# addressing a kid without knowing their name



## PoisonedQuill

Hi everyone!

I'm aware that there's already a thread on "addressing someone without knowing their name", but my question is a bit more specific... so sorry if this seems repetitive (small kids aren't the same as adults...). Also, I googled and checked the resources, but Japanese is tricky when it comes to addressing forms, so I'd feel more confident with a direct answer (rather than just inferring from what I've read).

That being said... I asked quite a while ago how could I say "sweetie" or "honey" in Japanese, that is, terms of endearment that I could use with kids. The answer was that there aren't translations for "sweetie" or "honey" and I should use <boy name>-kun and <girl name>-chan instead to show affection. My question now is: what if I don't know the name of the kid? For example, to say "Hi, sweetie, what's your name?". Should I use "ototo" for a boy and "imoto" for a girl, since they use "oneesan" and such? Truth is, I watch anime sometimes and while I've heard "oneesan" and "oniisan" about a hundred times I've never heard "ototo" or "imoto" (why is this, by the way?).

So what would you say? I have no idea of Japanese and can't read kanji, hiragana or katakana, so please use (or include) romaji. Thanks so much!


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## Neurone00

I guess they use a circumlocution like "little kid". My knowledge of Japanese is limited at anime too


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## kaito

I don't know if it's a term of endearment but I've seen boku used in such situations.
(You may be aware that boku is usually used as I/me but it's also used to address children.)


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## uchi.m

kaito said:


> I don't know if it's a term of endearment but I've seen boku used in such situations.
> (You may be aware that boku is usually used as I/me but it's also used to address children.)


That's correct, little boys can be addressed as _bokuchan_, for instance.
My mother used to call a kid from the neighborhood this way.


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## uchi.m

I recall little girls being called _musume san_... but I don't know why not _musume chan_ instead


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## Aoyama

Boku (I/me) will be used, as well as Kimi (you, familiar -tu-).


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## PoisonedQuill

Thanks so much for your replies, everyone! All clear now!


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## Flaminius

It's amazing to observe how gender has an influence of the language to deal with children.

For boys, some of the forms are: _boku_, _bokuchan_, _bōya_, _bocchan_
For girls, some of the forms are: _watashi_, _ojōchan_, _jōchan_

Casual second person pronouns are also used.  I am not sure if they are used more for either gender: _kimi_, _omae_, _anta_

If you are asking back the same question as the child asked you, you can use _socchi_, for example.

C: いくつ?
A: 19歳だよ。そっちは?



uchi.m said:


> I recall little girls being called _musume san_... but I don't know why not _musume chan_ instead


_Musume san_ is for older girls in older Japanese.  _Musume chan_ is non-existent.

This may be a personal preference but I am not very keen on using address forms; especially the ones in the first group.  I think I'd use _nē_, which is kind of "Hey" but more versatile.  The word is used with an interlocutor whose social status you don't have to defer to.


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## PoisonedQuill

Thanks, Flaminius, that's really helpful.


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## Anatoli

> For boys, some of the forms are: _boku_, _bokuchan_, _bōya_, *bocchan*


In the "Hana yori Dango" (花より男子) J-dorama, the main character 道明寺司 (Dōmyōji Tsukasa) was addressed by his mother's secretary as 坊っちゃん (bocchan) and it was translated as "young master". This must quite a polite address to a young person, am I right?


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## lammn

"Chibichan" is used to address a small girl in the anime "garasu no kamen".
Wondering if it can be used in real life situation, because Japanese used in anime often differs with real life. 

Also, I'm not sure if it is very insulting to call someone "chibichan"(shorty).


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## Flaminius

Hello Anatoli,
好久不見。  

In the drama, the main character is a teenage boy.  The secretary of his mother, needless to say, knows his name.  In this context _bocchan_ is  quite a polite address.

When I was around 8, I sometimes hang around in the supermarket looking for a vendor who'd offer me a bite of orange or kiwi saying, "ぼっちゃん、一切れたべてみない".


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## kknd

そっち comes from そちら ('your side'), similarly others.


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## Anatoli

Flaminius said:


> Hello Anatoli,
> 好久不見。
> 
> In the drama, the main character is a teenage boy.  The secretary of his mother, needless to say, knows his name.  In this context _bocchan_ is  quite a polite address.
> 
> When I was around 8, I sometimes hanged around in the supermarket looking for a vendor who'd offer me a bite of orange or kiwi saying, "ぼっちゃん、一切れたべてみない".


久し振りですね、Flaminius。お元気ですか。
そうですか、外の人の息子も「坊っちゃん」といいますね。


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