Do you have a Japanese boyfriend or girlfriend and want to take it to the next level by calling them by a sweet, cute nickname? If you’re stuck on what to call your lover in Japanese, this is the guide for you!
Terms of endearment work uniquely in Japan because of its formal and introverted culture. It gets a little tougher to make things affectionate or cutesy.
But never fear! Here are a few cute nicknames and how to use them.
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Do Japanese people use nicknames?
Yes, they do! But they are rarely used in daily life. Also, Japanese nicknames don’t work the same way English or other Western nicknames do.
Since Japanese is a very formal language, many words sound ‘distant’ from the speaker or receiver. Their culture is also reserved. When it comes to expressing emotions, Japanese people tend to be implicit rather than direct.
Hierarchy is also a big cultural factor. At the first stages of getting to know someone, Japanese people typically address each other by their surnames, usually adding the honorific suffix