Etiquette

Expanded etiquette mostly refers to etiquette when used in Japan, but can be modified by the GM to fit in other cultures or in noble society.

Japan's levels of formality are the following; plain, polite, respectful, and finally humble.

Plain: Spoken among close friends, when telling jokes, camaraderie, and insulting others. Speaking to a superior in plain language (without given permission) is an insult in and of itself, enough to make them hostile or indifferent towards you.

In Japanese this means dropping most titles and shortening phrases without honorifics or "-masu" and "desu" being used. Some "informal titles" may be used in plain language such as "-chan", "-tan", and "bō" (male only), often being used in respect to children or in the case of "-chan" used as a phrase of endearment/cuteness.

In Modern English, most conversation is held in the Japanese equivalent to Plain speak.

Polite: The standard form of speech, often taught to beginners of the language, and also used with those you are unfamiliar with (and who aren't superior to you, that you know of). In Japanese this means including the formal title of "-san" and using "-masu" (pronounced mah-ss) and "desu" (pronounced dess).

In Modern English, Polite speak is often used in business situations and by businesses when speaking to customers. It comes off as formal, using titles like "Mister" and "Misses", or combining "Mister/Misses" and referring to one's last name in place of their first name.

Respectful: This form of speech is used by individuals when speaking to their superiors/betters. It is not to be used when referring to oneself, as this comes off as rude/gloating. Profanities should not be used in respectful language, or speak angrily/in harsh tones. Doing so immediately degrades respectful speech to plain, and likely is insulting the individual you're speaking to instead unless there is good reason for this change (such as quoting someone when informing a noble of profanities an individual uttered about them).

In Japanese this means including respectful titles, not formal titles. The common and catch-all respectful title is "-sama", however specific individuals or circumstances will modify the honorific needed.

• • Sensei: A teacher, doctor, lawyer, politician, and other authority figures.

  • Dono/Tono: Used when referring to lords/ladies, or other situations where an individual may use "milord/my lord".

  • "-no Kimi": Attached after a person's first name (if familiar) or last name (if unfamiliar/your better), it's used for high lords and princes. It can also be used as "my beloved", if used with an individual you are writing a love letter to.

  • Ten'nō Heika / Kōgō Heika: Used for the Imperial Emperor and Empress respectively. Heika can be used on its own as "your majesty".

Humble: This is only to be used by yourself when speaking of your own deeds, or an individual who is part of some sort of group/company with you referring to the group's achievements. It's used to imply you are doing something for the benefit of another, or underplaying the achievements that were accomplished. Humble speech cannot be used to brag, instead reverting the form of speech to plain speech and making the individual look haughty and pride.

There are no special titles for use in humble speech itself, instead using polite or respectful titles depending on if one is mentioning another in the midst of using humbly speaking of themselves.

English doesn't necessarily have a real equivalent to this in actual words, instead speaking humbly in English depends on your phrasing. For example, "It was no big deal, really. Don't worry about it." after helping someone would be seen as humble. However if the situation doesn't warrant the usage of it, it can come off as bragging. To replicate Japanese's equivalent of humble speech, use "we did..." when speaking for a group, and downplay accomplishments you achieve, as if to say "I can always grow further" or to say to the other person "I succeeded, but of course, you could too."