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• San
  San

  noun

  a member of a nomadic aboriginal people of southern Africa.
• -san
  -san

  a suffix used in Japanese as a term of respect after names or titles.
• san
  san

  noun

  short for sanatorium

San

¹ American  

[sahn] / sɑn /

noun

Sans plural

1. a member of a nomadic aboriginal people of southern Africa.

2. any of more than a dozen related Khoisan languages spoken by the San.

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San ² American  

[sahn] / sɑn /

noun

1. a river in central Europe, flowing from the Carpathian Mountains in W Ukraine through SE Poland into the Vistula: battles 1914–15. About 280 miles (450 km) long.

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-san ³ American  

1. a suffix used in Japanese as a term of respect after names or titles.

   Suzuki-san; samurai-san.

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San ¹ British  

/ sɑːn /

noun

1. an aboriginal people of southern Africa

2. a group of the Khoisan languages, spoken mostly by Bushmen

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San ² British  

/ sɑːn /

noun

1. a river in E central Europe, rising in W Ukraine and flowing northwest across SE Poland to the Vistula River. Length: about 450 km (280 miles)

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san ³ British  

/ sæn /

noun

1. old-fashioned short for sanatorium

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Etymology

Origin of -san

< Japanese, contraction of -sama suffix denoting direction, appearance, respect

Example Sentences

The brand’s boxy tees and crew neck sweaters became omnipresent on creative-class millennials in cities like New York and San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

The song was also featured in the iconic video game series Grand Theft Auto in its San Andreas release in 2004.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

Aldana Ramirez tries to warm up beside a brasero, a type of local heater, on a freezing night at Los Azules copper project in San Juan province, the epicenter of Milei's mining "revolution."

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

According to recordings of dispatch audio from San Diego police reviewed by The Times, dispatchers told officers in the field at approximately 11:05 a.m. to be on the lookout for a “possible terroristic threat.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

That’s true of the computers in Tokyo, San Francisco, and Stockholm.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti