Don't call me obasan "aunt": Address practices towards aunts and conceptualisation of the kinship term obasan in contemporary Japanese.

The article investigates the contemporary use and conceptualisation of the Japanese kinship term obasan ("aunt") as an address term, revealing changing address practices in Japanese society. Through analysis of online metalinguistic discourse, a large corpus of Japanese websites, and a native speaker survey, the study finds that obasan carries predominantly negative connotations—such as unpleasantness and associations with middle-aged women's reproductive limitations—which influence its declining use as a literal address term for actual aunts. Survey results indicate a generational shift, with younger Japanese speakers increasingly addressing aunts by their names or nicknames rather than kinship terms, often respecting the addressee's preference. These findings highlight the complex interplay between traditional norms, individual identity, and evolving social attitudes toward kinship terms in Japan.