jo-chan?

[grandkodiak]

What does "jo-chan" mean? I hear it alot in a particular anime as a reference to a female I think... is it some archaic Japanese word for girl or something? Best I could estimate...

[epigene]

Jo-chan is a variation of "ojou-san" used to refer to young ladies and girls with respect.

Jo-chan is an affected way to address a young girl, usually by an older man. It can be good-humored modern usage. It's not necessarily ancient but is not used commonly.

Edit: There are situations where addressing a young woman like that can be regarded sexual harassment--just so you know... :relief:

[Toritoribe]

Also, 嬢ちゃん[jo-chan] is sometimes used to refer to a young woman with a nuance of treating her lightly by "mob" guys, as well as 姉ちゃん[neechan/ne-chan.]

Is it realy jo-chan, not ojo-chan?

[Mike Cash]

Jo-chan is a variation of "ojou-san" used to refer to young ladies and girls with respect.

Jo-chan is an affected way to address a young girl, usually by an older man. It can be good-humored modern usage. It's not necessarily ancient but is not used commonly.


I routinely address (or refer to) young girls as お嬢さん. Women between お嬢さん age and おばあさん age I address as name+美人. (新井美人、田村美人、etc).