All Questions
Tagged with culture politeness
24 questions
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
When can 「お前」be endearing?
In modern Japanese「お前」is generally considered to be disrespectful or condescending. But sometimes in colloquial speech it's used between friends or even lovers in a way that conveys they are being ...
- 229
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
When speaking openly with a group of people, is it okay to speak casually with some and formally with others?
Say that I'm having lunch with my buddy outside, and my boss comes over and starts talking to me. Obviously, with my boss, I'll talk with proper keigo and stuff. But in front of my boss, am I allowed ...
- 2,352
6
votes
1
answer
271
views
When speaking to a family (where they all have the same last name), is it okay to refer to people by their first name?
Say I know a woman named Satou Hanako, whom I would refer to as "Satou-san". If I meet her family (mom, dad, big brother, big sister, etc.), and they introduce themselves by name, how should ...
- 2,352
0
votes
1
answer
2k
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Stubbornly gender-neutral way to address or refer to your older sibling? (Wait a minute...what about non-binary?)
I believe Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog/Filipino/Philippine and English (I'm a monolinguist from HK and the Philippines) don't have this, and so Japanese probably doesn't either, but here goes:
Is ...
- 605
1
vote
1
answer
168
views
How I address a juniour colleague is different from how I refer to the colleague around the colleague's sibling?
From S02E10 of the anime adaptation of the manga The Quintessential Quintuplets:
Above, Miku Nakano (left) is a younger identical quintuplet of Yotsuba Nakano (right). Miku and Yotsuba are high ...
- 605
0
votes
1
answer
268
views
Kaguya-sama: Changing the way you address someone without your relationship having changed
Question:
Is it common in Japanese to (temporarily? permanently?) change the way you address to someone even if your relationship has not changed because of certain intent say, you want to intimidate ...
- 605
2
votes
1
answer
263
views
What are the social implications of being too polite lingustically?
Reviewing some basic keigo forms, I was wondering what happens if you express yourself too polite... I heared that is not uncommon for (elder) couples to use keigo to express their uttermost respect ...
- 275
0
votes
2
answers
541
views
What do you say when you want to reject a gift without offending anyone?
If you are offered something that you don't want, what do you say to reject it politely?
- 101
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Under what Japanese honorific should manga/anime fans address manga-ka/anime directors?
I speculate that there might be some sort of spectrum of the honorifics to use for manga-ka/anime directors.
For example, I think one might be able to get away with addressing younger, and more, for ...
- 131
6
votes
2
answers
4k
views
How rude is it to speak to a Japanese stranger informally instead of using the polite form?
Are there any native Japanese here that could tell me how rude it is to speak informally to Japanese people I have never met instead of using the polite form? I'm assuming it's more rude the older the ...
- 161
7
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Addressing other members of the same great family when everyone shares the same surname
Hypothetical situation, let's say we have a great familly meeting, where everyone have the same surname but some members of the familly see each other for the first time. Of course, introductions are ...
- 71
4
votes
3
answers
413
views
How to politely inform other people of acceptable alternative ways of addressing you?
Being a foreigner often comes with having a name/surname that doesn't quite roll off the tongue in Japanese.
So for example if my name/surname is "ABCDEFG", I'd like to say (after introductions) "...
- 153
4
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is it rude to ask a Japanese person using keigo to speak less formally? How to do it politely? [closed]
This has mostly to do with me not understanding Keigo well, so when I enter restaurants or other service-based businesses, and they talk in Keigo to me, I hardly ever understand, which is why I always ...
- 519
5
votes
1
answer
84k
views
How to address and greet Japanese people in an english email [closed]
I am aware that in Japanese it is considered to be rude to address other people with just their first name, but I wonder if this is only true for communication in Japanese, of if this still holds true ...
- 153
8
votes
1
answer
5k
views
How are twins addressed by their teacher at school?
If two twin brothers attended the same class, how would their teacher address each of them to indicate to whom they were speaking to, since they shared the same family name?
Would one be seen as the ...
2
votes
1
answer
9k
views
Thank you note to Japanese professor
I just finished an introductory Japanese class, and the class bought a small gift for the professor. I'm planning to drop the gift off at the professor's office, so I need to write a brief tag saying ...
- 177
5
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is it polite in Japan to ask if someone speaks English? (英語を話せますか？)
As preparation for my trip, I am re-learning my Japanese. I imagined a scenario which I am not sure if it is okay to ask.
Is it polite to ask someone if they speak English or are people offended by ...
- 649
11
votes
1
answer
9k
views
What to say at the cash register in the convenience store
I just came back from Japan, it is my first time, so I found myself in the situations, that I wasn't prepared for.
At the convenience store I noticed natives tend not to say much to the staff at all, ...
- 1,247
3
votes
1
answer
503
views
How would I respectfully disagree with a peer?
This is probably related to How would I respectfully disagree with a superior? however the context is a tech forum where the thread starter is asking for someone technically advanced to help, and the ...
- 223
7
votes
1
answer
6k
views
How should I bid farewell to a superior?
My boss is leaving soon after years of service. What would be a good way for me to express my gratitude for all of his guidance and help?
I am somewhat familiar with the expression お世話になりました but am ...
- 3,247
10
votes
3
answers
54k
views
Address someone by their first name, or their last name?
When addressing John Doe, would you say "John-さん", or "Doe-さん"?
Does it depend on how polite or formal you're being? Does it also depend on whether the person is a nihonjin, a kankokujin (who have ...
- 16.3k
8
votes
1
answer
432
views
Is it OK to keep saying ありがとう
I was asking a Japanese person for some help and noticed that I kept saying ありがとうございます over and over as they helped me more. Culturally, is it OK to keep saying it multiple times in Japanese? Would it ...
- 3,487
15
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How would I respectfully disagree with a superior?
If my manager says something that I know to be factually incorrect, how can I point that out without sounding disrespectful? (Is ~違います appropriate in this context or is that too strong?)
Is this a ...
- 3,247
42
votes
5
answers
22k
views
Is it proper to thank waitstaff, cashiers, etc. for their service?
In my Japanese class we were taught that one does not need to thank a cashier when they check you out or a server when they bring you your meal, but I always feel awkward remaining silent. Was my ...
- 7,879