This topic contains 2 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Posts
-
So I had these nagging questions, which have probably been asked before.
Suppose I meet a person for the first time in a casual setting, and they are the same age as me (or slightly younger), would I use honourifics, polite forms, etc with that person, or would it be acceptable to use “informal” speech?
Also on that subject, what’s the “official” set of rules for speaking to someone who is younger, but one’s superior (in a work setting, for example) and vice versa (that is, if I am someone’s superior but they are older than me)?
One can never be too polite, right? I don’t know if there is an “official” set of rules on how to address people in Japan, but for first meetings and when you’re not sure, being polite will never offend anyone, so it’s a pretty safe strategy, I think.
If you go to Japan, this kind of thing is probably quickly picked up on. You’ll just have to observe the people around you and do what they do.
Besides, you don’t have to stress about something like this. Japanese people are people after all. Tell them that you’re still learning about politeness and how to address people and they will understand.
Sorry if that wasn’t what you wanted to hear, but it’s all I could contribute with.
With someone you’ve never met before, always start with -masu form and -san. You can shift down to casual as the conversation continues, but start polite. It’s similar in English – you wouldn’t start with “yo, how’s it hangin’?” with someone you’ve never met before. Only even more so in Japanese.
In work situations with someone who’s superior to you, you’d use polite language regardless of your relative ages. Outside of a work situation, though, he’d be expected to be polite to you, even though the reverse was true while at work.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.