Based on the [Kaguya-sama
case](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/95191/is-this-supposed-to-
be-wordplay-foreshadowing-in-kaguya-sama-s3-spoilers), I guess the answer is
negative, but eh [who
knows](https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/104488/what-makes-the-
tweety-bird-saw-a-romulan-joke-funny-in-the-original-version)?

* * *

In Chapter 1 of the manga [The Quintessential
Quintuplets](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/93612/the-
quintessential-quintuplets-
aka-%e4%ba%94%e7%ad%89%e5%88%86%e3%81%ae%e8%8a%b1%e5%ab%81-is-%e5%b1%8a%e3%81%8f%e3%82%93%e3%81%a7%e3%81%99-it-
reaches-a-mondegreen), there's a part omitted from the anime where [2
of](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpnHsJw_-TI) the quints, [Nino and the
female protagonist
Itsuki](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/96106/you-cant-address-
your-parents-chichi-haha-but-can-you-refer-to-your-parents-as), are talking.
Nino calls Itsuki '[niku man
obake](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/96137/ghost-
monster-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%90%E3%82%B1-vs-%E3%81%8A%E3%81%B0%E3%81%91-but-i-dont-
see-the-emphasis)' and says Itsuki won't be
'[popular](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/95135/popular-%E3%83%A2%E3%83%86-vs-%E4%BA%BA%E6%B0%97)'
with the boys. Itsuki claims to have [recently had lunch with a
boy](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/66640/why-was-itsuki-about-to-
eat-alone-in-the-1st-episode), which is true. The boy is the male protagonist
Fuutarou Uesugi.

Nino asks for the boy's name or at least initials. **(See[here for
englis](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qw8kG.jpg)h and [here for
japanese](https://i.stack.imgur.com/G8M7T.jpg).)**

> 頭文字だけでいいからおしえてー！

which seems to translate to...

> Just the initials are fine, so tell me!

Of course, in English, Fuutarou's initials are
[F.U.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pv844.jpg) like Frank Underwood from House of
Cards.

**Question 1** :

From an English perspective, this is probably a joke where if Itsuki would
answer, then it's like Itsuki's telling Nino 'f(- - -) (yo)u'. Is there
probably any such kind of joke intended in the [original
Japanese](https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/104488/what-makes-the-
tweety-bird-saw-a-romulan-joke-funny-in-the-original-version)? Or if not, then
maybe any kind of joke?

  * Note: The names [Fuutarou, Raiha](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/66730/are-the-uesugi-siblings-f%C5%ABtar%C5%8D-and-raiha-named-after-the-japanese-gods-of-wind), [Isanari](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/66807/is-the-dad-isanari-of-the-uesugi-siblings-f%C5%ABtar%C5%8D-and-raiha-named-after-izanami) and Uesugi are chosen for very specific reasons, so all the more probably not. Eh. Then again I don't see why the author Negi Haruba wouldn't instead do the reverse: name the older sibling something that sounds like Raijin and the younger something that sounds like Fūjin.

**Question 2** :

The word for initials appears to be '頭文字'. What exactly are initials in
Japanese, and what would be the answer Itsuki would give to Nino? All I can
find for Japanese initials are

  1. English Wikipedia [Japanese abbreviated and contracted words](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_abbreviated_and_contracted_words)

  2. Japanese Wikipedia initials in katakana I guess - 'inisharu' [イニシャル](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%8B%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AB)

  3. aaaand the street racing anime/manga [Initial D](https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=%E9%A0%AD%E6%96%87%E5%AD%97&title=%E7%89%B9%E5%88%A5:%E6%A4%9C%E7%B4%A2&profile=advanced&fulltext=1&ns0=1&searchToken=80awthuihyxfdssf2wsu256zc).

**Guess based on Link 1:**

ふう as 'initials' for [上うえ杉すぎ
風ふう太た郎ろう](https://5hanayome.fandom.com/wiki/Fuutarou_Uesugi)? I don't see
anything up with [ふう](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%81%B5%E3%81%86) or
[フウ](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A6). However...season 2
spoiler

> Fuutarou is given by another quint Miku the nickname ふう or ふう-kun later on.
> This is the name that Nino refers to Fuutarou by henceforth. I thought ふう
> comes from the 'ふう' in 'ふうたろう', but apparently it may be based on initials.

  * **Edit** : Oh wait wait I just realised...since Japanese names often begin with last names then the initials are actually うふ or ウフ ... or UF....soooo eh? Maybe it's a joke that really relies on the English translation?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-15T08:22:57.457
96663
2022-10-16T12:06:20.577
2022-10-16T12:06:20.577
10230
10230
question
manga names anime jokes comedy
Is this really a joke about initials F.U. ? Wait...do Japanese names have 'initials'?
**Question 1** : You're overthinking again. No such joke is intended. If his
initials have some strange meaning in another language, that is purely a
coincidence.

**Question 2** : イニシャル and 頭文字 are a little different. イニシャル in Japanese is a
word that almost specifically refers to the first **Latin** character of a
**person name** (in his case, "U"). 頭文字 refers to the first character in
general, and it can be the first kanji ("上"), the first kana ("う"), or the
first romaji ("U") of anything. Since 上 is obviously too specific as a hint,
so I'd expect う or U as a response. (Technically, 風/ふ/F can be called his 頭文字,
too, but remember Itsuki is a type of character who keeps addressing him with
his family name.)
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-16T04:16:43.730
96677
2022-10-16T07:48:40.470
2022-10-16T07:48:40.470
5010
5010
96663
answer