Honorifics
Honorifics
Honorifics are a part of Japanese Culture, and no doubt, you may see them a lot on Radiant Heart MUSH! Some players like using honorifics. Some do not. Because of this, the major policy on Radiant Heart MUSH is: You should not read too much into their absence or presence. Some people might call their teacher ‘-sensei’, others might just say ‘Mrs. X’. Some might go ‘Hello, Kai-San!’ others might just go ‘Hello, Kai!”. It’s a matter of personal preference, is what it comes down to in the end.
However, if you wish to use Honorifics on Radiant Heart MUSH and don’t currently know how to, we suggest checking out the Wikipedia page on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics#Common_honorifics. This will tell you more than any guide we could write on their correct usage, however, we will address some common Honorifics here in an informal manner, or those you might see a lot of in the theme of Radiant Heart MUSH.
-San
The most commonplace honorific, and used to denote respect between equals of similar ages. The english analogue would be something along the lines of ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’. If you don’t know which honorific to use, this is usually the safest bet.
-Sensei
Used to address teachers, doctors, lawyers and other similar authority figures. Used to show respect to anyone that has gone through a lot of training to gain skill in a profession.
-Chan
Denotes that the user of the honorific finds the person endearing. In general, chan is used for babies, young children, grandparents and teenagers. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends, any youthful woman, or between friends. Using chan with a superior's name is considered to be condescending and rude.
-Kun
Used by those of senior status in addressing those of junior status, Anyone when refering to male children or teenagers. Also used by girls towards boys they’ve known for a long time for have an emotional attachment to.
-Senpai and -Kohai
A Senpai is an upperclassman to you, in school. A Kohai are those in the same grade or lower than yourself in school.
-Sama
A title of respect similar to ‘lord’ or ‘lady’, for example ‘Beryl-Sama’. Those full of themselves may use to directly describe themselves- and is seen as entirely egotistical to do so.
