It always makes me smile when I am sitting at a table in a restaurant and I hear an old man call his wife his own unique term of endearment for her. There's something pure and precious about it.

People have their reasons for why they call their loved ones certain things.

Here are some of the most popular terms of endearment from around the world.

This is an Indonesian expression meaning "fruit of my heart."

This is Chinese and means "diving fish, swooping geese." There is quite a story behind this one — and it's too cute. It's the tale of Xi Shi, one of the most beautiful women in all of China, who stopped by a lake for a drink. When she looked into the water, the fish below forgot how to swim because of her beauty, and sunk to the bottom. Another legendary beauty, Wang Zhaojun, was walking as a flock of geese flew overhead. They were so awestruck by her that they swooped to the ground, forgetting how to fly. So when the Chinese want to give the most heartfelt compliment, they drop the "chen yu luo yan" line.

This one is French and means "little cabbage." It's usage is similar to that of the English term "sweetheart."

This one's Greek and means "my little eyes."

This one is kind of funny actually; it comes from Ecuador and means "fatty." In other places, especially in America, this would seem quite rude to call someone you love; but for the Latinos, this one is very special, and is a popular one used between husbands and wives.

This is a peculiar Dutch term meaning "my little poopsie."

This one's a gem. It is Tibetan and means "most honoured poison of my heart."

This one is quite a sweet term in Spanish, which translates to "my little sky," or "my little heaven."

This is a Danish term meaning "my gold nugget."

This one is related to the adjectives "schnuckelig" and "putzig" — "cute" and "sweet."