[BTS] The Difference in Distance Seen in "Yoongi-oppa" and "Yoongi-san" [Japan-Korea Cultural Differences]

I love the term "Oppa" too much

As someone who loves the cultural differences that appear in language, there is a word I have had an extraordinary interest in from the beginning: "Oppa."
I think about it all the time, but recently it has built up and overflowed again, so I will summarize it in an article.

"Oppa" that jumps into the other person's heart

Since I am a Japanese fan (I-ARMY), I don't think I can truly understand the feeling of Korean fans (K-ARMY) calling their idols "oppa," but I feel a sense of closeness to the target in this word.

From the meaning of the word itself, the situations in which it is used, and the voices actually calling out to Bangtan (BTS) at fan meetings, I receive elements of friendliness, being spoiled, a sense of being family, and a faint sense of exclusivity—in other words, the strength of a confrontational stance that confidently closes the distance while being convinced, "We have a relationship where we can say that!"

For me, it is a closeness that goes beyond the "momentum of youth" and makes me feel cultural differences, so I recoil every time I witness it. It's amazing!

"Mr./Ms. [Name]" that puts the other person on a pedestal

The exact opposite of this is the "-san" suffix, represented by "Yoongi-san." I often see this in I-ARMY posts.

In the case of Nam-san, it has become like a nickname with the "-san" suffix, so I will put that aside for a moment, but if the K-ARMY's "oppa" is a super-positive distance for me, I feel that the I-ARMY's "-san" suffix is the exact opposite, a super-negative distance.

Since I am also Japanese, I can vaguely imagine it, but when we like someone enough to give away a part of our heart (excluding real romantic relationships), don't we tend to go in the direction of "I like their way of living and thinking!"?
There is a value system that respects not just superficial parts like appearance, but also the spiritual aspect, and that is considered true understanding and love. I feel like.

When you go in this direction, the emotion that is born is closer to worship, including gratitude like "precious" or "thank you for being alive," rather than a passionate "I like you, I love you!" I don't know why, but Japanese people worship things immediately.

In that case, the object of worship is, in terms of mood, on a pedestal, and they already have one foot in the divine realm, right?
In terms of whether the distance is far or near, I think it is very far. I like them a lot and it's saranghaeyo, but the distance of the heart takes a mysterious warp.

Once you go this far, I think you can't casually say "Hobi-Hobi~💜" and it becomes "Hoseok-san..."
The way of supporting them where you think, "I like them so much that I can only watch them quietly from the shadows," falls into the same category, but isn't that a very Japanese mentality?

Therefore, I imagine that when K-ARMYs see someone dashing to close the distance with an "Oppa!" when their love deepens, they might feel surprise, recoiling and thinking, "Wow!" or "I can't do that...!"

Is there an equivalent to "Oppa" in Japanese?

From my perspective, "Oppa" is a term that implies a very close distance.
If a Japanese person were to try to do the same thing, which word would it correspond to?

I imagine things like "Guk-hyung" or "Oniichan," but nothing feels quite right.
In terms of how to close the distance, the industry-style use of adding "-chan" feels similar, but for a Japanese person, this often falls into the category of being "too familiar," so it lacks the "big brother" feel that "Oppa" has.

Japanese people have a larger personal space compared to Koreans, so "friendliness" and "over-familiarity" are separated by a fine line. The skill of naturally closing the distance with someone is quite difficult unless you have a natural-born charm.

In conclusion, there is no word in Japanese that can replace it, which is a cultural difference between Japan and Korea.
Sensory-wise, I feel that nicknames like "Hobi" or "Guk" themselves are already at the "Oppa" level of distance-closing for Japanese ARMYs. The act of calling someone by a nickname is a significant expression of intimacy for us, and I think it's a "my bias" feeling.

"Oppa" is a word that connects "me and my bias"

Another thing I feel about "Oppa" is that it seems to be a word that expresses the "relationship between two people." It is a relationship of "me and you," and others are irrelevant.
I think this sense of a "world of 'us'" creates a unique sense of distance that encompasses feelings of being family, being spoiled, and possessiveness.

I also have a watcher attribute, so it's hard for me to become a direct participant with my bias, and I tend to think in terms of the "bias and fan" structure, so this is rare for me.
Since I view myself as "one of the fans," I don't really have an individual-to-individual mindset. That's probably why the "Oppa"-like sense of distance is rare and intriguing to me.

When I watch the calls from domestic ARMYs in fan meeting videos, there is a lack of hesitation that says, "The only people here right now are me and my bias!" which is super interesting.

Japanese people tend to express emotions with applause, but even then, they read the room and change the volume, speed, or stop the sound of the clapping, don't they?
In that case, the emotional expression is "individual to group," and you are part of a collective. Self-assertion, like standing up alone and clapping while shouting "Bravo!", is quite difficult. Even the "OO-ya!" calls in Kabuki feel like something only long-time patrons can do, and it feels like it's not permitted for the general public.

I find it very interesting to feel the cultural difference with Japan, where collectivism is strong, in these aspects as well.
Recently, Hobi has been doing live streams often, so I've had more opportunities to see comments written by ARMYs, and I see "Oppa!" comments quite often. I wonder if Western ARMYs find it easier to get used to the "Oppa" feeling.

It's also great that the idol side sometimes uses "Oppa" as a first-person pronoun.
When V challenged Korean wrestling at ISAC, he once said, "Oppa is going now!" and I can take that as an "individual-to-individual (infinite)" heart-stopping statement, and even now, I'm萌 (moe) over my bias who is a heartbreaker.

Do people who are into the "real-life romance" type have an affinity for "Oppa"?

I think there are quite a few Japanese people who choose an individual-to-individual relationship of "my bias and me."

Even looking at BTS-related articles, there are many people who face idols as individuals, such as "I want to be on equal footing with my bias," "I want to be recognized by my bias," and "I want to know everything about my bias," and personally, I have a hypothesis that they are people who have an aptitude for real-life romance in a sense.
However, the mystery of Japanese ARMYs is that even if these people have an aptitude for "Oppa," it doesn't necessarily mean they do.

If "Yoongi-oppa!" is an attitude of charging headlong toward your bias, "Yoongi-san..." gives the impression of backing away because your bias is too dazzling, but since there are people with real-life romance attributes even in the latter case,it turns out that if you imagine it using the yardstick of "distance," the ends are actually connected and looping, or something like that. It's a mystery!

I want to study this for the rest of my life

The feeling of "liking" someone and the sense of distance toward one's bias is, for me, probably a lifelong research topic.

I'm not the type to talk about love lives, so I haven't been interested in other people's romantic affairs either (it's just low on my priority list, so it's not that I dislike love talk), but since coming to this fandom, I've been reading ARMY's love for Bangtan endlessly, so it's very educational.
When I peek into the Bangtan pot where intense human emotions are simmering, added with national character and cultural differences, I am truly impressed by how many different ways there are to support a bias.

For now, "Oppa" is an object of longing.
Even if the day never comes for me to use it, I keep a close eye on the "Oppa" used by fans. Sometimes co-stars on variety shows say it too, so I can't miss it. I get excited every time (pervert).

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