Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
氏 (し, shi) Japanese meaning: Mr | Kotomora
じ 字
Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. Mr.; Ms.; formal title after a name 2. clan; family line 3. he; him; the gentleman 4. counter for people Report an issue with this page
記き 者しゃ 会かい 見けん で 山やま 田だ 氏し は 新あたら しい 計けい 画かく を 発はっ 表ぴょう し た 。
At the press conference, Mr. Yamada announced a new plan.
A comment arrived from Ms. Smith.
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 氏し Mr./Ms. 〈surname〉 (formal, journalistic)
Mr. Yamada is an expert in this field.
〈 数かず 〉 氏し the [number] gentlemen/people named
Three gentlemen attended the meeting.
氏し は 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 he (the aforementioned man) [verb]
He explained the new policy.
Kanji 氏 family name, surname, clan Related words· 7 さん is the everyday honorific suffix used in conversation, while 氏 is a more formal, written suffix common in news and reports.
一族 is a regular noun meaning a family or clan group, while 氏 in this sense attaches directly to a surname, especially in historical contexts.
様 is a more explicitly deferential suffix used for customers or guests, while 氏 is respectful but neutral and report-like.
氏 is the parallel honorific suffix attached to men's names, while 女史 is used specifically for women of distinction.
Show 3 more 氏 is a more formal or written term for a family name, often used with honorific suffixes like 氏（田中氏）, whereas 姓 is the neutral standard word.
氏 is a formal, distancing suffix used mainly in writing or news reports to refer to a person by surname, while 君 is used in speech to address someone directly with familiarity.
氏 is a formal, often journalistic Japanese title for men (and sometimes women) in writing, while ミスター is the direct loanword equivalent of English 'Mr.'.
Don't confuse with 市 (し, 'city') and 氏 (し, 'Mr./clan name') are pronounced identically but refer to completely unrelated concepts, so learners must rely on context or kanji.
氏 read うじ means an ancestral clan or family name, but the same kanji read し is an honorific suffix meaning 'Mr./Ms.' attached to a person's surname.
Etymology The reading し is the Sino-Japanese reading of 氏. The character is conventionally associated with family name, clan, and named persons; the modern formal suffix and related pronoun/counter uses extend from referring to a person by name or lineage.
both persons; both gentlemen
Show 13 more you all; all of them; gentlemen
a certain person; Mr. So-and-so; an unnamed individual
chief brewer at a sake brewery
full name; family name
Taira clan; Heike family
change of surname
to die
Aya clan
Fujiwara family; Fujiwara clan
the said person; the person in question
unknown person; anonymous individual
hubby; my husband
Eustachian tube
