Hey guys, it’s that time once again. Tom comin’ back attcha streaming live from The Graffiti Bridge. Today we are featuring yet another special tag from The Graffiti Bridge.
Click on social media, Facebook, Instagram, youtube, even Twitter, type in "cat." You will be absolutely inundated with millions of cat videos. This fascination of people with their cats has become a worldwide phenomenon, and Japan is no different.
When I saw this bridge tag I immediately thought “Nekochan,” which surprised me because I wasn’t sure why I thought that. It turns out Nekochan is a word stemming from the two Japanese symbols; The first for an unnamed, unowned, generic “Cat.” and the second “Chan,” which is a Japanese honorific.
On the surface, the word chan is used to describe a female, while its opposite, san, is used to describe a male. Usually by an older person in a “mentor” type roll. However, like most things Japanese, it is much deeper, and more subtle than that.
The term “chan,” is used to describe the relationship between a doting older sister to her little sister. The is the relationship the term “chan,” denotes.
While on the surface, Nekochan means “Catgirl,” the Japanese connotation is much closer to “Sweet little kitty girl,” which exactly what is depicted by the emoji.
So now, The Graffiti Bridge has joined the ranks of social media sites where people write on walls and post pictures of cats.
Leave a comment