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using suffixes such as chan -
06-19-2008, 05:22 AM
Hi. I think i have a pretty good idea of when to use -chan, -san, -sama, and other suffixes that you would put after people's name. but i am just wondering how pervalent do people actually use -chan after someone's name?
for the most part, when they are speaking to their close friends, would they attach -chan to their names? or is -chan just an endearment, so when you have gotten to know a person, you won't say their name with chan anymore? and so it'd be more natural to just call out their name, without -chan added in the end? someone please shed some light on this, because from what i hear in dramas and movies, young women (around 20 or in their early 20s) don't seem to use -chan all that much. thanks! 
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06-19-2008, 05:26 AM
During my 2 year stint in Japan (although I was mainly around adults 25+) I never once heard an adult Japanese national refer to another with the "chan" attachment. Not once. They either used -san or nothing at all. Mind you, this was mostly within a casual environment as I did not possess the Japanese ability to understand professional conversations.
I did hear women refer to their close male friends with "kun" however.
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06-19-2008, 05:31 AM
It is a term of endearment of implying closeness. The older you get the less often it is used, but it sometimes appears in nicknames that can stick around for a lifetime.
Because of the intimate nature, it is rarely used in offices or other professional, business-like situations. Some of my elder teachers I worked closely with in Japan called me "sensei" at school, but used my name and "~chan" after a couple beers. These were teachers I had worked at least a year with, and were old enough to be my parents, which is probably why "~chan" came out after they loosened up.
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