honorific suffix for a woman's name
Attached to the name of a woman of equal or higher status to show respect. Used in formal or polite contexts, similar to ～さん but more respectful and somewhat old-fashioned.
Dear Ms. Tanaka, thank you for your letter.
Ms. Yamamoto is absent today.
sisters
sister-in-law (older) · older stepsister; older adopted sister; non-blood-related older sister
cousin (older female)
my older sister
biological older sister; real elder sister
eldest sister; oldest sister
one's late elder sister
your elder sister
older brother and older sister
older sister and younger brother
second elder sister; next oldest sister
king's elder sister
you (feminine plural); you ladies
your older sister · you (to an older woman)
society finch; Bengalese finch
sisters of the same mother; uterine sisters
Derived from the kanji 姉 (older sister), used as an honorific suffix for women. The exact historical development is uncertain, but it likely originated from respectful familial address extended to non-family members.