Do you use nicknames to call your friends, relatives or your boyfriend or girlfriend? I'm pretty sure the answer is "yes". Words like "sweetie", "honey", "darling" or "daddy" are used every day. But what about in Japanese?
In this article, I'll talk about 5 nicknames you can use to call your loved ones. From concrete ones to suffixes. In both my native language and Japanese, I always use these words and they make conversation with others more pleasant.
What's more, this article not only comes with a list of nicknames, but also information about their use and a little hint to learn them easily while having fun. If you have a Japanese friend, boyfriend or girlfriend and you want to express your affection in Japanese, then this is the article for you! Let's go!
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What do Japanese people call their loved ones?
1.ο½γ‘γγ (chan) - Name + γ‘γγ
Let's start with the one of the most common ones. ο½γ‘γγ is a suffix used mostly on young kids (both genres) or women, although is also used for grown-up men too.
Add γ‘γγ after a person's name to show affection.
For example:
ε€ͺιγ‘γγ (TarΕ-chan)
γγγΏγ‘γγ (Megumi-chan)
γγͺγ’γ‘γγ (Maria-chan)
It's also very common for Japanese to shorten the person's name and add γ‘γγ after it.
For example:
γΎγε (Mariko) can be shortened to γΎγγ‘γγ (Mari-chan)
η―ε (Setsuko) becomes γ»γγ‘γγ (Se-cchan)
ζ δΉδ» (Shinnosuke) β‘ γγγ‘γγ (Shin-chan)
Note that is common to write the shortened form in Hiragana or Katakana instead of Kanji and sometimes a small γ€/γ for double consonant or a long vowel sound is added, like in γ»γγ‘γγ or γγΌγ‘γγ (Ma-chan).
What's more, γ‘γγ is not only used for people, but also for pets!
2.ο½γγ/ε (kun) - Name + γγ/ε
Like γ‘γγ, this is another very common suffix for showing affection to a person. It's mostly used for young boys and men, but in some cases γγ is used among young girls to call their female friends. Β γγ is used by girls to call their boyfriends.
The method is the same as γ‘γγ. Just add γγ after a name and that's it.
Examples:
ε€ͺιε (TarΕ-kun)
γΈγ§γ³γγ (Jon-kun)
Shortening can also be done too, and double consonants or long vowel sounds may be common:
ε·§ (Takumi)β‘γγ£γγ (Takkun)
3.γγͺγ (anata).
γγͺγ means "you". However, this word is also used when a married woman call her husband in an affective way. In this case, its meaning is like "darling" or "honey" in English.
You may be asking: "Do husbands have a word to call her wife and show affection?" Well...no, they don't have it. That's because whereas Japanese women are more likely to show their feelings, men generally don't do that.
It's also important to note that γγͺγ, when it's taken as "you" and not "darling" as we saw, can be rude when it's said to strangers or people we don't have a close relation.
4.γγΌγͺγ³ (dΔrin) and γγγΌ (hanii).
Do you find something familiar in those two words? Of course. γγΌγͺγ³ and γγγΌ are loan words from English "darling" and "honey" respectively.
Unlike the suffixes γ‘γγ,γγ and γγͺγ, γγΌγͺγ³ and γγγΌ aren't used so often by couples. Another thing is that the meaning is different from the one in English. While their original use is to show affection for your loved one (boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, etc.), in Japanese they're used for humorous purposes and they can't be taken seriously.
However, there they are and sometimes they may appear. So, be aware of them!
5.Words involving family members + γ‘γγ (chan).
When a word used for naming the family is used with γ‘γγ, it makes the word more affective. This is used a lot by young kids.
ε γ‘γγ (oniichan), "elder brother".
γε§γ‘γγ (oneechan), "elder sister".
γγ°γγ‘γγ (obΔchan), "grandma".
γγγγ‘γγ (ojiichan), "grandpa".
γζ―γ‘γγ (okΔchan), "mommy".
γηΆγ‘γγ (otΕchan), "daddy".
The γ (o) at the beginning of each word can be dropped to show even more affection and love. For instance, γε γ‘γγβ‘ε γ‘γγ (niichan).
Extra: saying the person's first name.
In Japanese, if you call a person by his or her first name (and without a suffix like γ‘γγ or γγ), then you're showing affection and even love. That's why Japanese people use people's last name to call them and mostly with suffixes. Not doing so shows too much trust and invades the other person's privacy.
How often do Japanese people use nicknames?
It depends. In the case of suffixes like γγ and γ‘γγ, they're always used when addressing a loved one. This includes family members and the suffix γ‘γγ.
However, words like γγͺγ, γγγΌ or γγΌγͺγ³γ° are rarely used because culturally Japanese people tend to be shy when showing their feelings to others. Of course, this shyness always depends on the person and even the region we're talking about. But generally speaking, that's what happens.
This also happens with the phrase ζγγ¦γ aishiteru ("I love you"), so common in Japanese romantic doramas, anime and songs. Actually the phrase isn't used as much as you may think because Japanese prefers nuance over straight answers and because it isn't needed: if we two get along and have chemistry, you don't need words to express what is obvious.
Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that Japanese people can't express emotions. They just express them differently.
The suffixes γγ san, ε η sensei, ζ§ sama and ε θΌ© sempai.
There are other suffixes like γ‘γγ and γγ that are used when addressing a person and these are γγ san, ε η sensei, ζ§ sama and ε θΌ© sempai. However, these suffixes aren't used to show affection for the other person, but respect, showing a social status and role. All these suffixes are used for both men and women.
- γγ san shows respect for the other person in the same way Mr. and Mrs. are used in English. For example, η°δΈγγ Tanaka-san, ε±±ε£γγ Yamaguchi-san.
- ε η sensei shows even more respect than γγ san. It's used for teachers, doctors or even mangakas.
- ζ§ sama shows respect for people that have some kind of authority, like a boss, the Emperor and the client who buys something at a store.
- ε θΌ© sempai is used for classmates or colleagues that have more experience working or studying than me. The person that has less experience is called εΎθΌ© kΕhai.
To sum up.
In conclusion, Japanese isn't a language that have too many nicknames or terms of endearment for showing your feelings to others, unlike English and other languages (mostly European ones).
Strictly speaking, the only proper nickname for loved ones is γγͺγ anata. γγΌγͺγ³ dΔrin and γγγΌ hanii, while sometimes used by couples, don't have the same meaning as in English and they're used in a humorous way. Most cute nicknames are created using suffixes γ‘γγ chan or γγ kun. Or even saying the person's first name shows affection and love.
Now we know what the Japanese cute nicknames are, the only thing to do is to them in action while learning them and you can do this by watching your favorite TV shows on Lingopie!
Lingopie offers great and authentic TV shows and movies in Japanese for you to watch and learn from, with flashcards and quizzes. You can also book lessons with our professional teachers and tutors, both group and private, to deepen your Japanese with lessons focused on situations that you've seen on the shows.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up, start your free trial and discover what Lingopie has to offer! See you!
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