On Sun, 11 May 1997 12:10:04 -0400 (EDT) StarFurie wrote:
: In a message dated 97-05-10 22:11:59 EDT, you write:
:
: << At 08:58 PM 5/10/97 -0500, you wrote:
: >
:
: >So far as I know, there's -sempai, -san, -sama, -kun, -chan, etc., but you
: >probably already know that.
: >
: >BTW, "-chan" isn't capitalized, and neither are all of the other prefixes.
: >_______________________________________________________________________
:
:
: Thanx... I do know most of those, but what confuses me is which of them is
: more or less "familiar" than the others... such as, is 'sempai' more
: intimate than 'chan'? And, which are used for addressing males or
: addressing females?
:
: Coutuva. >>
:
: I'll tell you the ones I know
:
: -san: A general term of respect like Mr./Ms./Mrs./Miss. Placed at the end
: of the family name.
Not necessarily the family name. Think of Ryouga's "Akane-san"
: -sama: A more formal version of -san. Denotes more respect.
A lot of it. Be careful when using it, or it might be taken as
sarcasm, just as you don't "sir" everybody.
: o-: Another term of respect, used at the beginning of nouns. Can be used
: with -san or -sama.
As witnessed in "O-kyaku-san" or "o-nee-chan". Ranma calls Nabiki
"nee-chan" without the "o-", and Kodachi calls Tatewaki
"o-nii-sama" - even while she's beating or poisoning him. <boggle>
: -kun: Term used for boys.
<BZZZT> Not true. It seems to be used *more often* for boys, but
there is no direct relationship between the suffix and the gender.
Kunou calls Akane "Akane-kun", just as an example. It is
basically for someone equal or lower in status in the same peer
group.
: -chan: Term used for, and overused by, girls. This can also note someone
: you like.
Again, no direct relation to gender. It isn't often used for
boys, because it has an association of "cuteness" to it. As far
as I know, its origin is a childlike slurry pronounciation of
"-san". For example, Kumon Ryuu can be seen calling his father
"Otou-chan" in a flashback. Ukyou calls Ranma "Ran-chan".
The use of "-kun" and "-chan" for boys and girls is just a rule of
the thumb, sometimes used in learning japanese, that has been
taken a bit too far in the western fanfic genre.
: Family terms:
:
: okaa-san: Mother
These terms change, depending on whether you speak about your
own family, or someone elses, and whether you speak *to* them or
*about* them to someone else.
When Ranma talks to his mother (or tries to), he uses "Ofukuro",
for example.
All my examples are from the manga, and I am *definitely* open for
correction, since I am in no way an expert.
Sebastian