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LunaShay said:
Chan (ちゃん?) is a diminutive suffix; it expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. Thus, using chan with a superior's name would be condescending and rude. In general, chan is used for babies, young children, and teenage girls. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends, or any youthful woman.
Although traditionally honorifics are not applied to oneself, some young women adopt the childish affectation of referring to themselves in the third person using chan. For example, a young woman named Kanako might call herself Kanako-chan rather than using a first person pronoun. Also, the very common female name suffix -ko (〜子) may be dropped, as in Kana-chan.
San (さん?), sometimes pronounced han (はん?) in Kansai dialect, is the most common honorific and is a title of respect similar to "Mr.", "Miss", "Mrs.", or "Ms." However, in addition to being used with people's names, it is also employed in a variety of other ways.
San is used in combination with workplace nouns, so a bookseller might be addressed or referred to as honya-san ("bookstore" + san), and a butcher as nikuya-san ("butcher shop" + san).
San is sometimes used with company names. For example, the offices or shop of a company called Kojima Denki might be referred to as "Kojima Denki-san" by another nearby company. This may be seen on the small maps often used in phone books and business cards in Japan, where the names of surrounding companies are written using san.
San can also be attached to the names of animals or even inanimate objects. For example, a pet rabbit might be called usagi-san, and fish used for cooking can be referred to as sakana-san. Both uses would be considered childish (akin to "Mr. Rabbit" in English) and would be avoided
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best answer
![The Japanese suffix "-chan" is a term friends and family, usually girls, add to the end of your last or first name. It means "cute", or "little" in the form of endearment. [informal]
The Japanese suffix "-kun" is usually at the end of male friend or brother's name in the form of endearment. [informal]
The Japanese suffix "-sama" is a term younger people put after someone they respect's name. It has a "ruler" or "leader" meaning. [formal]
"-san" is another form of respect from other people (but don't always have to be younger people). [formal]
"-sempai" is used by children referring to upperclassmen (Another form of respect). [questionalable formality]](http://images4.fanpop.com/image/answers/1036000/1036709_1287616535259.18res_278_231.jpg)
![I also added other ones as well
-san: this is the most common honorific, and is equivalent to mr., miss, ms., mrs., etc. it is the all-purpose honorific and can be used in any situation where politeness is required
-sama: this is one level higher than '-san.' it is used to confer great respect.
-dono: this comes from the word 'tono,' which means 'lord.' it is even a higher level than '-sama,' and confers utmost respect.
-kun: this suffix is used at the end of boys' names to express familiarity or endearment. it is also sometimes used by men among friends, or when addressing someone younger or of a lower station.
-chan:this is used to express endearment, mostly towards girl. it is also used for little boys, pets, and even among lovers. it gives a sense of childish cuteness.
sempai: this title suggests that the addressee is one's 'senior' in a group or organization. it is most often used in a school setting, wehre underclassmen refer to their upperclassmen as 'sempai.' it can also be used in the workplace, such as when a newer employee addresses an employee who has seniority in the company.
kohai: this is the opposite of '-sempai,' and is used towards underclassmen in school or newcomers in the workplace. it connotes that the adressee is of lower station.
sensei: literally meaning 'one who has come before,' this title is used for teachers, doctors, or masters of any profession or art.
-[blank]: usually forgotten in these lists, but perhaps the most significant difference between japanese and english. the lack of honorific means that the speaker has permission to address the person in a very intimate way. usually only family, spouses, or very close friends have this kind of permission. known as YOBISUTE, it can be gratifying when someone who has earned the intimacy starts to call one by one's name without an honorific. but when that intimacy hasn't been earned, it can also be very insulting]](http://images4.fanpop.com/image/answers/1036000/1036739_1287616857912.42res_400_300.jpg)
