The evening after our wedding, I started calling Ryu (my husband), "honey" and "dear". Basically, his name is hard for me to say properly if I have been speaking only English for awhile - and I had been. He picked it up, and we have rarely called each other by our first names since.
Case in point. Someone asked Jun what her "Mama's" name was. She patted me on the knee and said "okaasan" (Mother, in Japanese.) She also ends every sentence with "honey". "Mama, sit down here, honey." She sounds like a very sweet grandma. She is 2 1/2!
About 15 years or so ago, I was at a church here in Japan. Two people got married (to each other), and forever after, the wife talked about her "dana". One of the many ways to say "husband" in Japanese.
A friend much older than I uses the word "oto" when she talks about her husband. She would NEVER use "shujin".
When I talk about Ryu, I always default to "shujin". I have no issues with it. Cluelessness helps.
All my young friends from the park (seriously 15 years younger!) mostly use "oto". I wonder if it is popular again, or???
When Ryu introduces himself to my friends or to a group, he says he is my "teishi" (did I get that right?). It gets a good laugh. I guess it means slave. Well, that is nice, huh?
So, how do you refer to your other half?
8 comments:
i have tried referring to my husband as 'otto', but too often the listener thinks i'm about to say 'ototto'. *sigh* i call him yoshi. hiro calls me 'mommy' and yoshi 'yoshi'. lol you won't find me calling him 'papa'.
i feel kinda funny using endearments. i guess because my parents never did.
Illahee - I can't say "otto" without thinking of the fish shop man in that book where the little boy feeds the fish too much. Or was that the fish's name?
We are getting into the habit I swore I never would, of calling each other "mama and daddy". I am trying to not succomb 100%! YIKES!
Well we are not yet married but I refer to my partner as Shun, Shun-chan, shumpei kun (Shun kun just doesn`t work!) or bibi-chan (It came from babe which turned to baby chan and now it is bibi-chan!)
He calls me Laura-chan or Lulu-chan or just Laura....If he wants something (like to go outside an have a ciggerette) he will add san.
When talking to other people I either say Shun or fiance...in English but In Japanese I say danna or kareshi.....I hate the word konyakusha as it reminds me of konyaku....that jelly stuff. Yuk!
After marriage? Probably stick with Danna...
When we first moved to Japan everyone I knew were Chikara's friends so I just called him by his name (Chikara-kun). Then we moved to our house and nobody in the neighbourhood knows him (of course!) so I had to change courses really quick. I call him dana-san when I'm referring to him in conversation and I call him Emi-chan no papa (or whoever) if the situation fits. I've never heard "otto" and I can never remember to say "shujin".
On a related note, after we were married, the first time he introduced me in Japanese he said "okasan" but I thought he said "okaasan" and I was all offended!
next time you get teishi (isn't it disciple?) hit back with Shuujin. Make sure you stress the long u sound. One little u turns husband into prisoner. ;P
I call DH Ken, so do the girls when otoosan or daddy isn't working. :) When talking to others I usually say shujin. With friends I say Ken. If they ask I explain that it's more natural for me to use his name. I have two friends who've started talking of their husbands the same way (when they're with me, at least.) I don't think I will ever call him otoosan as that's what I call FIL and it would be too weird!!
I love Jun using Honey. She and Amy would give people a few giggles- Amy picked up my mum's 'goodness gracious me' last time we visitted.
Lulu - I love all the nicknames you have for each other. I wonder if Ryu has ever "san"'d me. Hmm
Sarah - I totaly thought we would end up in the Jun-chan no Mama/Daddy custom, but, for some reason, I always introduce my friends to Jun by first name, so she remembers their first names. Other kids have called me "okaasan" before. I felt very happy! If my hubby did it...
I do remember a Japanese husband refering to his wife as okusan, and I was so suprised and impressed. Guess it isn't so unusual, though.
Heather - Oh, those long "u's" and short "tsu's" always get me! I'll have to try your shujin sometime! HAHAHAH!
ROFL, with what Sarah said, with this down below...
"okasan" but I thought he said "okaasan" and I was all offended!"
That has happened to me before and yup I was offended too, ha ha ha! : )
I call Noboru, "honey" as in, "hey honey can you pass me the remote" or whatever. That is what I call him the most probably 90% of the time, I call him honey.LOL. : D If he hasn't heard me, I will call him by his name. I will call him, Noboru for the most part. Sometimes...Nobo-chan when are home. And Nobo-kun or san when we are in public.
When I am speaking about my husband, to a friend, I will either say his name or, say, "shujin' or if I am speaking to a little kid, I was say, "Branden's daddy" or "Branden's pappa"
All the kids when they talk to me, they call me, "Branden's mama"..."Branden's okaasan" when Noah starts school, I am sure I will be known at the yochien as "Noah's mama" LOL.
Noboru calls me honey or baby. If I don't hear him, he calls me Gina.
Both the kids call Noboru daddy. Though, now that B is in elementary school, I notice he switches to calling him papa when his friends are around. : )
Excellent question Kim! : ) PS, are you getting your packing done? How's it going? : )
Gina - the packing is going slowly, but today's sunshine is a big help! We decided to take our suitcases on the train, so I have an extra day or two! YEAH! Oh, BTW, Ryu LOVED the nikujaga with the sesamae oil in it. Either that or he was buttering me up! HAHAHAH!
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