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This might just be a general Japanese-Language question, but I noticed, that
Iida calls Ochaco with the honorific "kun", instead of "chan", or "san" for
example.

Why is that and what does it say about Iidas character?


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japanese-language my-hero-academia
Why does Iida call Ochako Uraraka-Kun?


From what I was able to find out, -kun, while mostly used for males, _can also
be used for females_. According to
[this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics#Kun),

> Kun for females is a more respectful honorific than -chan, which implies
> childlike cuteness.

-san can also be used but according to the same source as above, 

> Due to -san being gender neutral and commonly used, it can be used to refer
> to people who are not close or whom one does not know. However, **it may not
> be appropriate when using it on someone who is close** or when it is clear
> that other honorifics should be used.

I think this just means that _Iida tends to be formal, or even more formal,
towards females/girls_ (since -kun is informal when used among fellow boys,
but despite this, he still acts serious even with his male classmates) and
might be just his way of showing respect.


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I searched for the answer too but couldn't find anything. I am not sure, but
according to my assumption and observation, Iida uses 'kun' because he's
trying hard to speak in a more informal way instead of using sophisticated
words as he doesn't want others to know that he is a rich guy and be called a
"Rich boy". I mean, you see as Momo is also from a high social status family,
she tends to use 'san' (which is formal), so maybe (in a comical way from the
mangaka's point of view) Iida thinks that using 'kun' (which is informal) even
for the girls will help him blend more to being a "less wealthy boy"?

I am saying this taking reference from season 1 episode 9 where Iida
unintentionally uses formal/sophisticated speech at a cafeteria in front of
Ochako and Midoriya, so Ochako asks him if he is a rich guy, then he reveals
that he is in fact the younger brother of Ingenium and tells them how he was
trying his best to change his way of speaking.

But after this long paragraph, I am still not sure. Maybe our fellow friends
who read the manga may have a better explanation because am only an anime
watcher.


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