What Do "San," "Kun," and "Chan" Mean in Japanese?

"San," "kun," and "chan" are added to the ends of names and occupation titles to convey varying degrees of intimacy and respect in the Japanese language.

They are used very often, and it is considered impolite if you use the terms incorrectly. For instance, you should not use "kun," which is used to address men who are younger or the same age as you, when addressing a superior, or "chan," which is mainly used for children, when talking to someone older than you. Additionally, while "san" is gender-neutral and widely used, "kun" and "chan" carry gender implications. "Kun" is typically used to address men, and "chan" is most frequently used with girls or young women, though it can be applied to both genders.

In the tables below, you'll see more about how and when it is appropriate to use "san," "kun," and "chan."

San

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 names of occupations and titles.

For example:

Kun

Less polite than "~ san", "~ kun （～君）" is used to address men who are younger or the same age as the speaker. A male might address female inferiors by "~ kun," usually in schools or companies. It can be attached to both surnames and given names. Additionally, "~kun" isn't used between women or when addressing one's superiors.

Chan

A very familiar term, "~ chan （～ちゃん）" is often attached to children's names when calling them by their given names. It can also be attached to kinship terms in a childish language.

For instance: