On the bayfm radio program “Tonight, Under Sakura’s Tree” (every Wednesday from 24:00 to 24:30), broadcast on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.
IZ*ONE’s Miyawaki Sakura was answering questions about nicknames from Korean listeners.
Miyawaki Sakura: From someone with the radio name “Sakura Fan”. Thank you.
Listener email: Good evening, Saku-chan.
Miyawaki Sakura: Good evening!
Listener email: I’m a Korean Sakura fan. I’ll send you an email using a translator.
I’ve sent you emails a few times before, but this time I have something I want to ask so I’ll send you another email.
I’m Korean, so I don’t know what to say about Saku-chan when I write an email.
Following the other emails on “Sakunoki,” I wrote “Saku-chan” this time, but I usually call her “Kura.” Saku-chan, please choose how to write it.
I’ll send you another email then.
Miyawaki Sakura: Thank you.
For some reason… it’s just how it is, but when I speak Japanese, “Saku-chan” feels more natural.
But when I speak Korean, people call me “Kura”, so it feels more natural to speak it myself.
So, after all, “Saku no Ki” is done in Japanese.
So I think “Saku-chan” is good for Japanese, and “Kura” is good for Korean.
But, I do have the islanders in “Animal Crossing” call me “Kuraya”… I think so.