Subject: [FFML] Japanese Nomenclature Refresher
From: David Johnston
Date: 4/18/1999, 2:27 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

Phuc Tram wrote:

On Sat, 17 Apr 1999, Angus MacSpon wrote:

ALSO APPEARING:

Ono Tofu  . . . . . . . Ken Nakajima  ("You're Under Arrest!")
Ninomiya Hinako . . . . Azusa Kanzaki  ("Devil Hunter Yohko")

That is Tofu Ono and Hinako Ninomiya, since you are using the
<Given_name><Family_name> format.

That is correct.  Many people are confused because they are called
Tofu-sensei and Hinako-sensei (Doctor Tofu and Miss Hinako in 
translation), and calling your teachers and doctors by their first 
names isn't North American practice, but the rules are different in
Japan.

It is also not true that the -chan suffix is reserved for girls and
-kun is reserved for boys.  -chan is simply the more familiar 
address, and it is usually more appropriate to address a girl familiarly 
than a boy.  

As best I understand it in order of familiarity it goes:

No suffix:  Very informal.  Usually a family member or the very closest 
friends when the given name is used without a suffix.  One of the things 
that makes Ranma so rude is that he rarely uses a suffix.  I believe 
Kuno actually challenges Ranma initially because he spoke to Akane 
without using a suffix, suggesting that they were already as good as 
married, or Ranma was a mannerless oaf.  

-chan (sweetie/dear/baby):  Very familiar.  Appropriate for addressing 
children, teen-age girls you are friendly with, or your boyfriend or 
girlfriend, or entertainers by their fans.  Nabiki -chans Kuno probably 
to imply that she regards him as very immature.  Ukyo -chans everyone 
because she's from the Japanese equivalent of California and generally 
maintains a very friendly demeanor.  Ranma calls Ukyo "Ucchan" as a 
holdover from childhood.  Arnold Schwarzenegger is called "Arnold-chan" 
by his Japanese fans.

-kun (pal/buddy):  Less familiar.  Appropriate for addressing teenage 
boys, adult male friends, students of either gender when you are a 
teacher, professional subordinates.  Yohko's teacher calls her 
"Yohko-kun" to maintain an appropriate distance between them.  

-san (Mister/Mrs.):  Formal.  Appropriate between acquaintances on
equal terms.  Ryoga has never had the nerve to get familiar with
Akane so he calls her "Akane-san".  If he called her "Tendo-San",
he'd be treating her like a stranger.

-dono (Sir/Ma'am):  Slightly deferential, a mark of respect.  Washu
calls Tenchi by this title, perhaps because of his noble lineage,
or because she respects his power.

-sensei (Doctor, literally "Teacher"):  Applies to doctors and teachers.
People who have a doctorate but do not teach or practise medicine are 
known as "Hakase", like Nambu on Science Ninja Gatchaman.  A mark of 
respect for learning.  

-sama (My Lord, My Lady)  Unequivocally subordinate.  Katherine Madigan 
is -sama'd by her organisational subordinates in Genom.  Kodachi -samas
Ranma to indicate that she has placed him on a pedestal, designating
him as her hero.  

Last name is more formal than first name.  Kyosuke Kasuga calls Madoka
"Ayukawa" without a suffix.  If he called her "Madoka" before they were
engaged, she'd hurt him.  She calls him "Kasuga-kun" because it is 
generally appropriate to be slightly more formal with a boy.  Both of 
them keep it on a family name basis because Madoka is not a really 
chummy person by and large and because they don't want to get too 
obviously close for fear of hurting Hikaru, who both of them address
by her first name.