Translation guide
How to address or refer to a man politely in Japanese, depending on context and relationship.
The speaker wants to politely address or refer to a man, similar to 'Mr.' or 'sir' in English.
The most common and neutral polite suffix for a man's name. Use with last name or full name. Not used with one's own name.
田中さん、お元気ですか。
Mr. Tanaka, how are you?
More formal and respectful than さん. Used in business, customer service, or formal letters.
山田様、お待たせいたしました。
Mr. Yamada, thank you for waiting.
In many situations, especially in workplaces, it's common to address a man by his title (e.g., 社長 for company president, 先生 for teacher/doctor) rather than using a name+suffix.
社長、お電話です。
Sir (company president), you have a phone call.
When the context is clear, Japanese often omits the addressee. Directly saying 'mister' without a name is unnatural; instead, use a generic polite phrase.
すみません、ちょっとよろしいですか。
Excuse me, sir, do you have a moment?
The speaker wants to get the attention of a man whose name they don't know, in a casual or slightly rough way.
Literally 'uncle', but used colloquially to address a middle-aged man. Can be slightly familiar or impolite depending on tone.
おじさん、この辺に駅はありますか。
Hey mister, is there a station around here?
Literally 'older brother', used for a young man, roughly 20s-30s. More polite than おじさん for younger men.
The safest and most polite way to get a stranger's attention, regardless of gender. Avoids the risk of being too familiar.
すみません、落としましたよ。
Excuse me, mister, you dropped this.
A wife refers to her husband in a casual, sometimes slightly old-fashioned way, like 'my old man' or 'the mister'.
Literally 'the person of my house', a common humble way for a wife to refer to her husband.
うちの人がね、また遅くなるって。
The mister says he'll be late again.
A common, slightly old-fashioned or humble term for husband. Can also mean 'master' or 'patron'.
The direct loanword ミスター is rarely used in natural Japanese. It appears mainly in entertainment contexts (e.g., ミスター・ビーン) or as a nickname, not as a polite form of address.
さん is the default polite suffix for both men and women. 様 is highly formal, used for customers or in writing. 君 (くん) is informal, often used for boys or junior male colleagues, but can sound condescending if used inappropriately.
お兄さん、ちょっと道を教えてください。
Hey mister, can you tell me the way?
My husband is always in your care. (The mister appreciates your help.)