〜さん (san) — sensushi

Related patterns3

Similar

〜くん
さん works on anyone regardless of age or sex, while くん narrows to boys and men younger than or equal to the speaker and reads noticeably more casual.
〜ちゃん
さん keeps a polite distance from any adult, while ちゃん shrinks that distance to children, pets and close friends, and sounds condescending aimed at a stranger.
〜様さま
さん is the everyday default in speech and writing; 様さま raises the same slot to formal address for customers, letters and deities, and using it in casual talk reads stiff or sarcastic.

All examples2

attaches to a name or role as the ordinary, polite title

田中たなかさんはもう来きてる？

tanaka san wa mou kiteru?

Has Mr/Ms Tanaka shown up yet? casual

山田やまださんによろしくお伝つたえください。

yamada san ni yoroshiku otsutae kudasai.

Please give my regards to Mr/Ms Yamada. formal

How it's formed1

Notes

Adding さん to your OWN name is a beginner mistake — it only names someone
else. A word that already ends in a title (お母かあさん, 王様おうさま) takes
no second one. It stacks onto a role noun, though — 店員てんいんさん and
駅員えきいんさん address the person directly, while 銀行員ぎんこういんさん
and 留学生りゅうがくせいさん are only ever said ABOUT one.