The PIAPRO "P"

And senpai is used for anyone older than you, right? :3 (just making sure im not mismatching any honorifics)

Not for anyone. My experience with the title is that it's used for someone higher up in rank than you (at school, in the office, on internet forums, etc...). I also heard that it's finding less use in school and is more of a formality than anything else (you hear it in anime because it's cute and proper for underclassmen to call their seniors "senpai").

The reverse is true with "kohai", though that honorific is heard even less than "senpai".

More honorifics include "sensei" for any professional (your teacher, a doctor, a famous artist, etc...), as well as the cutsifications of any given honorific, which are sometimes thrown around when trying to sound cute ("chan"="tan", "sama"="chama" or "tama").

Not for anyone. My experience with the title is that it's used for someone higher up in rank than you (at school, in the office, on internet forums, etc...). I also heard that it's finding less use in school and is more of a formality than anything else (you hear it in anime because it's cute and proper for underclassmen to call their seniors "senpai").

so true.
However it does find stronger appliance in martial arts. Because there the older formalities often still weigh a lot more.

Like Koda said, "Senpai" adresses someone, who has done something you do, for a longer period of time. (unless you get promoted ahead of him/her haha.)

The reverse is true with "kohai", though that honorific is heard even less than "senpai".

what? since when is "kohai" a honorific? I thought its just a descriptive word, which would obviously be used by the actual kohai, to express humility in front of his/her senpai.


and as we are with honorifics:

there is also "chin" which is the extra cute form of "chan".
then "dono", which is the antiquated form of "sama".


sy,
Kentai

"kohai" is indeed used as an honorific on occasion.

"chin" and "rin" are both used as "honorifics", though they're more of ways of making names cuter-sounding ("rin" makes names sound more Western to them).

Yeah, "dono" is kind of like "sama", but older. It still finds use between members of the high-class society. I'd equate it to "Lord" in English.

I'd equate it to "Lord"

my opinion exactly.

Man, so many honorifics in Japan..

So is "nii-san" and the like also considered honorifics or is it something different? Example: Shiki is Akiha's older brother so Akiha calls him "Shiki-niisama" or "Shiki-oniisan". Is this different?

those are just extended honorifics.

the actual honorifics are:

-nii (honorific for a brother)
-nee (honorific for a sister)

extended:

-niisan (honorific usually used for older brother, because it indicates respect)
-niisama (honorific usually used for older brother, it indicates great respect, but may also be used to kiss the brothers butt, when you want a favor. ... xD)

-neesan (same with sister)
-neesama (same with sister)


-niichan (honorific usually used for younger sisters, as it is derived from chan, but there are instances where it is also used for older brothers)

-neechan (same here with neechan, just for sisters)


Now, when you say "Onii-san" for example, that is just the personification of the honorific.

it is usually achieved through an "O".

examples:

-san (Mr. Miss. Mrs.)

turns into: Osan

which usually means "guy" or "Old man".

I think you usually adress only males over 40 with this.

-jii (which is a honorific that indicates that you are talking about an old person. I am unsure, but I think that it might be very friendly, when you adress someone with this honorific, but not if you talk about him with others. -jii is a male honorific.)

-baa (the same as -jii, but female)

they turn into:

Jiisan or Ojiisan

it means "old man". it is for pretty old people, maby over 60? I'm not sure of as where to set the border.


and

Obaasan

which means "old Lady".



and then there is "Niisan / Oniisan" and "Neesan / Oneesan", which is the same principle, just with brother and sister.

sy,
Kentai
which usually means "Old man" (

"Ojiisan" is the official word for "Grandfather" and "Obaasan" is the official word for Grandmother. Aside from that, I was about to complain about the use of many of these words as honorifics specifically, but upon researching a bit further, I suppose they could count as such.

"Ojiisan" is the official word for "Grandfather" and "Obaasan" is the official word for Grandmother

yes, however there is no distinction in japanese.

jiisan, jiichan, jiisama.

they all mean grandfather AND senior citizen.

same for the "baa" ones, only with females.

I'm a little late to be commenting on this but, I like the -P Just fine -OP just doesn't roll off the tongue.

second.

Just because we're off-topic doesn't mean you're late. ^^

You're right. I think "-P" has survived so long for that very reason; it's easy to remember/type/say.

Or maybe because "it's kind of an official term"? You know how many peoples(including me) just have a natural liking towards anything deemed official.

Yea xD it would be so hard to try and come up with an alternative for -P, because everyone's already accostumed to it... but just because we like it more doesn't mean we can/should use it :l it would still be more prudent to come up with something correct for those of us who can't acquire the -P (or choose not to try to acquire the -P and, rather, strive to become a leader for his/her home team, which seems to be the case for a few of our members).


also btw this is random but im in Colorado right now so my posts will be sporadic

Again, the only real way to get a term started would be to just start using it everywhere and hope it catches on. ^^

and again here, the community is still to small to support that kind of initiative.

but when it's big enough...

Bam! xD