シュワちゃん

As a refresher:

• さん (-san): for someone older or more experienced, like adults. Polite and respectful.
• ちゃん (-chan): for someone younger or less experienced, like children or pets. A little endearing.
• くん (-kun): for a close friend or pal, mainly among boys.

In Japanese, Arnold Schwarzenegger is known as シュワちゃん (Shuwa-chan). Chan! Complete opposite of Winnie the Pooh. So why is it ちゃん this time?

Like Tommy Lee Jones, Arnold Schwarzenegger has done a lot of TV commercials in Japan, mostly for Nissin Cup Noodle and Alinamin V Drink. In the V Drink ads, he plays a fairly silly character and he’s joined by りえちゃん, who addresses him as シュワちゃん.

No doubt these ads popularized the nickname since the ’90s.