A ''mama-san'' or ''mamasan'' is usually a woman in a position of authority, especially one in charge of a
geisha house
{{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha
{{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...
or bar or nightclub in East Asia.
In
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
a mamasan is a woman who works in a supervisory role in certain establishments, typically those related to drinking places. Papa-san may refer to a man in a similar position.
The term is a combination of the English word "Mama" and the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
suffix ''
-san
The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called , which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when talking to, or referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while ...
'' which is a polite honorific attached to a person's name or title, coined by U.S. soldiers in Japan after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. This probably has had some influence in its spread to other Southeast Asian countries.
It is considered extremely rude to refer to a woman in charge of a respectable restaurant or inn as ''mama-san''. The proper title for her is ''okami'' or ''okami-san''.
In
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
and the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, mamasan is commonly used to describe a woman who manages the
female workers in bars and brothels.
To at least some extent, these can be considered the local equivalents of a
madam
Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French la ...
, although the conventions of
bar fine
A bargirl is a woman who is paid to entertain patrons in a bar or nightclub. Variants on the term include "B-girl" and "juicy girl". Many bargirls work as a bar hostess, engaging individual customers in conversation. They may also provide them ...
prostitution in Asia are quite different from those of street or brothel prostitution in western countries.
Mamasan (sometimes abbreviated MMS) is also used in the United States to refer to the woman managing the staff of Asian
massage parlor
A massage parlor (American English), or massage parlour (Canadian/British English), or massage salon is a place where massage services are provided. Some massage parlors are front organizations for prostitution and the term "massage parlor" has ...
s.
References
External links
Use of term in Vietnam war era
Anti–East Asian slurs
Sexual slang
Slang terms for women
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