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Suffixes, -san, -sama

nedkelly

後輩
16 Mar 2011
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i have noticed that "san" and "sama" are sometimes added to words for non-human objects, together with the prefix "o", eg.
Otsuki san (the moon), Ohi sama (the sun), Oise san (Ise Shrine),
Should I regard this usage as a personification of such objects? Or does it have some other nuance?
I've been unable to find an explanation in textbooks.
 
Should I regard this usage as a personification of such objects?
Yes, that's right. Incidentally, おつかれさま or おかげさま are the same phenomenon (from 疲れ "tiredness" and 陰/影 "shade", respectively).
 
Yes, that's right. Incidentally, おつかれさま or おかげさま are the same phenomenon (from 疲れ "tiredness" and 陰/影 "shade", respectively).
Thank you! Why do speakers need to use o and san/sama in this way? Is it just making one's utterances softer, whereas using "tsuki", "hi", "Ise Jingu" would be regarded as a bit too direct or rough? Or is it just a way of speaking that has become usual?
 
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