様さま

さ

ま

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 500

Meanings

1

suffix

honorific or respectful (sonkeigo)

Honorific suffix attached to a person's name, title, or position to show respect. Equivalent to English titles but used more broadly.

田た中なか様さま、お電でん話わです。
Mr./Ms. Tanaka, you have a phone call.

お客きゃく様さまは神かみ様さまです。

The customer is a god (honorific expression).

2

suffix

polite suffix (fixed expressions)

polite (teineigo)

Attached to nouns or na-adjectives prefixed with お or ご to make them more polite. Mostly appears in set phrases like お粗末さまでした.

Written forms

様さまUsage64%
Standard kanji spelling for the honorific suffix and polite fixed expressions; also used for the noun sense.
さまUsage34%
サマUsage1%
状さまUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; Learners should recognize it but use 様.
方さま
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; Learners should recognize it but use 様.

Kanji

様Esq., way, manner
状status quo, conditions, circumstances
方direction, person, alternative

Similar words

さん
さん is the most common neutral polite suffix, while 様 is more formal and respectful, used in business or to address customers.
様よう子す
様子 is the everyday word for state/appearance; 様 as a noun is more formal and often appears in written language or set phrases.

Etymology

Originally a noun meaning 'appearance' or 'form', which developed into an honorific suffix through respectful usage. The kanji 様 is a phono-semantic compound with 木 (tree) and 羊 (sheep) used phonetically, but the exact historical derivation is uncertain.