Is the use of 先生 and similar titles context sensitive?


While it is generally safe to use -さん when taking to someone and the use of
-先生 is appropriate for use in a school environment when talking to a teacher,
would the use of -先生 carry over outside of the school environment if encounter
the person under different circumstances?

For example, while the use of the honorifics is pretty obvious in a school
environment, suppose the teacher of one of the classes starts to learn a new
martial art where one of their students holds a higher rank within the art,
how would this affect the use of honorifics?




I don't think the earlier three answers are completely correct.

Japanese adopts the relative honorification system, meaning that whether to
honorify a particular person depends on the existence of a third person.
Suppose A is B's teacher. Within a conversation between A and B, it is
appropriate for B to use `先生` to refer to A, irrespective of the situation.
However, suppose A and B are doing a venture business together, perhaps
selling products that came out as result of study. Suppose B picks a phone
from a customer C. In this situation, B cannot use `先生` to refer to A.
Otherwise, it would be considered rude of B to C. Here, A and B are one group
as opposed to C, and hence, B has to use the humble form to refer to A, just
as B would do when referring to him/herself.

I heard, although am not completely sure, that this is where the Korean
honorification system differs from the Japanese honorification system.




If you talk to a teacher, it is always appropriate to use -先生. If you are a
student and talk to a teacher, you should always use -先生, even outside the
school. If you are a teacher and talk to a fellow teacher, depending on the
relation (you are a boss or the other teacher is a boss, you are younger or
older etc.), it may be also acceptable to address the other teacher as -さん.

