids etc... thoughts?

[EtherealOhitoyoshi]

You missed a few, like tan, chi, donno, etc. ^-^

[melnakpo]

How does a japanese person make the status adjustment outside of Japan? Do they insist on being called something in particular considering they are in a different country?

[59spore]

how do you know what "status" you have in others eye in japan.

exept kun senpai.

[88Kamikaze69]

honorifics... hm, complicated stuff :P

[DaviDelicious]

*eye twitches*

A lot to remember =]

But that will make me feel even better when i get it.

[renvaar]

I like to hang out with doukyuusei (people same age as me). Means I don't have to deal with all this. Being only 20 everyone I meet is a senpai so i've always gotta watch the way I speak.

[hinatagirl101]

I see now that "chan" is for both men and women, but I always thought it was meant for girls because(and I hate using this reference xD) that in anime, girls were generally called "chan" and guys were generally called "kun." Even though it can be used for both, is it generally used for girls? If not, why is that?

[DragonBaine]

i must say that i AM thankfull for letting me open my eyes and see it from the realistical perspective.

I seriously hate Japan :P

[dynamiteguitar]

hey, your videos are very good! i am going to make an attempt to watch all your videos because.....I LOVE JAPAN! and japanese culture and people. so i appereciate your effort for making these videos for people that love japanese, so we can gain a better understanding.

[animegirl86]

I have also heard people use "-dono"; when would that be appropriate?

[Seirios86]

what if u just call your friend by their name alone? O.o

..sounds logical enough, or not? =P

[ERCacting]

@Seirios86 I am not an expert, but you would stick to "san" or "kun"  for a friend. I think a name alone is rare. Generally don't do it unless they do first.

[ar4ijs]

@Seirios86 yeah, you don't use name alone, usually add san... it really depends on the status and your relationship with the person, only the closest and bla bla will let you call by the name alone other way it's disrespectful

[Chuloloc]

Interesting. Great video.

[Sugarchan]

I was called, "Gaijin-sama" at the Kyoto Imperial grounds by a guard...LOL XD. I didn't know whether to be insulted for being called Gaijin or feel ok about it because he followed it with Sama.

[pinkyssj4]

@Sugarchan What does Gaijin mean?

[Sugarchan]

@pinkyssj4 Gaijin basically means foreigner.

[neonaction]

what is the status of artists like mangaka or musicians in japan? thanks great channel!

[lizziety]

What about like parkers are they more than just the average person?Or are they put as lower because they have to work for others?

[Clearie552]

I love the way japanese address achother! now that im in college i even call my teachers by their first names.  i guess its nice and casual but saying sensei and shachou sounds much more cool.

[ArandurKing909]

I'm going to act older.

[Mickyak4]

u should make a video of a lesson speaking japanese

[jennypt8109]

How do people in Japan view medical professionals? To be respected? Or providing a service?

Great videos, btw! :)

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@jennypt8109

The doctors see themselves as gods and have terrible bedside manner...

and the patients accept it..

not good!

[cr4yv3n]

@TheJapanChannelDcom For real ??

Wow when i'm out of college i'd be a God hahahaha

[chilldude567]

@TheJapanChannelDcom do u HAVE to give them a "tag" ( kun, senpai ect) or can u just say their name, i heard if u say their first name without the ending words its rude cause only couples or really close friends can do that

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@chilldude567

That is right.

[Masqueradia]

@chilldude567

Actually people will look at you funny if you call them by their first names and you've only just met. It's tradition that unless you're REALLY close that's just not done.

[chilldude567]

@Masqueradia thnx for clearing that up bro ;)

[Masqueradia]

@chilldude567 T^T Why does everyone think I'm a boy? J/K ^_^-

[echosixnoble]

@TheJapanChannelDcom so, pretty much like everywhere else. LOL. Thanks for the making these videos, I've been addicted to them since I started viewing them, I watch them every night before I go to sleep. Keep up the good work! It's refreshing, seeing such informative and entertaining works from you. :)

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@echosixnoble

Thanks for the kind words.

[romanceunderthemoon]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

That's a really interesting remark, because I was told by a friend who would be in a position to know, that J-doctors are so polite that they will excuse themselves and apologize before even touching you to begin a personal physical examination.

[neikaplay]

for me everyone calls me 'san' out of respect. when someone starts to call me 'chan' i feel like its because we are becoming better friends. this is rare of course.

[Syc0warden]

I gotta tell you, this is off putting... its like a trap to trick you into accidentally offending someone.

[MrGuy1332]

speaking of status if someone slightly older or more experienced in a field refers to someone lower as a ZEMPAI (I'm not sure how you spell it). Is that possibly also considered a little rude or even sarcastic in japanese culture? Or is it not too bigger deal?

[mermesh200]

informative!!!

very nice

love it

more please

[inabeana]

love the point about asking age when they first meet you and the connection with that to status. Excellent.

[whiskers3444]

what do u call ur best friend

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@whiskers3444

probably "kun"

[whiskers3444]

thanks nice vids very helpfull and fun at the sametime 5 stars

[jonpatrickjo]

i am in a uni club were i am the oldest and also in my 4th year of study there so i started as sempai. but there was a rule about not being able to join past 2 year , so i said consider me as first year. because that is how long i was in the japanese uni for. so i became kohai. this confused a lot of people. and has sort of messed the whole kohai sempai thing up. i hate the system. its so liner. i call most people san. and am considered polite. i have to make some exceptions (bosses for example)

[FredSpade]

Quality info

[koukku23]

emm... im thinking here what do you say if you dont know is he/she younger or older that you?

you make damn useful and good videos! so thank you

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@koukku23

san

[ManwellaQ8]

thank you so much ... very useful information

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@ManwellaQ8

Thanks for watching!

[rollermaul22]

lol, thanks for the reply. Won't be doing that again. Experience is the best teacher, is it not? :)

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@rollermaul22

It is.... but in Japan, making the mistakes in the first place can cause damage that may not be repairable.. I learned that from experience too :-)

[rollermaul22]

Ouch, its scary b/c its so true--everywhere really....Lol, I can always give up a finger and square everything away right? lol Right?! ;-)

[rollermaul22]

I called a japanese classmate at the university here in New York "Miho Sama" all of the time. AND...Needless to say, she no longer speaks to me...:(

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@rollermaul22

Indeed......

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@EmirioDesu

Sounds like a good website forum question :-)

I have a prepaid phone and it is cheap.

[EmirioDesu]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

Ok ill check out the forum :D

[EmirioDesu]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

If i called a friend a pervert, could i call him/her Hentai-san/chan/kun?

[hyperkiller13]

San for guy

Chan for girl

Senpai/Sensei-Teacher/higher

Right?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@hyperkiller13

Women are san too.

Chan is very personal.

Guys can be chan too.

[EmirioDesu]

@TheJapanChannelDcom

This is what i've been teached:

Kun/San/Chan = Male

Chan = Female

Senpai/Sensei = Teacher/Royalty

Amirite?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@EmirioDesu

No, it depends on the relationships.

Chan can be guys and san can be girls and sempai can be friends.

[plecto1234]

So what does "san" really mean? What difference would it be if I called a japanese guy "x san" instead of just "x"? What would it be like if I met somone a couple of years older than me and I called him "kohai"?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

@plecto1234

It is just an honorific.

If you did that they would just think you were rude.. or ignorant :-)

[naruto1n1]

dam i know alot about japan and id love to live and work there for a while. just woundered if u might have any advise for me?

[B4IRUTUARU16]

isnt that kind of rude saying ohh hi ted this is my friend sam hes a under me

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

not rude here :-)

[totaldramaqueen108]

so if a guy and a girl are dating what do they call each other? does age make big difference?

what if they get married? what happens then?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

usually call each other by their names with no honorific..

After they have kids it is usually "mother" and "father" :-D

[Guilt1986]

Watching a lot of subbed Japanese animes got me a lot familar with the Japanese language. It's kind of scary how similar the actual japan is when compared to the animes.

[OMGitsCARNAGE]

i feel as if i belong in japan after watching these videos. Seems a lot more peaceful than the loud obnoxious people we have here in America. we could learn a lot from japan

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

The world can learn a lot from America.

But I agree, the world could learn a lot from Japan too.

One of the many reasons I make these videos :-)

[infantrypfc]

I think I could probably work through or squeak by just by being humble and assuming that I am always on the bottom and if they call me something higher than that, think of it as a compliment (but, keep it to myself).

Order from lowest to highest;

-chan, -cohai, -san, -sempai, -sama

Then, add the exceptions, -kun for personal friends, then manager or boss, then owner somewhere between -sempai and -sama.

Is this somewhere close?

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

Pretty good!

Good attitude too!

[moxxfactor]

not sure if it's been mentioned, but tencho = store manager, bucho = department manager(in an office, usually)

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

Yeah, not just a position but a title..

another video there, I think!

[DriggerX900]

Hmm...would it be safe to say "dono"?

i've seen that in some anime,

but i guess its best not to copy anime....

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

Yeah, best not to :-)

[K1kuch1]

I had difficult with this, i called some people that i already meet by the first name.. wow the scenario became soo heavy.. by the time i didn´t know this so.. it went verry bad..

Latin american likes to greet people with a kiss on the face.. well.. NEVER do that to japanese girls.. i got a Hentai on my face.. and never did that again..

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

A latin greeting on a Japanese person :-D

That would be a scene! :-D

[DriggerX900]

hentai???

you got "pervert" on your face?

[K1kuch1]

Oh sorry, is just a way o saying thing on my language, i translated to english and i forgot that on another language this kind os phrase lose the meaning.

"Hentai on my face" can be understand as

"She said that i am a hentai in front of me and she didnt hold back"

[DriggerX900]

oh, i am really not prepared for my trip to japan...

[DeaNovo]

@DriggerX900 i know how your feel. i got soooooo much to absorb

[justin6string]

@DriggerX900 There's no way to be prepared. You WILL step on some toes without even thinking about it, no matter what you do. Japanese people will just shake it off and assume it's because you're foreign and you have no idea what the hell is going on. The best you can do is bow, and apologize A LOT. Different people in different parts of Japan act differently too. Some are more traditional than others, some are more inviting of foreigners than others. Depends on where you go.

がんばれ！

[neverendingsorrow200]

ahhhh i was wondering what Senpai meant, they use it in Ouran all the time lol

[qxpadam]

very intresting subject, thanks for the video.

[utubepolis]

Interesting.

[chuchummm]

I've heard "chama" before. Isn't that some kind of babied version of sama? Like the daughter of a Sama?

[JohanHerr84]

I heard "chama" in the anime series Hunter x Hunter. The translator explained it as cute AND respectfull.

[BrainyBeauty09]

i seen the anime with it in it, its suppose to be chan and sama together, as i understand it.

[JohanHerr84]

Chan - Usually used about little girls, but also for friends as you say.

Kun - For little boys, and friends.

San - Everyone else, almost.

Sensei - Teachers, doctors and lawyers.

Sama - The emperor.

Often you are a senpai or kouhai but its not usually a title like san. The senpai says kun or chan to his/her kouhai.

This is how I have come to understand it through anime, moives and living in Japan for one year.

Keep the movies coming!!