In different countries, people address their loved ones differently. Some terms of endearment are evidently more unusual than others, and as Japanese manga artist Ezaki Bisuko illustrates in a short comic, it seems that there's no shortage of awkward nicknames for boyfriends in the Japanese language.

The comic introduces 8 different ways people have (apparently) begun to address their boyfriends in Japan. As you might already know, there are many English loanwords in Japanese, and one quite common way to address boyfriends is to use the word "ダーリン" (Daarin). Daarin comes from the English word "darling," which some people even shorten to "daa" to refer to their significant others. Another nickname is "旦那" (Danna). Danna means “husband” in Japanese. Regardless of their marital status, many couples like to use “wife” and “husband” to address their loved ones.

 

The third one is "相方" (Aikata). Aikata can be defined as "lover," but is more commonly used to mean "partner," such as by comedy duos when indicating their partners. "彼氏さん" (Kareshi San) is another way to address a boyfriend in Japanese. However, "さん" (san) is an honorific term that might create some distance between each other.

Though far from a prevalent term, the comic also introduces "彼ピッピ" (Kare-Pippi) as a term of endearment. It does sound like the Japanese onomatopoeia for chirping birds (piyo-piyo), but thus has an inherently cute sound which may be the reason why it has apparently become yet another way to call a boyfriend. 彼ピッピ can be shortened to "ピッピ" (Pippi), with variations like "好きピ" (Suki-Pi).

Next time you're in want of a nickname for the love of your life, you might consider picking one out of this list.