-sama is MUCH more respectful than -san. -san is a form of address used with someone on more or less the same level of social status as you, or at the very least it's simply the default title. -sama is what you use when you respect someone a hell of a lot. To give you an idea of the amount of respect -sama implies, I believe it was used by peasants to refer to daimyo originally. Other titles include -sensei, which is used for people considered to be very educated and/or wise, -dono, which is also very respectful as well as self-abasing (though it isn't used very often anymore, to my knowledge, I've heard it's considered archaic), -kun, which is used for those slightly below you and/or close friends (usually male, though I've seen it used in reference to females), and -chan, which is used to address small children and people you are EXTREMELY close with (though it's generally not a good idea to address them as -chan when in public; it's kind of a pet name type of thing).
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"R-E-S-P-E-C-T..."
Date: 2003-09-16 09:22 pm (UTC)Re: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T..."
Date: 2003-09-16 09:33 pm (UTC)Re: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T..."
Date: 2003-09-16 09:34 pm (UTC)Re: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T..."
Date: 2003-09-16 09:39 pm (UTC)Re: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T..."
Date: 2003-09-17 01:07 am (UTC)A.
never mind me
Re: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T..."
Date: 2003-09-17 03:20 pm (UTC)Ummm... Errr...
*runs away and hides under a mountain of pillows in abject embarassment*
Re: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T..."
Date: 2003-09-18 03:55 pm (UTC)