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speech
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One of the aspects I love about the Japanese language is that there are different forms of speech (plain, formal, humble, and honorifics,) and how you refer to yourself varies according to the situation - or your personality. Oftentimes, personal word choice reveals a lot about a character. In this part of the Essentials, we will go into detail the way in which Tenshinhan speaks, as well as how others address him.
In the right column is the form of address: the way it appears in the DB manga and its Romanji. Underneath is a description; and as an accompaniment to the text, there is an image from the manga that depicts the word being used.
◦ Visit the Voice section for information about Tenshinhan’s Japanese voice actor, Hirotaka Suzuoki.
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オレ
ore
Tenshinhan speaks in a masculine speech pattern. In particular, the personal pronoun ore, which is written in katakana (as seen at the left) denotes is a rougher style of speaking. In most shônen manga, ore is generally what the guys use when talking about themselves (unless you’re Goku; in which case you use ora). Tenshinhan also adorns the ends of his sentences with zo (ぞ) and ze (ぜ,) both of which are a kind of verbal exclamation point used primarily by men.
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わたし
watashi
When addressing his martial arts masters, Tsurusennin and Tao Pai Pai, - and later, Kame-sennin - Tenshinhan switches to the formal, gender neutral personal pronoun watashi (usually written in its kanji form as 私) and uses the -masu/-masen form of verbs, which is the polite form.
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おまえ
omae
This is a very informal, oftentimes impolite, way of saying “you.” It’s used by guys in a lot of manga, and Tenshinhan is no exception. He addresses everyone in this way.
Note: In Japanese, it’s generally not very polite to use any direct form of “you” (this includes omae, kimi, and anata.) It is more proper to speak in the third person. For instance, one would say, “The technique Ten-san has taught me is really handy,” rather than, “The technique you taught me is really handy.”
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n/a
no suffix
In Japanese, suffixes are usually used with names, as titles, etc. So, not using suffixes is kind of a big deal. It denotes familiarity or a close relationship between the speaker and the addressee.
Also, one normally addresses someone by his/her surname plus a suffix (-chan, -san, -taichô), but in Dragon Ball, most of the characters don’t have last names!
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さん
-san
“Ten-san” is used by Chaozu, almost exclusively. The contraction of Tenshinhan’s name is a demonstration of their closeness, and the addition of -san also shows respect. The suffix -san is usually translated into English as Ms. or Mr. I like to think that when Chaozu uses it, it becomes a term of endearment, or a way one might address a family member in Japan.
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くん
-kun
Bulma addresses Tenshinhan this way. This suffix, which can also be written in kanji as 君, is used for men - sometimes women - of an equal or inferior rank.
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