Name-based nickname formation among Japanese junior high school students
Name-based nickname formation among Japanese junior high school students

Summary/Abstract: This article provides an insight into contemporary Japanese nicknaming practices through an analysis of 989 nicknames formed by modifications of personal names reported by Japanese junior high school students. It identifies and describes the most common name-based formation methods used to create such nicknames. While those received at home are mostly traditional forms of endearment, those created in the school environment utilise either the given name or the surname or both, and with a wider variety of modifications, involving suffixation, reduplication, syllable inver¬sion, different kanji readings or English, word similarity or playful associations.

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