Learn Japanese grammar! Teacher's Grammar Explanation for Beginners ~Think about how to address the other person~/Japanese Learning Support LLC | blog

Learn Japanese grammar! Teacher's Grammar Explanation for Beginners ~Think about how to address the other person~/Japanese Learning Support LLC

 

As October begins, the temperature drops, and some days start to feel chilly. These days I'm looking forward to seeing the autumn leaves gradually changing color.

Now, for those of you who are learning Japanese, what kind of people do you usually talk to? Friends, people at work, family, convenience store clerks, doctors, Japanese teachers, etc. You probably live your life while communicating with various people on a daily basis. So, what do you usually call your partner?

 

When I have lessons with people who have just started learning Japanese, they often call me ``you.'' It's true that there are many vocabulary books and vocabulary lists that have "you" written in them, so I think that's how people remember and use them. However, in this situation, calling someone "you" is not a good way to call someone. On the contrary, "you" is only used in very limited situations.

 

So what should we call the other person? This time, let's check how the other person calls them.

 

■Call by ``person's name + Mr.''.

If you know the other person's name, add "san" to the other person's name and call them.

"Tanaka-san", "Yamada-san", "Miki-san", "Daniel-san", "Marie-san"...

"san" is a polite way to address someone by name.

There are two ways to add it to your family name (surname) and to your first name, but you generally call people other than friends by adding "san" to their last name.

We often use the more casual ``kun'' (for men) or ``chan'' (for women) to address friends and younger children, and to be more polite to business partners and customers in business situations. I'll say "Mr.○○".

example)

・(To colleague) Mr. Ishikawa, could you please make a copy of this document? →(surname + Mr.)

・(To a female friend) Saori-chan, would you like to go see a movie with me tomorrow? → (first name + chan)

・(To the customer who was kept waiting) Mr. Saito, we apologize for keeping you waiting. Follow me, please. →(surname + Mr.)

 

■Address the other person by their role or title.

It is common to address the other person not only by their name, but also by their role or title.

For example, when talking to your own family.

・Mom , let's go on a trip as a family for the first time in a while.

・Sister , take that remote control!

・(×) Younger brother, please clean up your room properly. →You can use this expression for people older than you (grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, older brother, older sister, etc.), but you can also use it for younger people such as "younger brother," "sister," and "child." I can't. Let's call you by name.

 

Try using it at school or work.

・(At school) Teacher , how do you solve this problem?

・(At work) Manager Ogawa , I just received a call from the person in charge at our business partner.

・(At the company) Mr. Tanaka, the president of Orange Shoji, came.

・(At the hospital) Doctor , will this child survive?

・(×) Look, student! Listen carefully to what your teacher is saying! →Similar to the earlier discussion about family, this cannot be used with people in your current position, such as "students" or "juniors." When addressing someone superior to you, you should use their title to show respect. Therefore, in the business world, it has become common to refer to superiors using this title. When addressing someone in your current position, you generally use the form ``surname + san''.

 

So far, I have introduced two basic names.

Let's think about it for a moment. What should I say if I don't know the other person's name or title?

 

Example: While walking my dog, other people talk to me.

A: Oh, cute dog! What is your name? *Wanchan = dog.

B: It's called "Komugi".

A: Actually, we also have a dog.

B: That's right. What is the name of your dog?

A: Our names are “Melon” and “Maron”.

B: Huh, that's a cute name. My Komugi is already 10 years old, what about you?

A: My children are 5 and 7 years old. She's cute, but she wants to eat so much and play so hard every day.

 

Now, did you notice that there are two ways to address the other person in this conversation?

It's "home" and "over there." It is often used when having a short conversation with a stranger, especially when there is no need to introduce yourself. It can also be used when you have met someone a long time ago but have forgotten their name. When I can't remember someone's name, I sometimes feel like I should ask, but end up cheating by saying, "What about that?" I know it's better to just ask honestly, but it takes a little courage.

 

Now, this time we looked at the basic ways to call someone. As I mentioned at the beginning, in Japanese conversations, most people refer to others by their name, title, or other words other than "you." Be careful, especially if you say "you" to someone above you, as it can be very rude. However, that doesn't mean that you never use the word "you"; people may call you "you" or "antara" between close friends or between husband and wife. It is important to use them differently depending on the time, situation, and the other person's position. Please take this opportunity to listen carefully to what people call each other in the workplace.

 

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