other N4 common casualpolite
君 — familiar address suffix for juniors and peers
君 ・ くん
Meaning
- familiar suffix for someone younger or of equal/lower status — typically boys and men, and juniors at school or work
Key sentence
田中君、これ手伝ってくれる？
Tanaka-kun, can you give me a hand with this?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A person's name (surname or given name) | Name + 君 | 山田君 / 健太君 |
When: Used downward or among equals — a senior to a junior, a teacher to a student, or between male classmates. Addressing a superior with 君 is rude. In offices it may apply to junior staff of any gender.
Examples
新入社員の佐藤君を紹介します。
Let me introduce Sato-kun, our new employee.
君たちはもう宿題を終わらせた？
Have you guys finished your homework yet?
Easily confused with
〜ちゃん Both are familiar. 君 is neutral-familiar, default for boys/juniors; ちゃん is affectionate and cute, typical for girls, children, and close friends. さん さん is the safe neutral-polite choice for anyone. 君 marks the addressee as junior or peer, so using it upward (to a boss or elder) is inappropriate.
See 君 in real sentences
Jengo shows 君 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.