I have a story set in Japan with Japanese high schoolers (around the ages
17-18). One of them is called _Kiwatamura_ (family name) _Ryuko_ (first name).
He is Japanese and lived there as a kid but he spent a few years in America
recently. Since English speakers mostly call people by their first name he got
used to being called Ryu or Ryuko by his peers. After he came back to Japan
and enrolled in high school there with Japanase classmates he realized he
still prefers being called Ryu or Ryuko. From what I read, classmates would
usually call each other family names without honorifics, so the default would
be _Kiwatamura_ for his classmates. I read that sometimes nicknames are also
okay. Would these change if someone was a transfer student (aka joining the
school and class later but still being the same age).

If he expressed his preference to be called _Ryuko_ to his classmates or kids
his age he just met, would they call him that? Would they be actually
comfortable using his first name since it was him who asked, or would they
just do it to respect his wishes but still feel uncomfortable while doing it?

If he asked his peers to call him _Ryu_ would that be something they would use
as a nickname and would be comfortable using it? Or is it too close to his
first name?

Would it be likely that in response someone would also tell Ryuko to call them
a nickname or their first name? Or would this only happen after they became
close friends?

I am looking for real life experiences so I could make the story a bit more
authentic. Thank you for all your help!
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-09T17:10:38.410
86041
2023-08-29T13:04:15.607
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question
names culture
Using nicknames or first name with high school peers
For more precision, often boys use family name rather than first name, but
girls often use first name to show the intimacy in Japan.

And it is not too strange if a boy is called by his family name. It's true
that boys prefer to use family name, but it is not a strict rule. Tt's not
wierd at all that a boy is called by his first name, especially when the boy
want it.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-10T18:03:42.773
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2021-04-10T18:12:25.330
2021-04-10T18:12:25.330
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answer
The assumptions here aren't strictly true. Informal and diminutive
"honorifics" ~ちゃん and ~くん can be used with either family or given names (or
shortened forms of either). This depends on the relationship between the
speaker and listener. In particular interactions between family members,
intimate partners, very close friends of the same sex, or classmates of the
same age tend to be less formal. When to use "keigo" and address each other
with full surnames with ~さん or more formal honorifics depends on the situation
and the culture.

Social and cultural norms change rapidly, especially in younger people with
experiences overseas so you'd have some literary license here. However, there
aren't firm rules on when to use nicknames in Japanese so representing this in
a culturally authentic way would be difficult if you haven't had experience
living in Japan yourself. Given that you're asking this question I'm assuming
you haven't.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-11T06:20:50.827
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2021-04-11T06:20:50.827
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answer