Part 1 · How a sentence works · Lesson 3
Nouns, pronouns and name endings
Why Japanese nouns never change for number or gender, how plurals are hinted at, the many words for 'I' and 'you', and the endings (さん, くん, ちゃん, 様, 先生) that you attach to every name.
Good news first: Japanese nouns are the simplest part of the language. They never change shape.
No plural, no gender, no "a" and "the"
The same 本 covers one book, many books, "a" book and "the" book. Context decides, and usually that is enough. When you do need to be clear, you add a number or a counting word:
Hinting at a group: 達 and 々
達 (たち) after a person word means "that person and their group":
達 is for people and, with a friendly feel, for animals. It is not a true plural; it means "the group around X". There are also two related patterns:
- Repeating a noun can make it plural-ish: 人々 (ひとびと, people), 山々 (やまやま, mountains), 国々 (くにぐに, countries). The 々 mark just repeats the kanji before it.
- Words like 皆 (みんな), 全部, たくさん say "all" or "many" outright.
Pronouns are just nouns
Japanese has many words for "I" and "you", and each one carries a personality. They behave like ordinary nouns: they take particles and never change for case.
| Word | Feel | |
|---|---|---|
| I | 私 (わたし) | neutral, polite, any speaker |
| 僕 (ぼく) | boyish, gentle, men | |
| 俺 (おれ) | rough, masculine, casual | |
| あたし | casual, feminine | |
| you | あなた | polite, but sounds distant or intimate |
| 君 (きみ) | to a junior or equal, mostly men | |
| お前 (おまえ) | rough, to someone close or below | |
| he / she | 彼 (かれ) / 彼女 (かのじょ) | also "boyfriend" / "girlfriend" |
Name endings
Almost every name appears with an ending. Choosing the wrong one is rude, and dropping it entirely is intimate or rude, depending on the relationship.
| Ending | Use |
|---|---|
| さん | the default: polite, for anyone, men or women |
| 様 (さま) | very polite: customers, formal letters, deities |
| くん (君) | boys and younger men; seniors to juniors |
| ちゃん | children, close friends, pets; cute or affectionate |
| 先生 (せんせい) | teachers, doctors, writers, lawyers |
| 先輩 (せんぱい) | someone ahead of you at school or work |
| 後輩 (こうはい) | someone behind you |
Never attach さん to your own name: 私は田中です, not 私は田中さんです. The endings raise other people.
Family words: inside and outside
Japanese has two sets of family words. Use the plain word for your own family when talking to outsiders, and the respectful word for someone else's.
| My own | Someone else's | |
|---|---|---|
| mother | 母 (はは) | お母さん |
| father | 父 (ちち) | お父さん |
| older sister | 姉 (あね) | お姉さん |
| older brother | 兄 (あに) | お兄さん |
| younger sister | 妹 (いもうと) | 妹さん |
| younger brother | 弟 (おとうと) | 弟さん |
Inside the family you use the お〜さん words to address them directly (お母さん, ねえ！).
お and ご: the polite prefix
お (or ご before Chinese-origin words) added to a noun makes it polite, or just standard for certain words.
Some words always carry it (お金, お茶, お水, ご飯). With others it shows respect for the other person's thing: お名前 (your name), ご家族 (your family). Never use it on your own things in a polite sense.
Making nouns into verbs: する
A noun plus する is a verb: 勉強する (study), 運転する (drive), 結婚する (marry). The noun can even take を:
You will meet hundreds of these. They all conjugate like する.
Longer sentences
Names, titles and family words appear together in real speech. Notice how every person is given an ending, and how the speaker's own family drops it.
Key points
- Nouns never change: no plural, gender or articles. Add a number only when it matters.
- 達 means "and the group"; 々 repeats a word; 皆 means everyone.
- "I" and "you" words are choices of character. Avoid "you" and use names and roles.
- Always use endings: さん by default, ちゃん and くん for closeness, 様 for formality. Never on yourself.
- Own family: 母, 父. Others' family: お母さん, お父さん.
Drill these patterns
Short example sentences for the points in this lesson: