Correct way to address someone in Japanese?

Answer 1

Addressing someone in Japanese, there are two main conventions to keep track of:

First, family and personal name. Japanese culture places the family above the individual, hence, they introduce themselves with their family name first, personal name second. When you talk to someone, always use the FAMILY NAME, unless they give you permission to use their personal name. Doing so indicates a good deal of familiarity, which is rude to assume. Similarly, asking to be referred to by personal name indicates a desire to be familiar, which may also be rude in certain situations.

Second, the Japanese make use of a number of suffixes to denote social status: -SAN is the general suffix used for adults and strangers, and politely toward older children. If in doubt, it is generally a safe bet - while it may occasionally be somewhat rude, it is usually better than nothing at all (see below).-SAMA is used for social superiors; high ranking politicians, corporate presidents, CEOs, managers and the like. It is best used sparingly, as using it against someone who doesn't deserve it (say, the manager of a small store) can easily be contrived as mocking the person in question.

-CHAN on the other hand is used mostly for young children, between female teenagers and toward close, female relatives or friends. Using it against older boys is teasing at best, a patronising insult at worst - and even more so against grown men.

-KUN is almost the opposite of -chan. It is used for boys or close acquaintances of equal or lower status, but rarely for girls.

-SENSEI translates as somewhere between "master" and "teacher", and is generally used towards educated people; doctors, teachers, scientists and Martial Arts masters. It is polite and respectful, as well as one of the more frequently used outside of Japan - many Dojos use it for the leaders of the establishment. It can also be used on its own, much like "doctor", if you do not know the person's name.

-SENPAI is really pronounced "sempai", and refers to a senior, be it a high school upperclassman or a more experienced employee at work. As above, it can be used on its own if you are uncertain about the person's name.

Finally, NOT using a suffix is, much like using a person's first name, a sign of amity. It means that you know each other well enough that you do not need to be formal with one another. Using it without permission however, is incredibly rude - it means that you do not respect the person enough to even give the pretence of politeness, which is a cornerstone of the Japanese mentality.

Answer 2

Typically you address Japanese people by their last name, followed by 'san.'

Answer 3

san- said afer the surname. eg, tanaka san

Answer 4

Their surname + 'san' or in extremely polite situations (such as royalty etc) surname + 'sama'