One fun group of Japanese words consists of a single word repeated twice, which makes the words more charming and fun to use. For example, the word moe can be said to describe the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when contemplating your favorite anime character, but repeating the word — e.g. moe moe— adds an extra ingredient that makes the new word more playful and expressive. Likely based on the way Chinese kanji are sometimes repeated to create a plural or add additional meaning, the grammatical construction isn’t limited to Japanese words. For example, a couple that shows affection for each other is called love-love in Japanese, and there’s that ice cream with the cute name of Hello Hello. Some other repeating words include moshi moshi, how Japanese people answer the phone; tsubu tsubu, any candy or food with bits of fruit inside; pika pika, meaning brand sparkling new or in the case of Pikachu, crackling with energy; and my favorite caffeine gum, Black Black.
When two people are very close they are love-love.
