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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

plural

Sans,

plural

San

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

On Mother’s Day, the San Francisco Bay shoreline could experience highs in the 70s to mid-80s, with Silicon Valley and the inland East Bay valleys reaching the lower 90s.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

For Zuckerberg, this would save him around $12.5 million in tax, while San Francisco resident Altman would shave around $6.25 million off his bill.

From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026

Columbus, Ohio, and California’s San Jose area unexpectedly got top scores this year—evidence that even places with so-so earning potential or high costs of living can be prime locations for landing that first job postgraduation.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Other parts of San Diego County could get a bit more, such as Oceanside, which could get about one-third of an inch of rain.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

But 346 miles is more than the distance between Boston and New York City, almost as far as from Los Angeles to San Francisco, about the entire width of Iowa.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong