A few more questions about who calls each other what in Japan

[prillalar]

Hmm, the subject line sounds like I'm about to launch into some "who's on first" routine.

If Inui happened to call Kaidoh up on the phone, his home phone, not his cell, how would he ask for him? I mean, what would he call him when he asked for him?

If Inui happened to go over to Kaidoh's place for dinner, what would Kaidoh's parents be likely to call him? Do they just get to choose? If they used a more formal address, would Inui ask them to call him something more familar, once they got to know him better?

And would Inui be likely to call Kaidoh anything different in front of his parents?

What if it were Momoshiro instead of Inui in the above examples? Would there be any difference, due to him being Kaidoh's yearmate instead of his senpai?

It is such details as these I fret over. Many thanks in advance!

Comments

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

*freezes in the face of Japanese etiquette questions*

Not that intermittent attention to a "Japanese for Travellers" CD and ten days in Tokyo would qualify me to answer anyway.

[prillalar]

God, I know. Fortunately, this is just for fanfic and not for RL. *g*

j

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

my japanese teacher already contradicted the relatively new instruction book, and friends who'd been to japan said something else again! there really seems to be a trend away from the strict formal usage, and great differences in opinion. sorry for not helping.

Re: j

[prillalar]

Hee! Somehow I'm not surprised! I'm just trying to get a vague idea, anyhow. In a fandom where most people can't seem to be bothered to google "christmas in japan" before writing about it, it's unlikely anyone will freak on me if I get things wrong. (Unlike HP fandom. *g*)

Re: j

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

*g* too true. i hope you find some answers!

[miko-no-da.livejournal.com]

I'm not a native, not fluent yet, and have never been there, but here's my take on it:

1)How would Inui ask for Kaidou on the phone? Good question. I'm honestly not sure. Obviously 'Kaidou-kun' doesn't work, because that could be either Kaidou or his little brother. He'd probably just ask for 'Kaidou Kaoru', if it wasn't actually Kaoru who answered.

2)What would Kaidou's parents call Inui/Momoshiro? Most likely either 'Inui-kun' or 'Momoshiro-kun'. They're young enough that '-san' isn't really necessary from an adult... Kaidou's family is formal enough that they MIGHT use '-san' regardless, but '-kun' is a safe bet. If they got REALLY familiar, like Inui came over all the time they might use just 'Inui', but in some ways that's actually MORE formal. Chances are good they'd never use either Sadaharu or Takeshi, especially since Kaidou never does.

3)What would Inui call Kaidou in front of his parents? Probably just Kaidou. He could of course use 'Kaidou-kun', but since he doesn't usually, there really isn't need for it unless he's emphasizing the fact that he's Kaidou's senpai for some reason. He could use 'Kaoru-kun' if he wanted, but that would imply a certain degree of familiarity that he probably wouldn't want to give. Obviously he'd call both of Kaidou's parents 'Kaidou-san', and he'd probably refer to Kaidou's brother as Hazue-kun.

4)What about Momo? Momo would, obviously, not use 'mamushi', he'd just use 'Kaidou'. He would probably NOT use '-kun' - not because there's anything really wrong with it, but because he never does and Kaidou would probably take offense. *snickers* As Kaidou's yearmate he technically has the right to call him 'Kaoru', just as Horio and the others call Echizen 'Ryouma', but he just WOULDN'T. Again, he'd use 'Kaidou-san' for Kaidou's parents and probably 'Hazue-kun' for his brother.

Hope that helps (and made sense)!

[miko-no-da.livejournal.com]

Oh, and you didn't ask this, but Kaidou would still use 'Inui-senpai' and 'Momoshiro', respectively.

[prillalar]

Thanks for your help with this. :) It's all so tricky.

[mooselet.livejournal.com]

I have absolutely no idea, I don't even know that fandom, but I just had to say I love that other people wonder about things like that! Attention to detail really does makes a big difference.

[prillalar]

Hee! This is the fun part about venturing further afield -- there's so much to learn.

[branchandroot]

My vote is to go for context identifiers. So Inui or Momo would ask, respectively, for Kaidou-kun and Kaidou, while identifying themselves as Kaidou's teammate, thus making it clear which young Kaidou family member was wanted.

I think the parents would most likely go with Inui/Momoshiro-kun, given the boys' age.

In front of parents, I think both boys would stick with Kaidou, as usual.

Anything to help with fic. ^_^

[prillalar]

Thank you, my dear. I'm not sure if these situations are going to come up, but it's good to be prepared.

[(Anonymous)]

hello I'm japanese but don't know about the fandome...guess the prince of tennis? I was just enjoying the Drabble-Matic thing and happened to be here...
maybe miko_no_da's right, just I think "how would Inui ask for Kaidou on the phone?" -the answer is, if his name's Kaoru, Kaoru-Kun.
but personally I think, when you write fics in english, does it really matter?...

sorry for not helping I'm just a passer-by...

(here's some Inui x Kaido pics I found on the net... :P)
http://www2.ocn.ne.jp/~urasaka/mm32.html
http://ikebukuro.cool.ne.jp/uwa52245/inukai1.html

[prillalar]

Thanks for this. :) And glad you liked the Drabble-Matic.

but personally I think, when you write fics in english, does it really matter?...

I think that depends on what you're trying to accomplish. I have a theory that if you use some accurate detail, it gives the fic a feeling of reality, even though it's clearly not real. In a way, it helps the reader to suspend their disbelief a little more.

Also, I just find this kind of information fascinating. :)

Those pics are nice -- thanks for linking them!