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Pet names are more or less unavoidable. Even if you have an agreement in your relationship to avoid calling each other “honey” or “baby,” it’s likely one of you will fall into the trap at some point.
Research has shown that using cutesy terms could be a result of your mother using them with you. Pet names are essentially a form of baby talk, which help infants learn languages while expressing love at the same time.
More good news is having adorable pet names for each other is a sign your relationship is strong.
People all over the world make up affectionate names for each other, some of which sound quite strange when they are directly translated to English.
Language experts at Babbel looked into alternative pet names from around the world and found they vary quite a lot.
Katja Wilde, Head of Didactics at Babbel, told Business Insider in an email: “We use different words in order to differentiate between affectionate language and common language, so that we can made our loved one feel special.
“Latin and Greek used diminutive forms to express affection 2,000 years ago, just as today’s languages do eg: -chen in German.”
Here are 12 of the most original and unusual pet names from around the globe:
1. “My little cabbage” — France
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People in France often call their loved one “mon petit chou,” which literally translates as “my little cabbage.” Alternatively, they also use “ChouChou.”
2. “Mousebear” — Germany
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In Germany they fuse two cute animals together to come up with the word Mausebär, meaning “mousebear.”
3. “Egg with eyes” — Japan
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Oval-shaped faces are considered particularly beautiful in Japan, so it’s a compliment to be compared to an egg with the name “Tamago gata no kao,” which translates as “egg with eyes.”
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Here’s what you should do if you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day but your partner loathes it — or vice versa
- Relationship experts say these are the 9 signs the person you’re dating is right for you — and some are surprisingly simple
- Being familiar or comfortable with someone are two different things — and too much of one in a relationship can be a red flag
