A question about names.

[ph3nd]

Just what I hope is a simple question.

In FMP one of the main characters is Kaname Chidori
most of the characters either call her Chidori-san or Kaname-san however one of her close friends calls her Kana-chan. Is this just something that close friends do or is it just a nickname.

[Mike Cash]

Know any Michaels called Mike? Or Roberts called Bob?

[katsunori]

chan(ちゃん） is often used for children. So, I feel she is a friend from childhood.


EDIT: they　→　she

[ph3nd]

ok thank you both for that should have kinda guessed that but since it was only one friend(and her alarm clock) that said it like that, I was wondering

[keatonatron]

katsunori wrote:
chan(ちゃん） is often used for children. So, I feel they are her friends from childhood.

I use -chan with many of my friends, and I didn't know any of them before their 19th birthdays.

[richvh]

keatonatron wrote:

katsunori wrote:
chan(ちゃん） is often used for children. So, I feel they are her friends from childhood.

I use -chan with many of my friends, and I didn't know any of them before their 19th birthdays.

(Glances at Keat's sig) That's because you're just a normal girl.

[katsunori]

keatonatron wrote:
I use -chan with many of my friends

Of course, it is normal. I sometimes call a 30's woman "○○-chan" . It includes the meaning of "lovely" or "pretty". (I am a 30's man.)

However, in this case,
> most of the characters either call her Chidori-san or Kaname-san
> however one of her close friends calls her Kana-chan

I thought "one of her close friends" is a special friend. So, I imagined she is 幼なじみ(Osananajimi, a friend from childhood).

By the way, I didn't know the anime (フルメタル・パニック!) but I watched it on the Internet today. I found the special friend who uses "Kana-chan".

She is 常盤恭子(Tokiwa Kyoko). According to the Wikipedia in Japan, she is a friend from high school. (Sorry, my imagination was not correct.)

Her description is とんぼメガネにお下げ髪、発育途上の幼い肢体、誰とでも仲良くなれる天真爛漫な性格. It means her character is "childish(子供っぽい)" . This is why she uses "Kana-chan". I think she calls most of her friends "○○-chan".