Nick Names for couple

Hey Hello Everyone

I am curious about nick names as couple in Japan.How do you address your Japanese Partner?
On average how often do you say love to your J-partner?

Ask 100 different people this question and you're likely to get 100 different answers..

But to give you a f'rinstance, I know a Japanese couple where the wife calls the husband (after about 10 yrs of marriage) Kurokawa san; ie his surname, rather than his first name and adding the honorific. I'm pretty sure though that she's unusual in that respect.

Many older couples, especially those with kids, will call each other 'otoosan' & 'okaasan', rather than using each other's name...

Some husbands may call their wives '-- chan' but probably only when they're younger...

Nicknames are not generally common... but...

... 'anata' is a common form of address...

and saying 'I love you'... apparently a very small percentage of Japanese people may say this to their partners but even that may be apochryphal... I did hear that there was an old man in Shimane who occasionally liked to say it to his wife but you know how things get exaggerated online, so who knows...

It's quite common for women to keep on calling her partner "(family name) san/kun." Otherwise, people just call their partners in whatever name the partner is commonly called by friends and family. "Anata/omae" was common for perhaps more than a centuries, but is getting dated.

As for the word "love," the Japanese word "ai" is a bit stronger than the English word "love." Most couples casually say "suki" to each other which is quite equalvalent to a lighter "love." The word "arigatou" is also the Japanese equavalent to the English more serious "love," and this is used occasionally, too.

But very few couples would say these words each time they hang up the phone. Instead they would say something like "ki o tsukete ne" or "ja, ganbattene" which doesn't mean "love" at all, but when you think about it they're words that pop up where an English-speaking person might say "Love you, bye."

i asked my girlfriend recently if her folks or brother/sister say, i love you to their respective partners. she says she doesn't recall them using it with any frequency, if at all.

on the other hand, her and i say it frequently to each other. in fact, i go so far as saying, aishiteru whilst we are amongst foreign people. granted, it is in japanese, it always makes her smile and blush. i'll freak her out next time by saying it on a crowded train in osaka;)

we address each other by our respective first names.

Mitxi,

Jin wrote;
"i'll freak her out next time by saying it on a crowded train in osaka;)"

For example, this will freak out all the people on the train ;)

@NicoLas,Ucho,Jin : Thank you so much everyone . I got a clear view the way you all described. I really appreciate your kind anticipation.
I Love Japanese culture and Japanese people but I have never been to Japan. My Japanese boy friend whom I met in my country calls me…han, before becoming a couple it was《an. I call him with all the lovey dovey name possible in English, Sometime I feel he is not feeling comfortable though he never says anything. As you advised from now I might start calling him –san/--kun . He is not comfortable with saying or hearing love frequently. I guess this is not a cultural matter ,he is just shy. I will try suki.
@Jin: Laughed a lot with your Osaka train mission.