social status

身分(みぶん)	Social status – from kings to peasants and slaves. One’s status never changes in Japanese society – it is with you no matter what you do with your life.

分際(ぶんざい)	Kind of a prejudice hate-speech word. Means “your inferior status.” As in, “Don’t forget your place!” Usually said like this:xxxの分際でそんなこと何で言うんだよ！　（”How dare you talk to your betters like that?”)- but you don’t have to be a stuffy headmaster or wizened dowager to use 分際. You could be a neighborhood bully or something. 分際 doesn’t mean just social class – it could refer to someone’s place in any pecking order.

階級(かいきゅう)	Means the same as 身分 but is generally understood to refer to foreign societies. Unlike 身分、 you can change your 階級　with luck or hard work.