#extrapolating a bit with law's -ya usage

[kagcyu]

CMY - How Characters Address Each Other

You'd think Law's naming quirk is enough to keep track of. But no, I like to torture myself apparently.

(This may also be a multi-parter, we'll see.)

1. Trafalgar Law

The "-ya" suffix is the most obvious part of it. We already know from canon that he addresses some people by their defining trait or epithet.

Arisa -> "Murasaki-ya." Surname.

Riyu -> "Weasel-ya"

Shiori -> "Tour guide-ya"

Tatsuhito -> "Blue hair-ya"

Dr. Yotsuji -> "Yotsuji-ya." Surname.

Koshi, Shiro, and Tsubu -> "Koshi-ya", "Shiro-ya", and "Chibi-ya" (by mistake). Given name... for the most part.

Himuro -> "Himuro-ya." Surname.

Koga -> "Koga-ya." Given name. Very briefly considered 'okusan-ya' (奥さん / okusan = wife; as rude as that may sound it actually can be used colloquially for married women, like 'madam' if you will). Thought it'd be too confusing though. Not to mention formal for someone like Law.

Tatsusada -> "Brat" (ガキ / gaki). As an aside, Tatsusada is referred to as "Waka-sama" (Young Master) by nearly everyone else in the cast - coincidentally the exact same term the Donquixote Family uses for Doffy.

2. Murasaki Arisa

While in a 'professional' setting, she uses "-dono" and "-sama" depending on relative rank. She drops all honorifics when with close friends/coworkers or with people outside her island. Here are a few noteworthy exceptions:

Uzuki Misokatsu -> "Uncle." Technically the term she uses is 大伯父上 / oo-oji ue, which is a dated respectful term for "granduncle." More specifically, the 伯 denotes a granduncle who is older than your grandparent.

Uzuki Towa -> "Mother." She uses the term 母上 / haha-ue which again is more formal and old fashioned.

Takagishi Yoshikazu -> Kurowashi-sensei. Self-explanatory.

Koga -> Mixed. Arisa used to call her "Koga-nee" as a child, short for "Koga nee-san " or "Big Sister Koga." As an adult, she uses "Koga-sama."

Shirobana Shina -> Mixed. Initially Arisa referred to her as "Shina-sama," but switched to "Shina-san" after they grew closer.

One thing to note is that Arisa tends to disregard most honorifics when referring to people in her internal monologue, which sets her apart from characters like Himuro.

However, in her childhood flashbacks we see that she does attempt to use honorifics in her thoughts, though she isn't always consistent with it.

At least Kurowashi-sensei and Shichizaemon-dono seemed to be in good humor by the way they smiled slightly over to her as if to give reassurance.  Yanjirō-dono wasn’t even looking at her, but maybe that was for the better.  

ch. 23, cobalt blue.

She has not been very keen on holding to this standard as an adult - make of that what you will.

Fun fact: There is a discrepancy with how Arisa addresses Tatsuhito. In the first two chapters featuring him, she refers to him by his surname ("Hachinobe") , but for the rest of the story she calls him by his first name ("Tatsuhito"). This actually a error on my end that I haven't gotten around to correcting yet >///<

3. Kushihashi Riyu

aka the wildcard.

Arisa -> "Big sis." (姉貴 / aneki) In the text, I just use "aneki." Arbitrary and inconsistent, yes, but 1) the English feels clunkier to me and more importantly, 2) the nuance is lost, esp when there are also several other characters who use separate epithets with roughly the equivalent translation. (Ex. Arisa referring to Koga as "Koga-nee" as a child has a different connotation than Riyu referring to Arisa as "aneki" in the present day, but if translated to English these would use identical words. I would rather have the inconsistency than to lose that nuance.)

Shiori -> "Shiorin"

Tatsuhito -> "Ta-chan"

Uzuki Towa -> "Towa-san." Interestingly, Riyu never knew the Nightingale on a personal level before she passed.

Uzuki Misokatsu -> "the lord" or "my lord" (殿 / tono)

Law -> "Mr. Dots"

Bepo -> "Mr. Bear"

4. Uzuki Misokatsu

As leader of one of the three major factions of the Uzuki clan, Uzuki Misokatsu typically does not use honorifics when addressing his constituents.

All yōkai hunters working under him are simply referred to with their code names.

“Chidori.  Kamome.”  The old man nodded to them in greeting.  He held a folded fan in his right hand, which he began tapping against his knee in rumination.   “I trust that your travels went well.”

ch. 2, the game begins.

Similarly, he refers to his subordinates on the ruling council by their given names rather than their surnames.

Misokatsu stared at the box, tapping his fan against his knee again.  Presently, his eyes flicked leftward.   “Yoshikazu.  If you will.”

ch. 2, the game begins.

He uses "-dono" for official visitors (Uzuki Donabe in the present and Azami Kakiage in the flashbacks).

Interestingly enough he does not use honorifics when referring to Uzuki Hiyamugi despite technically being beneath him in rank, which indicates a certain level of familiarity.