Well, Japanese honorifics can be tricky, but this is your pal welovehina's guide to them.
I am copying them out of a negima book :P
-san:the most common honorific. Equal to Mr., Miss, Ms., or Mrs. All purpose honorific.
-sama: One level higher then "-san". used to confer great respect.
-dono: This comes from the word "tono" which means lord. Higher level of respect then sama and confers utmost respect.
-kun: This is used at the end of boys names to express familiarity. Sometimes used by men among friends or adressing someone of a younger station.
-chan: Used to express endearment, mostly toward girls. it can be used for little boys, pets, and even among lovers. It gives a sence of childish cuteness.
Bozu: informal way of refering to a boy. similar to the english terms "kid" and "squirt"
Sempai/Senpai: Used for one's senoir in a group or orginization. Most often used in schools when underclassmen adress an upperclassmen.
Kohai: Oppisite of "sempai" and is used toward underclassmen.
Sensei: Literally meaning "one who has come before", this title is used for teachers, doctors, or masters of any profession or art.
Anesan (or nesan): a generic term for a girl, usually older, that means sister.
Ojosama: A way of referring to the daughter or sister of someone with high political or social status.
Well, i hope that this list will help you folks out with your JP honorifics. Have fun using them on the forum.
Your friendly neighborhood spiderman,
-welovehina
