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I alway thought this was something that needed to be stressed when learning the language, so I'll offer a brief insight into how honorifics function within Japanese society.

Honorifics(or lack thereof) are an integral part of their everyday interactions and are typically a note of how much one respects the person or is close to them. Note that they can also be used when referring to a specific kind of shop worker(like butchers, officers and so on) or even companies, and are normally not used when referring to yourself.

*nothing*

Usually indicates the person feels incredibly close to the one involved. Not to be used unless the one you're speaking of is someone very near and dear to your heart.

-chan

A diminutive Honorific, usually infers a more casual relationship, similar to giving your of your friends a nickname, or your lover a pet name(which is usually how they are rendered as, when translated to English, IE Ryu-chan becoming Feenie in the English translation of Gyakutan Saiban/Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney). Also can be an actual pet name when the name of someone or something is shortened, with -chan attached to it(IE Ryuichi=Ryu-chan)

-tan

The childish mispronunciation of -chan & is regarded even as more diminutive and cute(an important part of the Kawaii aspect of Japanese culture).

-kun

Normally a male specific variant of -chan, but it can also be seen given to women on occasion.

-san

Equivalent, respect wise, to Mr, Ms or Mrs in the English language. The most used when referring to a specific kind of worker or a company. Considered diminutive/childlike when used to refer to animals, and in this context, not proper in most social settings.

-senpai

Used when acknowledging someone as your senior, mentor or a general professional in their field.

-kouhai

Used when someone is addressed as a junior, and is often seen as condescending by the person being spoken to.

-sensei

More commonly used to refer to professionals(such as doctors, mechanics, etc), and is also how one would refer to an instructor in Japanese martial arts.

-sama

A more formal version of -san and is most often used when regarding someone with great respect or reverence. Someone who uses this to refer to themself is normally seen as incredibly arrogant.

-tama

A childish mispronunciation of -sama(as -tan is to -chan), often used solely by children, or someone attempting to affect a childlike charm.

-shi

Much like -san, but often seen only in either very formal documents, or used by very formal people, when speaking with someone they've met for the very first time.

(more to come, after further study. If you're not interested in waiting 'til then, look here)

That's a very good point, ma'am, and that can be said of a lot of learning. Self teaching is much like carrying water from one point to another: if you try to take it all at once, you're bound to spill much of it along the way. Taking it piece by piece ensures you get all that you need and never lose a drop of the knowledge you so seek.

Thanks guys, I've been hedged on how to use em properly, and now I know. But according to some people Iknow I think there are honorifics based on ummm accent/dialect right???

Kansai-ben has its own honorific form that involves putting "haru" on a verb. For example, "kudasaru" (the honorific form of "kureru") would be "kureharu" (kureru + haru). How it's conjugated depends on the specific location in Kansai. Apparently Osaka puts it on the -masu stem of a verb (kakiharu for kaku + haru), where as Kyoto puts it the -nai stem (kakaharu for kaku + haru).

I'm not sure how often honorifics come up in other dialects. But speakers of any dialect still use the standard dialect for polite speech the vast majority of the time.

For the most part no. Like I said, they use standard Japanese for polite speech the majority of the time. Like Kansai-ben uses "ya" for "da" but they still use "desu" when they're being more polite. Even though they have "haru" from what I understand it's slightly less formal than other honorifics.

No, that is a form of the copula that you use when you're speaking in a more formal, but not super-polite, way.

For example:
"Kore?" "Un, sore da" ("This?" "Yeah, that")
"Kore desu ka?" "Ee, sore desu" ("This?" "Yes, that")

Both pairs of sentences mean the same thing, but the first pair is between two people who are familiar with each other, like friends, family, etc. The second one is more formal, so it's likely the two don't know each other well, or at least don't have a very close relationship, such as colleagues, strangers, acquaintances, etc.

Oh thanks, that clears that....

Ummm... I have another question, about boku and watashi and the such...