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How do you feel when Western localizers don't keep Japanese honorifics (like -sama, -chan, -kun)?

sylvenna

sylvenna

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乙女
Sep 30, 2025
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For me, usually it's not a big deal. But in historical games, the lack of proper honorifics can be a bit distracting, like when a soldier calls his liege lord by his first name (plus you can clearly hear them say sama in the dialogue).

How do you feel about this?
 
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in my case i dont really notice it honestly but that's cuz i can understand a good amount of jp my brain usually forgives lacks of honorifics because my brain already understands the context of the dialogue

honestly dont really prefer seeing -kun or -chans in the translated dialogue. i feel like the memes of the internet has ruined the use of honorifics in their romanized ver :(
 
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Yeah, understanding what they say in Japanese and reading the English localisation (which says something different or drops the honorifics) can really throw you off, but I understand that localisers have to make the hard decision of how to localise honorifics, and in most cases, this involves dropping them because this is an English localisation after all, and Japanese honorifics are, well, Japanese. Although most English players of otome games can probably understand basic honorifics, localisers probably can't guarantee that everyone playing the game would know what they mean, because they're Japanese terms. But I think localisations need to at least substitute Japanese honorifics with something else that conveys the same intent and level of respect and distance (either through English titles or method of speaking) instead of just ignoring them altogether (because the honorifics used can add so much context).

For me personally, I care more about understanding the original intent and what it means to the fullest, so I would like to know what was directly said in Japanese, but in that case, I would just play it in Japanese (or at least listen to what they say in the voice acting if it's the localised version). I care a lot about faithfulness to the original personally so I would want to know what honorifics are used and when (but again, I would then just look at what was directly said in Japanese), but I do know that official localisations can't just translate things exactly from the original, so I think that it is probably better if they didn't keep Japanese honorifics but substituted them with things that would convey the same meaning in English, as stated before. I don't really mind what localisations do in terms of honorifics though (or rather, I don't truly know what is better), as long as they respect the original intent.
 
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はなび said:
But I think localisations need to at least substitute Japanese honorifics with something else that conveys the same intent and level of respect and distance (either through English titles or method of speaking) instead of just ignoring them altogether (because the honorifics used can add so much context).
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This is it. I don't agree with removing honorifics entirely because doing so removes an aspect of storytelling from the narrative. Tbh I don't think English only speakers not knowing honorifics is really an issue due to how easy it is to inform yourself using the internet these days but if localizers insist on changing it, then they must make an effort to write the closest equivalent in their local language they can manage.

sylvenna said:
like when a soldier calls his liege lord by his first name (plus you can clearly hear them say sama in the dialogue).
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Just the first name? Not even throwing a "lord" in there? If so they have failed in doing their job, it's as simple as that.
 
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It depends for me, if in a Japan setting esp school setting I prefer they leave in the honorifics cuz it's usually gonna be plot significant. If they are not speaking Japanese and the world is decidedly not Japanese then having a closer equivalent is usually better.

However, regardless of whether there are honorifics or not, I believe translation should make clear the relationship of the characters in a way that makes it easy for the reader to grasp. I also feel that some people, even those who know what honorifics are, have a base or simplified understanding of honorifics. For example: the most common misconception that there's gender connections with -chan and -kun, which is true and not true depending on the context. Or that -chan signifies closeness when there are times -chan can be seen as either cloyingly sweet or condescending (like a villain to the hero). Translators explaining it in a tl notes can be really lengthy for those who do not know and even worse when the medium don't allow tl notes.

Of course, there are things I love when honorifics are left intact with things like "X referred to Y without honorific for the first time, signifying a change in relationship" but I think figuring out how to convey that when honorific is taken out is also the job of a good translation. I did some translation before, though not jp to en cause it's so much harder, and my views on it is that "there are things that will get inevitably lost in translation, how do I make it so the intent is clear?" that's why it doesn't bother me much if it's taken out.
 
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I don't mind. Certain things I can see it as important but for the most part because I'm also listening to it, it doesn't bother me if they don't add it to the text. It does bother me if they change the names though. Like if mc calls you by your last name and the translation is always your first name.
 
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I dislike the removal of honorifics, on principle. It's even worse when they change the name order as others have mentioned. So much meaning gets lost when every character is referred to the same way instead of keeping nicknames, suffixes, and the like.
That said, I can see why they do it, especially when adapting a work for a broader audience, the average consumer won't know or care about the emotional connotations.
But at least for works which will only really reach a niche enthusiast audience, which I believe to be the case for most otome, especially when translated by fans for fans, it's almost insulting to have the meaning butchered so it's more easily understood by Jane Public.
What others said about the setting makes sense to a degree, I won't miss honorifics as much when two British characters are having a chat over tea, whereas it's quite noticeable when two medieval Japanese characters are addressing each other. In both cases however, the original author will have included honorifics for a reason, so it's worth keeping either way imho. I'm choosing to engage with works from Japan, I promise I won't get upset by seeing some Japanese words yk.
 
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As an otome fan, I'm honestly kinda sad when honorifics get removed 😭
They're tiny details, but they add so much to character dynamics and emotional progression. Switching from -san to -chan or dropping honorifics entirely is often a really important moment, and when that's localized out, the impact feels weaker.


I understand why localizers do it — to make the text smoother or more accessible for new players — but otome fans are usually already familiar with these terms, or at least learn them quickly through context. Replacing them with first names or awkward substitutes doesn't always carry the same meaning.


I don't think it's a deal-breaker, but it does feel like something special gets lost. An optional honorific toggle would honestly be the dream 💕
 
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Honestly it does bother me but only if localizrs don't use an english equivalent or if the story takes place in japan.
 
It doesn't bother me as long as a proper equivalent to the honorific is used in english. ᡣ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶𐭩 ♡
 
Personally, I prefer that they don't keep them.
 
In my country, these honorifics sound a bit strange in translation; even speaking them sounds funny. I don't see a problem with removing them, but in my head I always complete the pronunciation, at least when reading I don't see that much of a problem.
 
I believe some appropriate trimming is acceptable, but the most important honorifics should be retained. In Chinese translations, "-sama" is preserved and translated as 【大人】, while other honorifics are omitted. This is because in local culture, there is no concept of honorifics among peers — people are addressed by their given names directly. Only those with higher social status or in formal occasions are addressed by surname plus their title. This is the manifestation of localization in translation: translating "-sama" to reflect the character's status while omitting peer honorifics that English-speaking audiences are unaccustomed to. This approach may yield a better translation.
 
I personally likes when it is not removed, cause I can absolutely missed the characters vibes and treatment of each other without knowing the honorifics.. to me honorifics can add a bunch to characters dynamic with each other.. and translating it to other language will remove the nuance and dynamic for me..
 
back when i was still reading english versions of the games i tended to just mentally adding them myself the way characters did in the voicelines, so... it wasn't a big problem, i guess
now i play in japanese fully, so the problem disappeared completely
 
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I'd like them to keep them. If the story is entirely set in Japan, then why not keep them? But if it's another historical setting outside Japan, finding equivalents makes sense. The same goes for modern settings. As long as it still feels close to the original, I don't see a big problem
 
I don't like it.

Japanese honorifics like sama, chan, and kun carry a lot of nuance that doesn't translate cleanly into English. They signal hierarchy, intimacy, affection, teasing, respect, or emotional distance in ways that simple name changes often flatten. When localizers remove them entirely, you lose subtle character dynamics and cultural texture

For example, shifting from "Tanaka san" to just "Tanaka" erases the polite distance. Keeping "sama" can signal reverence or obsession in a way that "Mr" or "Lord" doesn't always capture. And something like "chan" conveys warmth or cuteness that often gets awkwardly replaced with random nicknames

I understand why localizers do it for accessibility, readability, broader audience appeal but personally, I prefer when honorifics are preserved, especially in media that's clearly Japanese in setting and tone
 
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In my country, some game's translation is really good at localization, but others don't. Japanese's such titles are a very delicate matter, so I prefer translations which did good localization.
 
When Japanese honorifics get removed, it just doesn't feel the same to me :(
I know it makes localization smoother for some people, but dropping things like -san, -kun, -senpai, etc., kind of takes away the original nuance. It changes the vibe of the relationship dynamics in a subtle way.
 
Yeah in Japanese settings I prefer all honorifics to be retained, even a Lord/Sir for historical settings would suffice; if a game is neither, I want an equivalent to be used instead of just removing honorifics completely

I think what bothers me the most is when the way someone addresses others is supposed to add to their personality, but that gets removed in translation. Like if someone who's passive-aggressive or shady deliberately refers to everyone as their superiors but doesn't mean it, or if someone who's rude calls a particular person by polite terms when they don't usually do that for others, or a polite character is overly stiff.
 
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My opinion is similar to some of ya from above, but I like keeping it at least in a Japanese setting. I do not play in English, but I have seen some translations where localization team kind of ruined the mood by trying to adjust -san, -chan, -kun, -sama, -dono to english ><
 
Probably echoing a lot of the posts before me, but ultimately? I don't mind in the sense that as long as the translation looked to keep the 'feel' of the relationship in some other way since they're a tricky thing to deal with (and have a tendency to sound a tad awkward in non-japanese settings).

Keyword being 'keep', since the example Op mentions stands in the exact opposite side of sounding like ''no effort was put here aside from search&deleting all the honorifics from the text'' which doesn't bode well for how much the person working on the text had valued the original work
 
I get why they're removed in the localizations, but since I grew up with fansubbed anime and manga, I do like seeing them in games with a clear Japanese setting. I believe that since visual novels are a niche, the public is more aware of honorifics and other Japanese terms, unlike official localizations for anime (nowadays, at least)
As long as they're using equivalent terms in other settings instead of simply removing them, I don't really mind too much!
 
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I don't mind that much; it's not something that will negatively affect or spoil the narrative. Besides, I don't think there's a way for an localization to maintain the meaning of the Japanese honorifics. Perhaps "Sama" could be replaced by "Sir" or "Lord," but others like "kun" and "chan" simply wouldn't be translatable ┐⁠(⁠´⁠ー⁠｀⁠)⁠┌
 
It doesn't bother me too much, but if it were up to me, they'd just keep honorifics in there lol. At least the ones that are definitely based in Japan. I would understand just removing them when the world is clearly not Japan, but I think localizers should have enough faith in the readers to understand that these are socially Japan-specific words? I think it helps to set the environment, even. I have wondered what it would be like for a localizer to start using "Mr" and Ms" and last names to try to bridge that gap as closely as possible, and while I think it'd be a fair compromise, I also think it'd be too jarring lol.
 
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