How to Respectfully Address Students from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand

Tutors sometimes ask us about respectful ways to address our students. This makes sense as in many of our students' countries, addressing someone by their name is considered inappropriate.

So with the help of our local staff in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, we've put together the following guide addressing students and avoiding potential misunderstandings.

Japan

Here are two general rules for addressing Japanese students.

1. Address adult students with "-san": e.g. "Hello Yuko-san!"
2. Address kids and teenagers either with "-san" or directly with their name: e.g. "Hello Yuko!"

If you teach a lot of pre-school or kindergarten-aged children, you can also consider the following terms of endearment:

• "-kun" with little boys: e.g. "Good job, Yuto-kun!"
• "-chan" with little girls: e.g. "Bye, Yuko-chan!"

"-Kun" can technically be used with older boys as well, but we don't suggest using "-chan" for girls in primary school or above, especially not in the first lesson! It has the nuance of "you little thing," so you wouldn't want to use it with someone unless you are on casual terms with them.

Some of you have also asked about whether to use "-sama." "-Sama" is appropriate in customer service interactions (like at a bank), but is too formal for our purposes.

Finally, make sure to check with students about their preferences. Some find it rude when a stranger says their name directly while others don't want to be addressed the Japanese way when they're trying to learn English. Students have different expectations about everything, so it's always best to ask!

South Korea

Our experience tells us that South Korean students on Engoo usually want to be addressed either directly by their name or with a "Mr./Ms."

However, if you want to show some appreciation for Korean culture, here are some terms of address our Korean staff recommend. Just make sure you check which one the student prefers or you might accidentally offend them!

• "-Shi" is the most common term of address among people who are equals. It's respectful but not distant, and classroom teachers in South Korea would use it to address their students. Just make sure you use "shi" with the student's first name: e.g. "Hello Yoojin-shi." Using it with someone's last name is considered disrespectful.
• "-Nim" is a more formal term of address. It's normally used in customer service settings, but some language schools will also use this with students to create a more professional learning environment: e.g. "Hello Yoojin-nim."
• "Son-seng-nim" is a respectful term of address for people who are a lot older than you, such as people who are about the same age as your parents. It is usually used without the person's name: e.g. "Hello son-seng-nim." Because of this, it's a safer option than "nim" for older students, who may not want to be addressed directly with their name.

You may also be familiar with terms like "oppa" and "un-ni." These are too casual for our purposes.

Taiwan

Feel free to address your Taiwanese students by their name, without any titles or terms of address. There are Chinese equivalents to "Mr." and "Ms." but it would be strange to use them outside of customer service settings.

By the way, don't be surprised if a lot of your Taiwanese students introduce themselves with an English name like "Ashley" or "Peter." Chances are, it's not just a "stage name" for English class. English names are extremely common in Taiwanese business settings and it can even be weird to call someone by their Chinese name if they normally go by an English one!

Thailand

In Thailand:

1. Address teen and adult students directly with their name: e.g. "Hello Ohm."
2. Address children with "nong": e.g. "Hello nong Ohm."

"Nong" means "brother or sister" and is used with people younger than you, so parents will find it cute if you use it with their kids.

The Thai language has many terms of address you could use with adults, but they're very complicated. As a member of our Thai staff explains, "The terms you use depend on the person's age relative to yours as well as their gender. If you use the wrong one, you may accidentally disrespect someone." So best to just stick to their name!

You can however greet your adult Thai students with a "wai": hands in prayer position with a slight bow. This is a respectful greeting used with adults and people older than you in general.

👋 That’s It For Now!

We hope this has answered some of your questions on this topic! If you're curious about anything else, don't hesitate to reach out through Tutor Support. Happy tutoring!