-san is a term of respect, actually. Which is why Leonardo uses it with me. Or for female friends you're not too close to.
-kun is used for male friends, or, in rare cases, female friends you want to imply are the same as men. Be careful with that one!
-chan is used for children and good female friends. Amy would be a "-chan".
I've also heard -sama used around here--that's a hell of a lot more respect than -san, mostly used for people much higher in status. Or for the leader of a village. Never really liked being called it myself, though.
[Oops. Explanation barf!]
But because not everyone is Japanese here, I've a tendency not to use honorifics. It makes people more familiar. There are some I use honorifics for--Naja-san and Giovanni-san, for example--but I prefer to seem closer to my friends. Honorifics can be seen as a form of separation, in a way. My son never really used them, either.
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-kun is used for male friends, or, in rare cases, female friends you want to imply are the same as men. Be careful with that one!
-chan is used for children and good female friends. Amy would be a "-chan".
I've also heard -sama used around here--that's a hell of a lot more respect than -san, mostly used for people much higher in status. Or for the leader of a village. Never really liked being called it myself, though.
[Oops. Explanation barf!]
But because not everyone is Japanese here, I've a tendency not to use honorifics. It makes people more familiar. There are some I use honorifics for--Naja-san and Giovanni-san, for example--but I prefer to seem closer to my friends. Honorifics can be seen as a form of separation, in a way. My son never really used them, either.