Due to the sheer amount of usage of Honorifics on the list, especially
by new writers who don't really understand them, I felt this was relavant
enough to post to the list.
It started out as a reply, but ended up a bit longer than I intended.
So here's a crash course in Honorifics. It's far from all encompassing,
but much more than most casual fanfic writers are aware of. If you really
want to get down and dirty in it, go buy a Japanese-English dictionary,
they cost about ten bucks, twenty for a good one.
Please do not spam the list by sending hundreds of replies to the list
on this. If you really want to comment on something. [Like you think I am
incorrect about something.] Please reply privately, I will research any
objections and correct them myself. Nothing annoys me like reading ten
replies that all have the same correction on them on the list.
As for why I think that I am not doing the exact same thing? This is
thorough enough that I don't think anyone else will do the same thing and
post it.
On Tue, 22 Aug 2000 21:45:30 -0400 Richard Robinson
<richardrobinsonjr@yahoo.com> writes:
Thanks I have over a dozen replies all saying I had the answer
and didn't know it.
Mrs. Saotome would be Saotome-Kun. honorifics are not gender
specific.
Ahem, yes that is true. -kun is an informal honorific though, and
typically used by males. Girls tend to use -chan amoung friends; boys
also tend to use -chan when reffering to girls in their own age group.
Especially if they are dating said girl. However it is not unheard of,
especially in tomboys, to use -kun.
-chan is also used to reffer to a younger child, usually a very young
child. [Till around age 8-9] -kun is usually used mostly for boys when
they get a little bit older; most girls still use chan at this age. [Lets
say 10 to about 14] Finally, -san is used when the child matures into a
teen. Parents will often use -kun or -chan as a term of endearment when
the child grows older. [It's fun to embarass your kids that way, trust
me.]
Even young children will use -san when speaking to their peers at times.
[Especially in school.]
Another big thing to remember is what my Japanese teacher reffered to as
'Respect Factor.' -kun is only used with social equals that you are very
familiar with. It would never be used with strangers, [Unless the person
is rude] or superiors. That means that a teen would not use -kun when
addressing a parent. -san or -samma would be appropriate in these
situations. Genma and Soun use -kun when speaking to one another all the
time, but Akane uses -san when refering to Genma. [Specifically she calls
him "Saotome oji-san, or Uncle Saotome." Her and Ranma's refusal to use
Oto-san when reffering to the men is part of her denying the engagement.]
Also, it is not unusual for people to use family titles when speaking to
people. For example, a girl speaking to someone who is about the same age
as an older sister might use onee-san or onee-chan depending on how
familiar/playful she is with the person. Ojisan, for an older man.
Oba-san, Oba-sama for an older woman. Oka-san, Oka-sama for a woman about
the speakers mother's age... you get the basic idea.
There are quite a few other honorifics as well that aren't used as much
as -san or -kun. Oyabun, or boss, senpai, or upperclassman, are good
examples of this.
On another note, Japanese also tend to use a persons title instead of a
name. A good example of this in practice is Maison Ikkoku, Yusaku almost
always uses Kanrinnin-san, [Mrs. Manager] when speaking to or about Kyoko
in public or directly too her.
Another important quirk is the family name. It is considered very
impolite to use someone's first name if you are unfamiliar with them.
Family names are -always- used in the workplace, dojo, or places of
business. First names are usually reserved for informal situations. Like
speaking with friends, or being at home with the family. You'll notice
that Mrs. Hinako almost always uses the last names of her students.
If there are several members of the same family present? In this case
the full name is usually used. I.E. : "Tendo Akane".
You should always use the last name of a superior or elder. Even Ranma
is polite enough to reffer to 'Kuno Tatewaki' as 'Kuno'.
Soun and Genma's usage of last names is a sign of respect for each other
that probably dates back to their days of training under Happosai.
And there are also insulting pronouns. Osaforu, Teme, Yaro, Kawaii kune.
These are basically japanese cuss words. [Used like 'bitch' or 'bastard'
or 'uncute tomboy']
Not to mention informal versions of speech, like Ranma's usage of
'Oyaji' a slang term for father. It's considered disrespectful and rude,
mostly used by rough speaking boys.
That should help smooth out some of the rough usage of Honorifics I see
on the list, and also help you understand that, yes, it is a very
complicated system. Far more than just, -san, -kun, and -sama. If you
aren't really sure, just stick with English. If you really must, just go
with -san or -samma and avoid the specifics; your fic will look japanese
flavored enough to please most casuall readers.
Ja ne,
Carrotglace.