Why Anya Incorrectly Says Chichi/Haha (Updated, Spy x Family)

[@valerianaranjocruz25]

I think it totally fits her character: one, she's not actually six, she just said she's 6 because Lloyd needed a kid that age, she's probably 4-5; two, she can read people's minds, so, like any kid, she picks random words but that doesn't mean she knows how to use them; three, she was an experiment and an orphan that was returned 4 times. That is going to leave a gap in your knowledge.

[@aeioouui]

@@tanishqpanwar65 did you even read the comment? The writers are japanese. They don't do it on purpose

[@exxelsetijadi5348]

@@tanishqpanwar65 i think that's the point. emulating a child's speech behavior by using improper japanese and exclusively writing the dialog in hiragana with no kanji

[@kirstenaquino2855]

@@tanishqpanwar65 Exactly

[@ellahere2300]

The video stated how it's just formal, not only incorrect. That's like a 4 year old kid calling his mom "mother". It's honestly kinda odd to me.

[@renatus20058]

@@ellahere2300 Why do you find a four year old kid calling his mom "mother" uncomfortable, though? I feel like society tends to judge that a lot, which I don't get. I remember someone on Quora once said that people say calling your dad "daddy" is childish and that it should stop once you grow older, even though it shouldn't, which I agree with.

[@darryl7803]

true, Anya basically pronounce everything wrongly as well. Lloyd always corrects her wordings

[@Vivyf]

An ooting~

[@honeybee6576]

unkie~

[@charleswinchester1054]

I still want bacon from the baconry (bakery) 🤣🤣🤣

[@parmesanchease480]

I do love going on an ooting to the baconry,

[@cesarbrad286]

Oui

[@kk_sj3635]

Anya speaking things wrong is purposeful I think. You're right about her, as she grew up in a lab and the orphanage, she doesn't understand the correct usage of many words. Based on your explanation, she probably knows haha and chichi because she's only heard about other people talking about their parents. So she assumed that's how she should call her parents as well. Outside of being taught in the lab, she probably learned language by observing people and listening to their thoughts. Thank you so much for this, it kinda makes me look forward to her improving her speech cuz that would mean they're actually showing her growth through this. She's a growing girl after all.

[@kittenmittenkitten]

Plus, being at an orphanage kids might talk a lot *about* their parents, but never *to* them.

[@daianmoi8528]

But she knows “mama”

[@chess4072]

While i get what you mean, this probably only applies to the Japanese audio. Westalis and Ostania are european-inspured countries, so maybe in the actual lore, Anya doesn't use any terms for her parents incorrectly. This is of course if the fictional countries speak English, where you can call your mom "mother/mom/mama" and etc. whether it be talking to them or about them. Mother is a bit too unnatural though. As for if they speak something like German, idk about that 😂 i don't speak German. If anyone here does, let me know if you have terms used for your parents that differ based on the situation. Sorry for my sucky explanation, i naturally suck at explaining XD

[@Sakuyamon]

@@daianmoi8528 So what if she knows "mama"? Many languages use "mama" or a variation, so it wouldnt have been hard for her to pick up and would have been easier to grasp usage of. Japanese is complex because you have to use different words depending on situation and formality and whom you are with, but most other languages use only one form of "mama" regadless of situation and people around so it would be easier for a kid that is raised in non conventional ways to use.

[@daianmoi8528]

@@Sakuyamon why doesn’t she call Yor “mama”?

[@Amuro1X]

Hey, Yuuta, it might also be good to point out that all of Anya's speech in the manga is actually entirely in Hiragana, or how Yor almost exclusively uses Keigo with everyone, even Anya.

[@NerdyDumbProductions]

The Hiragana part is entirely for the nuance it brings to her speaking manner being childlike (and wanting to convey that through letters). Young kids only write in Hiragana, and if an adult were to write like that, people would pick up on that text as childish (and maybe see him as childish as well). It's quite fascinating how using the specific characteristics of one writing system can bring much more personality/depth to the ideas being told.

[@Amuro1X]

@@NerdyDumbProductions Yeah, what I'm getting at is that the fact that Anya's speech is only written in Hiragana works well with her poor grammar to highlight that she's really a 4 year old pretending to be a 6 year old. It contrasts off the other children in school whose speech does include kanji.

[@KazukiP]

@@NerdyDumbProductions i think that’s the point Amuro is making

[@pv2639]

Yes

[@marxiewasalittlegirl]

Japanese logic: hiragana cute Katakana cool Kanji classy

[@the_sigil4340]

As a non Japanese speaker, I am shocked to learn that cute words like chichi and haha are actually used in very formal situations !

[@sugarzblossom8168]

@@notobama7562 sarcasm?

[@sugarzblossom8168]

@@notobama7562 sorry please explain how enquire and utilize are cute words

[@sugarzblossom8168]

@@notobama7562 oh okay thank you. I am a little slow

[@有里湊-h8u]

@@notobama7562 lmao its funny how you find those words cute, like they are not short words and quite hard to pronounce for some people

[@melissssa8526]

@@有里湊-h8u are you slow?

[@foogod4237]

I had always rather assumed that the reason why Loyd wanted Anya to call him お父様 was simply because he was trying to present their family as an "upper crust" family for the purposes of getting accepted into the school, and he felt that would portray the proper level of formality for a young girl being raised in a very formal, high-class family, and thus reflect well on her in the eyes of the school administrators..

[@kaguyahioguu12]

you're actually completely right

[@c.k.6939]

That actually is why Loid wanted Anya to address him formally. He thinks about that himself in the manga, but the anime omitted it probably because it was a very short line.

[@tedweird]

That's absolutely my interpretation as well. It isn't about emotional distance, just about mission success. He definitely talks about emotional distance, but not at any point close to that scene

[@ellahere2300]

That doesn't really make sense to me. If you heard a four year old called her mom "mother", it would be awkward and weird instead of formal. I'm not fluent in Japanese, but I'm fluent in Chinese, and they're very similar. I think this is the equivalent to calling your dad “父亲” in Chinese. Yes, it is "formal", but in this situation, a child calling her father that would just be odd. I think Anya doesn't see Loyd as her actual father at first is a better explanation.

[@zerioification]

Yeah, like any other nobility or high class family in other anime

[@miyuedelfelt2676]

To be fair, she probably picked up a lot of the words from reading people’s minds in a certain context, but didn’t understand that.

[@dafffodils]

That's smart

[@dreamerbell_]

Wow, the attention to detail in Anya's way of speaking really shapes her as a real character with a background story. She feels so very real like a real person, not just a 2D. I love how creators take note to that to really build a character

[@budiisnadi]

I personally like to see it like this: Anya put herself in third person since she calls herself by name instead of 'I/me'. She sees Loid and Yor as the people she plays family with. Hence 'chichi' and 'haha' are roles in a play e.g. 'the father' and 'the mother'. I hope I can convey what I meant clearly :)

[@zlimbeck]

I'm not trying to correct you or say you're wrong or anything I'm a bottom level Japanese learner myself native English speaker so my opinion is only going to go so far but I feel like if that were the case unless she just doesn't know any better I think she would be more using 父親 and 母親, since unless my understanding of those words is deeply flawed they basically mean father and mother but as it pertains to a paternal role and maternal role. Ex: 彼は父親です (He is a father). But that's just kind of my take on why I'm not super sure about that. The only person that knows for sure is the mangaka I suppose.

[@tachibanariine]

A lot of Japanese childrens call themselves in third person. But as they grow up they were told to throw that away because it will seem childish. So its not like she sees herself in third person perspective. Thats just how childrens usually speaks. (you may not see it in this anime because most of the childrens at the academy are quite mature than their peers at that age)

[@Nekotaku_TV]

@@tachibanariine In Japanese it's also normal to refer to the person you're talking to in third person, could be an extension of that.

[@tachibanariine]

@@Nekotaku_TV um,, what?

[@EduardoMartinez-fk2pv]

@@tachibanariine he means that in japanese I wouldn't tell you "you're funny" but rather "tachibana is funny"

[@YC-tg1ig]

I’m a native Japanese speaker. I always thought that most non native Japanese speakers wouldn’t be able to understand how funny Anya talks in Japanese. If you watched SPY X FAMILY with EN subs, you wouldn’t even know. The way Anya speaks Japanese is VERY unique. That’s why she makes the anime 100 times funnier and also it makes her cuter too ❤ I’m very glad that my native language is Japanese and I can enjoy anime in Japanese even though I live in the US.

[@Itsumitakashi]

子供からはタコスと呼ばれていました💀🙄

[@darklord884]

I like to think Twilight wanted her to call him お父様 partly for the mission but also because he is just that naturally distant as a person due to his otherwise paranoid personality and job requirements. While Anya has no clear grasp of social norms being a child and Yor is very naive and polite until someone pisses her off, Loid's main thing is that he is entirely conscious of social norms and usually exploits them to his advantage. This bleeds into his personal relationships with Anya and Yor, hence why he keeps calling who is supposed to be his dear wife of a year "Yor-san" in Japanese, even in front of other people. I think that's the main reason he chose お父様 for Anya first. Also notice how he puts up no fight when she insists on ちち and accepts her calling him that, showing that he doesn't really care, it's a word that fits. This is some fascinating stuff.

[@DanishnSonic]

This makes anya more precious because she doesn't know how to interaction with significant others. MUST PROTECT

[@corasundae]

I don't think anyone uses "significant other" to refer to anything but someone you're in a romantic relationship with.

[@Lulu-st6fx]

This is an absolutely fascinating explanation of Anya’s speech. As we know, she grew up in a controlled and experimental environment in which she was dehumanized to great extent. Her power of “reading people’s minds” is not enough for her to fully fit into society without the care and love she gets from her made-up family (not to forget she keeps saying people/certain places are scary). Yor, Loyd, and Anya all have their own missing pieces in their personal lives which they get to fill in with the affection the get from one another. Looking forward to that point in the story that Anya gets to call them her mom and dad!

[@bobfranklin2572]

Hilarious when random commentors try to correct Yuta's Japanese of all things

[@Reymax164]

Lmao yeah, that's why I think after he mentioned it.

[@butterletto]

Well I don't think it's that crazy, everyone can make mistakes.

[@bobfranklin2572]

@@butterletto seriously?

[@awesome7732]

@@bobfranklin2572 yes seriously. Yuta isn't automatically right just because he says something. No one is. Correcting people about their mistakes is literally the point of this video. Why does it seem so farfetched when someone other than Yuta corrects someone, but it's perfectly fine when Yuta does it? Think about it please

[@foogod4237]

The comments I saw were not people correcting Yuta's Japanese, actually. They were just people questioning his _personal_ interpretations of _why_ Anya was speaking the way she was, which I think is entirely valid. That's all just his opinion about an anime character's motivations, after all. I personally do still think that there's potentially a lot more nuance and depth of meaning in some of this than he's really taking into account, and it's not all just because "ha ha, they made her talk wrong to make her cute!" like he seems to be making everything out to be, but whatever..

[@marinkagreen9415]

As an English speaker, when Anya called the young boy being rude to her “shithead”, her use of the word was perfect!

[@ThatJapaneseManYuta]

Learn Japanese with Yuta: bit.ly/3sZfb0K

[@name3583]

Yuta, how about 義母? Does お義母さん have the same pronunciation with お母さん?

[@penpeen2185]

How do I get a submissive Japanese wife?!?!?!?!?!!

[@kou1h]

マンガを原作にした1994年放送の七瀬なつみさん主演の昼ドラ「ぽっかぽか」で、小さい子どもが自分の親のことを「ちち」「はは」と呼ぶのが可愛いと話題になりました。ドラマやマンガでたまに「ちち」「はは」を見るようになったのは「ぽっかぽか」の影響かもしれません。もしそれ以前にそういう使用例があったら済みません。ただ、アーニャの「ちち」「はは」は「ぽっかぽか」の子役の可愛らしさを思い起こさせるのは確かです。 In the Japanese drama "Pokkapoka" starring Natsumi Nanase, which was based on a manga and aired in 1994, it became a topic of conversation that small kid call her parents "chichi" and "haha" in a cute way. It may be due to the influence of "Pokkapoka" that we have started to see "chichi" and "haha" occasionally in dramas and comics. I am sorry if there were such instances of usage before that. However, Anya's "chichi" and "haha" surely remind me of the cuteness of the child actor in "Pokkapoka”.

[@name3583]

@@kou1h Well, it's just an anime. Anime characters don't have to be exactly like real-life people, including the way they talk.

[@bartomiejpilarski2389]

Thank you for that video. I don't speak japanese so when Anya used "chichi" and "haha" I've thought it's childlish informal expressions for mother and father (like mommy and daddy in english). Great that nonjapanese anime lovers got someone like you :)

[@PowerPackers90]

I find it funny how many English translations of anime and tokusatsu shows I watch that have a hard time translating this sometimes. To me it just seems simple. Person is formal: mother and Father. Casual: Mom and Dad. is a child or trying to be cute: Mommy and Daddy.

[@Real-Name..Maqavoy]

*Crunchyroll* And *Netflix* is Partially Responsible ~ For This Mess. I don't watch a lot of (New fluff) Because of this Rise of Failure on Translation...

[@TrueMonkeyNinja]

In this case to get across the oddness and specific use of the words, it would have been better if they subbed it as her always saying “My mother, do you like it?” or “My father, I’m hungry.” I think it would get across just how odd it is for her to use that phrase haha and it’s a bit formal to do that so it gets across the distance feeling too.

[@TheyCallMeScifi]

@@Real-Name..Maqavoy they're just another failure in a long line of translation failures since well...since whenever people started translating Japanese into English. It's gotten wayyyy better than it was back in the 80's and 90's though where you could have a mistranslation completely change the meaning of a scene because they either didn't know or didn't care. And then there's ghost stories...

[@sugarzblossom8168]

Yes but mummy and daddy can be formal too in a way so can mama and papa

[@mono8476]

the meaning gets across in the dub (and its cute!) "u shall address me as father" "papa" "close enough"

[@anyeong1246]

Finally found an answer to my confusion after hearing Anya using Chichi and Haha for calling Loid and Yor. But I actually love it! Even after learning about this. Eventhough it was actually wrong contextually, it actually gives unique familiarity on their character. Whenever I hear "Chichi"/ "Haha" I immediately think of Anya and the one whom she's referring to. Thank you so much for sharing it like this

[@chimera9818]

My best guess it’s also to make Anya sound like cute but weird kid that she is (haha and chichi aren’t correct but sounds cuter especially from Anya and it make her sound cute but my guess is the with broken language to the average Japanese viewers that will add to her cuter and weirdness of her)

[@tsubaki4106]

Stop saying they’re not correct. Grammatically, they’re perfectly valid!

[@1mol831]

Oh it’s one of them

[@aradraugfea6755]

I think the read I like best on her strange way of referring to parents is, as an orphan, she's not exactly practiced referring to her OWN parents. She knows that chichi and haha are words FOR parents, and, when everyone around her is referring to parents in this sort of 'outside' way, it makes sense that she would pick that up. I was in my teens before I broke the habit of calling my aunts and uncles as "Uncle _____" and "aunt ______" because, for my entire youth, my family made a point of using those titles in order to get my young mind to wrap my head around the distinctions, and somewhere along the line it sort of transitioned into part of their name, the way I used it.

[@KingYoite]

learning that she speaks incorrectly actually made her even more adorable

[@MsSarcasticity]

I thought that maybe Anya was learning to speak that way because she's been reading minds (specifically Loid's) for so long. I figure she would often hear "omae" often while listening to thoughts.

[@HarmonyEdge]

As Anya uses the possesive form, I like to imagine she's stressing the point or a reminder (maybe to herself?) that Loid is "MY dad", and Yor is "MY mom"... 😅😅😅

[@ArunIyerS]

This is perfect! In fact, I think the reason why Anya calls Loid chichi and Yor haha is because, its the role they are playing, they are playing the role of "the father (chichi)" and "the mother (haha)". I think the precise translation for her statements should probably look like: "the mother, do you wanna hold hands?" It would sound incorrect even to English audience, as it does in the original Japanese to Japanese audience. And I think the author is going intentionally for this feeling because as you said, when she finally accepts Loid and Yor as her father and mother (otousan and okaasan), it would be an emotionally impactful scene. Great video! :-)

[@tercerocastero]

Love all the insights! All the language nuances really make the characters come more alive.

[@imjust_a]

Very interesting! Thank you for the video! Neither I nor any of my family members speak Japanese, but we pick up on little words here and there while watching anime. Sometimes it really helps elevate the context (one example being when a character in a particular anime said "sayonara" during an emotional moment, but it was simply translated as "goodbye" in English). I turned to my sister, who has invested more time into trying to learn some basic Japanese, and noted how I'd never heard the word Anya was using that was translated as "papa". She hadn't heard it before, either. A few days later this video popped into my feed and explained everything! Thank you so much!

[@Jazzatic2011]

I appreciate this. Part of me wonders though if she’s actually very smart and set it up that way so she would always be in the right mindset to address loid properly to others from the get go. There’s certainly room for her young age making this unlikely but given she’s excited by the secret spy mission and that she is such a young child, an orphan, and having a family member is something special, this could also be one of those cases where she is saying a phrase cause it makes her happy. Kind of like the uniform moment. Then again I don’t know Japanese and I like to think there’s more going on to Anya with her character here than her just being ignorant :)

[@Chachixo]

It would be cool if she was thinking that far ahead but based on things that happen in the manga, I think it's pretty unlikely lol.

[@otaku-chan4888]

I don't think Anya being 'very smart' conveys the message the show is trying to give. Anya's got incredible powers but that doesn't mean she's not an ordinary young child at heart. She needs love, she needs care, she needs people to feel safe with as she learns more about the world and how to protect what she wants to protect. For all her smarts, she still can't use some words right, and I think it's a very heartfelt portrayal of childhood innocence.

[@Allytify03]

I noticed that difference and I was wondering why. Thank you for explaining this!! This makes sense and now I see the depth of emotional growth/distance it could have

[@qamar_s_desk]

When you said the real meaning of chichi and haha, the first thing that came to my mind was that: Maybe she uses the words wrong because she might just never really have had a real parent-child relationship, so the words used in those contexts might not be familiar to her. She might have heard other kids use haha and chichi to talk about their own parents so maybe that could have made her use those words instead because okaasan and otousan might not have been words she heard often. It's just an idea that came to mind, i'm not an expert in japanese nor kids in general. I'd be glad to have some feedback on that however. ^^ Thanks for teaching us that! I'll keep that in mind. Keep up the good work!

[@Osprey1994]

I did some research and I found that even kids in elementary school can speak relatively good informal Japanese (of course my bar for good is lower than that of Yuta) which reinforced some of my conclusions about Tanezaki-san's portrayal of Anya. It's often difficult for an adult to deliver a line without sounding like an adult due to obvious physiological differences, so you have two options: speak in a cute and verbally clumsy fashion or just try to make yourself sound younger while speaking normally. The English voice actor chose to do the latter and it sucks the comedy out of a lot of the scenes that I find amusing thanks to the way Tanezaki-san delivers her lines. Thank you for providing these learning opportunities, it's not always realistic to reflect on what a character has said when watching a show so it's nice to have these educational breakdowns. Thank you for years of entertainment and education.

[@themajormagers]

thanks this is a cool explanation. I used to sometimes read translated novels and the translators sometimes put notes in explaining things like this, I always enjoyed having the nuances that I was missing or noticed but could not understand explained.

[@NoLongerNull]

She calls them chichi and haha just like she addresses herself as Anya She never says I or me she always says Anya so I figured it could be that reason that it’s just how the character likes to talk It’s pretty interesting

[@phadenswandemil4345]

Oh is it unusual for little kids to address themselves in third person in Japanese?

[@NoLongerNull]

@@phadenswandemil4345 im honestly unsure we need someone to let us know

[@hydraulicpress439]

me and my friends (almost all people i know) always address ourself in third person when with our parents.... you guys didnt do it? i thought everyone do that

[@propushighlighter]

@@phadenswandemil4345 no, it’s pretty common for japanese kids to do that!

[@NoLongerNull]

@@hydraulicpress439 ohh I didn’t know that

[@jkubed95]

this is interesting, I'd probably never learn a distinction like this without this kind of bizarre situation. thanks!

[@cece4798]

Guys, the main purpose of this video is to correcting or preventing someone who learning Japanese to not say the way Anya speak

[@erosrangel976]

There were so many opportunities to squeeze in a “your mom” joke in there! Amazing that Yuta-Sensei was able to resist it, as I know I wouldn’t have been able to!

[@marsmons2118]

This is honestly kind of adorable..! I can imagine the situational difference between chichi/haha and otousan/okaasan would be really hard for a child of her age to grasp, much like how children of her age who are English speakers have trouble with tenses. It’s also very indicative of her personality that she prefers chichi/haha, short and cute! Thanks for the great video!

[@НиктоНикакой-к8ц]

That's a nice argument. Unfortunately, お母さん

[@tedweird]

I don't think the Mama issue is that Anya refers to her biological mother that way deliberately (and to Yor as haha to contrast) but rather it was the word in leading sentence that brought her trauma up. It's possible that the word itself was the trigger, but it's also possible that simply the concept of thinking deeply about her birth-mother was enough

[@Despotic_Waffle]

You literally contradicted yourself at the end

[@tedweird]

@@Despotic_Waffle a word being a trigger and a word referring to something specific need not be simultaneous. It's possible the word is connected to an event or even a third party (such as part of the program) rather than her biological mother

[@her_anime_nailz]

Thank you for clearing this up. In some of the lessons I've read it's not always explained how to use chichi and haha or okaasan and otousan. This I understand.🥰

[@nuzhatmaliat9258]

imagine if someday anya learns to say otousan/otousama instead and loid is on verge of tears bc he's so used to chichi it feels distance-ive. maybe loid wouldn't show he's sad but yor definitely would

[@rin_etoware_2989]

that'd probably be a nice trait for Teenage Anya. Damian makes a surprise visit, Anya goes "otousama wa" and so on, Damian leaves, then Anya goes "CHICHI WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT"

[@KognitiveGaming]

Being an english speaker wanting to understand Japanese, and only understanding other languages syntax in very basic terms, this contextual analysis of word usage is wonderful for grasping these concepts. Thank you for putting your time and effort into these explanations.

[@KognitiveGaming]

I just realized that i probably sound like a bot, but i actually mean this genuinely :P

[@jeancouto2809]

I cant think another reason to Anya to misspronunce, talk about herself in third person, to say chichi/haha, than being even more adorable.

[@ZelowSoft]

I love how Anya conjugates だいじょうぶ into だいじょうびますw

[@KaungPyaeSoneAung123]

Also she saying "Daijoubu-masu" is so cute XD

[@ceceyangg]

Wow, thanks so much for this! I'm starting my own little manga collection and this series has recently been added in mine. I wouldn't have known this! Thank you! Translations are always so off, and I love this because I want to understand their relationships, characters and story more. I feel like often times there are a lot of things I'm missing or not understanding because of the translation to English. Thank you! I need to learn japanese!!!

[@tankplank69]

Did this man seriously just convince me to learn another language by pointing out fascinating nuances in a bloody anime?

[@_ranituran3161]

why am I reading this with english accent

[@danielvillalba5375]

Doesn't matter, is adorable beyond all comprehension.

[@eded9157]

Loid wanting Anya to call him otousama is probably because he want to pass her for a elite high class family. I dont know if this make sense in japan, but in my country there's like some cliches on high class boy calling its parent in a super formal way, not mom, daddy, etc.

[@kendowarrior99]

Fascinating! This is a great detail to see now. It seems like good characterization for someone that spent time in an orphanage to be more used to saying chichi and haha since neither her or her peers would ever directly address their parents and only ever be talking about them to someone else.

[@ZenBearV13]

Honestly, I think they did it because “chichi” and “haha” sound unbearably adorable when she says it.

[@titaniaaquilla5502]

Thank you for the explanation! This is very interesting since spy x family is my first japanese dub anime i watch (well, honestly it is my first anime ahaha). Please keep making these videos, so we can learn more about japanese language!

[@user-qm7jw]

Yeah, there is a limit to translating Japanese into English, so no matter how good the translation is, it is impossible to make it 100% consistent with the Japanese. The first person in English is only "I", but in Japanese there are more than 100 kinds of first person such as ”私” ”俺” "うち" "ワシ" "拙者". The English "I" is not enough to describe the character's true characteristics. For example, "ore" is the first person used by men, but if a female character uses "ore", Japanese people can easily guess that "this character must be active and manly". But in English, "watashi" and "ore" both become "I".

[@R_.709]

Japanese seems to a very complicated language compared to English

[@nguyendi92]

@@R_.709 No, Japanese is not complicated, it's just more hierarchal than English, Compare to other languages, it borrow many many modern words from Chinese and English language. ( like the word: Ball= Boru, Pen = Pen~, Cake = Keeki) Their pronunciations are also way simpler than others Asian Language. Most other Asian Language also have different pronounces that stem from the need to be formal and traditional.

[@tsubaki4106]

If it’s hierarchal, it’s complicated. No argument.

[@nguyendi92]

@@tsubaki4106 So you are saying every Asian language are complicated? and English is simple?.... Right.... Or are you saying every languages are complicated? At that point what is "complicated" even mean.

[@beaclaster]

@@tsubaki4106 hey do you count in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 or I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X there's a lot more variables but each variable has a straightforward meaning

[@OhYeah10100]

Have been wondering about chichi/haha VS otousan/okaasan for a while now. Thank you for clearing it up.

[@tiarabite]

I just gotta say, as a bengali, the usage of "omae" sounds very similar to how in bangla we use "tui". Pretty much is the exact same as described here.

[@gklb_2xx7]

in khasi, usage of "omae" is similar to "me"(masc.) and "pha"(fem.). the polite usage is "phi"

[@TroySpace]

Or "thee" in old English.

[@SuviTuuliAllan]

tui and thou actually have the same origin you know

[@tiarabite]

@@SuviTuuliAllan thou as in the english thou? Sounds intriguing, first I've heard of this.

[@Sameer-xm6pp]

Just like how we use "tui" in odia

[@raiden5386]

More of these anime breakdown videos please! 😊

[@bapuyu]

it's similar to how english dub keeps awkwardly using "mother" and "father" when a character is talking directly to their parents. It's unnatural in that context but normal if they're referring to them in third person.

[@aiza9052]

thanks. deep dives into singular words like this is pretty fun.

[@malter87]

I'm fine with more Spy x family videos! it's a great show. I think you explained the way she calls her mom and dad very well in the first video as well

[@Coolio_Ash]

Thank you! This is great, and I'm glad I could learn something new.

[@angelserenade]

I was expecting Anya to call Loid and Yor as "Oto-chan" and "Okaa-chan", and I didn't thought she would call them as "Chichi" and "Haha" if Yor and Loid stopped using honorifics when they talk to each other (Yor-san, Loid-san) would that mean a more affectionate way of calling each other?

[@EkataSamanta_aproudIndian]

That's a very good explanation 👍✨Thank you Yuta san.

[@asaris_]

Somehow that reminded me of the four year old daughter of a friend of mine who constantly refers to herself with 僕, because it's frequently used in her current favorite anime and she doesn't realize the difference between the characters being boys and her not being one. (Have to add: her mother is Japanese but lives with her French husband in Switzerland, so the little one so far has limited exposure to Japanese beyond her mother and what's on TV)

[@lunarhowlstudios9499]

Can we all just appreciate how kyube is just staring into our souls through the camera

[@kawaiiaicat]

I think Anya uses those terms in order to be able to use them for the interview process. So it's easier to remember her to remember for the interview. She is definitely younger than she tells Loid in the beginning of the show how much so I don't know. ( Haven't read the Manga yet)

[@debuneko388]

I haven't watch Yuta's vid for almost 3 years , my how he've grown.

[@kou1h]

In the Japanese drama "Pokkapoka" starring Natsumi Nanase, which was based on a manga and aired in 1994, it became a topic of conversation that small kid call her parents "chichi" and "haha" in a cute way. It may be due to the influence of "Pokkapoka" that we have started to see "chichi" and "haha" occasionally in dramas and comics. I am sorry if there were such instances of usage before that. However, Anya's "chichi" and "haha" surely remind me of the cuteness of the child actor in "Pokkapoka”.

[@natileroxs5226]

I haven't studied a lot of Japanese, but having taken a few university classes on Japanese, it left me really perplexed when she called Loid 父 and the subtitles said "Papa".

[@jungschiffer8423]

Because of Anya, I started addressing my dad the same way. I find it adorably funny when he's flustered a little with the way I addressed him 😂

[@PETEYBOY954]

When the teacher dude makes anya cry and Yor gets that murderous intent look. She was boutta disintegrate his bones.

[@LokiScarletWasHere]

If you look at folks who more strictly use formal language, you’ll find people addressing their parents as chichi-ue/haha-ue. Anya could have picked this up from someone who was taught to speak in this archaic formal way and dropped the pretentious honorific when using it herself. And you’d think you’d only see that kind of language in anime or reenacting ancient history… Well, back when I was more fluent, I met plenty of people who talk like that.

[@mjmj1515tube]

As a japanese otousama and okaasama sounds kinda classy to me. I've never heard someone calling their own parents otousama and okaasama in real life. But I call someone's parents otousama and okaasama in formal situation.

[@yokoyama41yooni]

Amazing, I so much love japanese Thank you very much

[@alvinalarcon9332]

Yeah I Love Japanese Language, BTW I Love Your Pic Dragon Maid

[@8bitdeity]

Thx for the short lesson. I always dig your final fantasy hair yuta san.

[@chaosof99]

What about "chichiue" and "hahaue"? I believe to remember anime where those are used by children to refer to their own parents (namely Tatsuya in Touch and the Rengoku family in Demon Slayer). Similarly, "chichioya" and "hahaoya". Are they used differently? From an outside observer, it seems like "chichi" and "haha" would be shortenings thereof.

[@straysheep4467]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes does this as well, with Reinhardt von Lohengramm addressing his older sister Annerose as "ane-ue". Yuta could explain the deeper nuances and modern uses, but it's basically an old-school way of addressing people whom you respect. These honorifics are written in Japanese as "-上", which is the kanji for above. So 父上(chichi-ue) and 母上 (haha-ue) and 姉上 (ane-ue) are literally "dad/mom/sister who is above me [in status]".

[@Racrepus]

By using them differently, you can quickly grasp the historical background and gain a better understanding of the character's personality and characteristics.

[@dundundun2383]

I think “ue” is a very formal way and “oya” is like the role of that. I’m not sure tho I’m just in J2

[@trans.3902]

As a Japanese, chichiue and hahaue sound old and polite. People today don’t usually use them. Chichioya and hahaoya sound formal like chichi and haha. By the way, ‘oya’ means parent so chichioya and hahaoya are ‘father parent’ and ‘mother parent’ as literal translation.

[@chaosof99]

@@trans.3902 I understand what those words mean. I am asking about their usage. As Yuta explains in the video, chichi and haha are never used when addressing your parents, but only when talking about your parents to another person. I have seen chichiue and hahaue used to address your own parents. Why is there a difference here even though those words seem so similar?

[@rikku9990]

my favorite anime for now. thank you for this video

[@rafaelperalta1676]

45 secs in the video, I thought maybe she calls them "haha" and "chichi" because she speaks based on a third-person POV. I say so because she simply refers to herself as "Anya".

[@MrShadowThief]

Might be but it isn't that uncommon in Japanese for someone to refer to themselves by their own name (at least in anime/manga/etc.).

[@creman-seyachan]

It's common in Japan. Some girls use their own name even until their 20s. However, many Japanese, especially boys, stop using their own name by junior high cuz they sound childish and start using ''ore''(for boys) and ''watashi''(for girls).

[@rafaelperalta1676]

@@MrShadowThief I see. Thanks for the info. We might not know why Anya does it but it sure makes her more unique and cuter, imo.

[@user-853]

I love your videos so much what I learn from other videos in a month I learn from you in less than 1 week

[@bookworm101100]

i also think it's interesting that loid chose "otousama" as a word to portray a normal, upper crust family relationship, when i'm sure becky wouldn't refer to her father that way. it makes me think that he was initially trying to turn anya into a kind of "ojousama" personality type that a) would never ever work and b) probably doesn't reflect the majority of rich girls.

[@SilentOmenx]

Really enjoyed the informative video. Only point I would counter is that you could argue that Anya calls them Chichi and Haha because Loid/Twilight instructs her she needs to essentially perform and convince others he's been her father for a long time. While a lot of it is "because it's cute", it can also be explained loosely from following instructions to keep up the appearance and Anya's lack of having a family to use the proper terms. She was locked up as an experiment and little importance was put on understanding family structures and the language to correspond to that. From her perspective, she's probably heard other kids talk about "chichi and haha" before going to the orphanages and thus thinks this is how you generally talk. Also, her only media exposure is a spy drama.

[@KMO325]

I get what Yuta’s saying: chichi & haha are specifically referring to the speaker’s parents in the third person. It is weird/incorrect to do this with the person you are speaking to about themselves. I just got caught up on the series, but am following the English dub rather than sub.

[@akumamakima2280]

Loving the hair Yuta

[@ehe5669]

at first I thought Anya calls Loid and Yor that way because its close to "haha ue" / "chichi ue" which is extremely formal or archaic if I'm not mistaken. And loid has no problem with it exactly because he wanted to be addressed formally (so they would look like one of those elite families). Also one detail is Anya's familiarity with classical language (if not for her spelling, she would have done well in the exam). Would it be incorrect if we try to link her background with how she calls her parents

[@hana-ix3eg]

you're right, actually Damian refers to his father Donovan as "chichi ue" because he wants to address him formally

[@ancillarity]

They way I think about this is that "chichi" is a plain and perhaps somewhat deprecating way to say "father". As such you can only use it to refer to your own father when speaking to others in formal situations for humility. Chichi-ue doesn't have that problem (the suffix ue means "up" which sounds pretty fancy and respectful) so it can be used to call one's own father.

[@tsubaki4106]

I always figured she addressed them that way because it’s a cuter-sounding version of the archaic and formal address. Like saying “Honowed Faddew” and “Honowed Muddew” in English.

[@hellman3965]

I think in acient times you could also refer to your own father and mother as chichi-ue 父上　and haha-ue　母上 when adressing them.

[@rurinramen]

that's interesting. in my school, we were taught to use "chichi" and "haha" to call/refer to our own parents. we were encouraged to use those instead of "otousan" and "okaasan," which should be used to call/refer to other people's parents (though, they also said that people nowadays use those terms to call their parents as well). so i didn't really pay attention to how anya addresses loid and yor because i thought it was normal.

[@popstel2286]

Your school teaches Japanese?

[@rurinramen]

@@popstel2286 yes, it is part of the school's curriculum.

[@popstel2286]

@@rurinramen neat

[@Blue587EE]

@@rurinramen Where do you live? Just curious

[@rurinramen]

@@Blue587EE i live in southeast asia :)

[@laurenroller887]

This is so interesting to learn. Thank you!

[@ilikedota5]

Its interesting. In Chinese there are two ways to say mother and father. One informal and one formal. Informal would be 媽媽 and 爸爸. Formal would be 母親 and 父親 with 親 indicating parent and the first character saying which parent. It seems that 母 and 父 were borrowed in with that formal context in mind.

[@pjmsparkle5104]

We actually use 母親　父親 too! ( ha ha oya) (Chi chi oya) And yes it’s it’s used in a formal setting 親　also just means parents lmao ( used to address your father& mother to another person. Kinda like a more formal version of Haha and Chichi)

[@ilikedota5]

@@pjmsparkle5104 Apparently Japanese was like "we need more complicated layers of formalities." Chinese is simpler by comparison.

[@TeaBurn]

Unless you want to be even more formal/archaic, there's also 母上 (Hahaue) and 父上 (Chichiue).

[@rev.paull.vasquez4001]

I hear these expressions a lot in anime, along with “aniue” and “aneue”. The latter two are often used when there are yakuza characters and one is/was the immediate superior (or the yakuza involved daughter) or other “tough guy” situations. The ones you mention are used surprisingly often & not just in historical type anime, usually in some trope-filled high class family where one (or both parents) are not only emotionally distant but have extreme demands upon their minor children. One of the common tropes is to include abuse or neglect as a part of that. Yuta-san is generally careful about distinguishing anime type usage from ordinary usage. You never hear these sorts of things in slice-of-life anime, and I never supposed that it was current conversational Japanese, but neither is it rare in anime. The unusual thing is the plain “chichi” or “haha” without the “ue.”

[@kokolexx]

I thought Loid asked Anya to call him Otousama because they are pretending to be a high social class family?

[@piggremiremi]

Indeed. A+ Analyzing

[@MagicalGirlContractor]

I COMPLETELY FORGOT ANYA IS YOUNGER THAN 6, THAT ALSO EXPLAINS WHY SHE STRUGGLES WITH SCHOOL OH MAN

[@manarunigha]

I think her incorrect Japanese is a clue that she is younger than she’s convinced Loid

[@justdoggdadon]

Hi yuta good video and nice japanese lesson, I enjoyed it.

[@garbageplate]

Lollll i had a dog named Chichi so when we found the translation all that time ago we started calling her father instead 😂

[@domino6490]

I like to think of this as similar to how Darwin in TAWOG calls his parents Mr. Dad and Mrs. Mom sometimes

[@envysart797]

I do like the implication of Lloyd saying “please call me Father as the elite do” and Anya saying “Papa”. It works in the English too because there would be a class gap in between the way children address parents. Lloyd is specifically trying to position his family as being elite and upper class. Anya - who is a 4-5 year old with no concept of class barriers - thinks all these words are interchanges. It also gives us a nice little bit of world building too. It shows us that Ostania is a country which puts a big emphasis on traditional class structure and formality even at an early age. If we get to see a bit more Westalis it’d be interesting to see if they have a bit more of a liberal, progressive pecking order by contrast.

[@Carol-91]

Nice video! I actually just notice Anya thinking about Yor as "haha" in the last episode and thought that was a little strange, I think would sound like Anya using "kaa-chan" and "tou-chan" like Naruto says. I enjoy learn new things about japanese, thank you.

[@Famous_Athlete_Hashimoto]

If Loid wants her to call him "otou-sama" and Anya wants to call him "chichi", a good compromise is to call him "chichi ue" or "chichi ue-dono" lol

[@alvinalarcon9332]

Like Kozuki Momonosuke In One Piece

[@tachibanariine]

There are people who uses "chichi ue dono"??

[@Famous_Athlete_Hashimoto]

@@tachibanariine Not anymore, it's an outdated form of address from the days of feudalism. You only hear it in anime or historical dramas now

[@sethhtes]

Wow, that is so complicate things like my country Cambodia too. We use : - Mother and Father (very formal, usually use in high level family ) when we are in public or infront of people. Nowadays, kid never use, cuz it so ancient (old fashion) - Mum and Dad (formal) when we are at our home (countryside) or talk infront of somebody that we know like relative , friend. - Mama (mak) and Papa (pa) we use every where and every situation in modern time, nowadays. But it is not formal, cuz it is not the word from Khmer Language or culture. So , in my country the word that we say is show about our traditional, cultural, and identity of our country (Cambodia). That why we have alot of words that use in different situations and we also use it carefully. Sorry for my English, I just try to write to easy for understand.

[@jamesmatthewalvear8369]

Maybe she's just a kid do she doesn't know the correct words

[@jacopoziroli3846]

Hi Yuta, i love this kinds of contents! It's interesting to know about the use of japanese in anime, and the hidden nuances that can't be convey in translation, so thanks for all your efforts. I also have a question: i read some time ago that お母さん and お父さん with the prefix お can sound a little "childish" for an adult, so they are more likely to say 母さん and 父さん. It's true? Thanks for the response!

[@山田-t2x]

I am Japanese. I will explain a little about how to call parents. First of all, most Japanese speak honorifics with people other than their friends. Especially for superiors, we have to humble yourself and respect others. At the same time, we need to use humble words about the people around us. Originally, parents are older than us, so it is correct to call them "お父さん" and "お母さん". Because "お" and "さん" are words that change words into polite words. But to superiors, we call them "父”and "母" to show that "you are greater than my parents." So, we don't say "父" and "母" to our parents 🤣🤣 "父さん" and "母さん" is abbreviation. I don't think it's mature in my opinion. I think that people who can use "父" and "お父さん" properly depending on the time and the case are mature.