Is it rude to omit "sama" when creating name cards in alphabetic notation?
2019.11.05 published
I Want to Make Stylish Handmade Place Cards Like Overseas ♡
Place cards lined up on the guest table. Until now, card-type place cards have been the norm, but more and more people are preparing stylish place cards with names written on materials other than paper, like overseas escort cards ♡
DIY place cards made from unusual materials like tiles and acrylic elevate the guest table coordination to a whole new level of sophistication.
The Issue of Name Notation! Is It Okay Not to Use Honorifics or Titles?
One concern when creating place cards with a design reminiscent of overseas weddings is about the guest's honorifics and titles.
On overseas-style place cards, guest names are written in Roman letters with stylish fonts or calligraphy.
At that time, don't you wonder whether to add "sama" (様) to senior guests?
In general place cards that display guest names in kanji, all guests are accompanied by the honorific "〇〇様," and sometimes the place cards for senior guests include company names or titles (like department head, section chief).
Even if the design is stylish, it feels awkward to call seniors or elderly guests without any honorifics ...
However, writing "HANAKO TANAKA様" where only "様" is in kanji feels somewhat strange, right?
(If I am going to use the alphabet, I want to pay attention to the font, and maybe even use calligraphy...)
Conclusion! Adding "Mr." or "Mrs." is OK!
I want to display guest names in the alphabet, but I'm hesitant to omit honorifics for seniors or elders.
For those people, it’s fine to add "Mr." or "Mrs." instead of "sama!"
"Mr." and "Mrs." are formal honorifics in English-speaking countries. They are also used when announcing award recipients at movie or music award ceremonies.
When looking at escort cards for overseas weddings, you can see that "Mr." and "Mrs." are indeed used.
"Mr." (ミスター) and "Mrs." (ミセス) are used for the full name (Mr. TARO YAMADA) or in front of the last name (Mr. YAMADA), unlike "sama."
Additionally, while all men are referred to as "Mr.," women's honorifics change depending on whether they are married or unmarried, so be cautious.
Recently, due to the discussion surrounding the distinction between married and unmarried, the honorific "Ms." is also commonly used without discrimination.
☑ Miss. (ミス) ... Unmarried women
☑ Mrs. (ミセス) ... Married women
☑ Ms. (ミズ) ... Women in general, regardless of marital status
☑ Mr. (ミスター) ... Men
For very close friends, it's fine to use the Roman letter notation without honorifics, but for guests you're hesitant to address casually, adding "Mr." or "Mrs." resolves the issue ◎
It’s not rude, as it’s the same as using "sama"! ♡
For Gift Place Cards, No Honorifics♩
However, for gift place cards that consider items like handkerchiefs or leather keychains to be used by guests after the wedding, it’s recommended to prepare them with just the name, even for senior guests.
Items labeled "〇〇様" are difficult to use.
In the case of gift place cards, it would be safe to say that no guest feels uncomfortable due to the absence of honorifics.
If you’re concerned, you can prepare both regular paper place cards with honorifics and those without for peace of mind.
Let’s Prepare Cute Place Cards ♩
We have introduced the issue of whether or not to add "sama" when making overseas-style place cards. Since they are in Roman letters rather than kanji, they tend to appear more stylish. Let’s master the use of English honorifics and prepare wonderful place cards ♡
➡ Check out the list of place card articles here*