あだな vs. 通称: Are They Really interchangeable?
What is the difference between “あだな and 通称“? Both of them are not real names. Which is the right word for your friends: あだな or 通称? After reading this, you would be answering this question. Let me introduce what their subtle differences are and how you correctly use them such as native speakers today!
あだな (adana)
Nickname / 绰号 / 별명 / Biệt danh
“あだな(あだ名)” means “Nickname” which is used as the meaning of “an informal name for only someone, especially a name that you are called by your friends or family, usually based on your real name or your character”. For instance, “Mike” would be “Mikey” in English and “Yuka(ゆか)” would be “Yuka-chan(ゆかちゃん)”, “Tatsuya(たつや)” would be “Tatsuya-kun(たつやくん)” in Japanese. Basically, “___chan(___ちゃん)” is used for girls and “___kun(くん)” is used for boys. Furthermore, “あだな(あだ名)” is used for only people, not things.




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通称 (tsuushou)
AKA/Common Name / 俗称 / 속칭 / Tên thường gọi
“通称” means “AKA or Common Name” which is used as the meaning of “an informal name for someone or something, especially a name that something is called by everybody. For instance, “Pocket monster” would be “Pokemon”, “McDonald’s” would be “Mickey D’s, McDick’s and Macca’s”. So, “ポケットモンスター” would be “ポケモン” and “マクドナルド” would be “マック(in Tokyo) and マクド(in Osaka)”. Basically, 通称 is used for something or a company’s name etc, not for people. And “通称” sounds a little bit formal than あだな. If you don’t want to use “通称“, you would be able to use “___は○○と呼ばれています(___ is called ○○.)” instead of “___の通称は○○です(___ also known as ○○)”.




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