Lesson 8 Excuse me, mister.

Titles in Japanese are easy. Both men and women can be called “san.” However, in English, men are Mr. while women can be Ms., Miss, or Mrs. And that’s not the only thing to remember, as Kumi finds out.

Tom: Kumi, have you e-mailed the client about next week’s meeting?
Kumi: No, Mr. Stewart already did so.
Tom: Huh? Who is Mr. Stewart? Do you mean Stewart Jones?

Why was Tom confused? The reason is we use titles with full names (Mr. Stewart Jones) or just family names (Mr. Jones), NOT just first names. Also, many names can be first names or family names. These names include Harrison (Beatle George Harrison and Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford), Owen (former England footballer Michael Owen and actor Owen Wilson), and Michael (singers Michael Jackson and George Michael). So avoid confusion by using titles with family names, not first names.