Part of Japanese Honorifics
-sama
"Sama" is a highly respectful honorific, more formal than -san, used for customers, people of significantly higher status, or in religious and ceremonial contexts.
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You'll hear it used by service staff addressing customers ("okyaku-sama") or in formal written correspondence. Using it in casual conversation about an ordinary acquaintance would sound oddly stiff or even sarcastic.
Related
- -san"San" is the default, polite, all-purpose honorific — the safe choice for anyone you're not close to.
- -kun"Kun" is used for boys and younger men, or by someone senior addressing a junior male, especially in school or work settings.
- -chan"Chan" is an affectionate, informal honorific used for children, close friends, family members, and sometimes romantic partners or pets.
- -senpai (or used alone)"Senpai" refers to someone senior to you in school, work, or another shared hierarchy — not necessarily older, just further along.
- -sensei (or used alone)"Sensei" means teacher, and is used for teachers, doctors, and other recognised experts or masters of a skill.