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Help[Facts] Japanese names
These are japanese names that are not on the site. They are off anime shows, so some may be made up, but most of the shows I chose them off were supposed to be modern and the characters non-mythical.
I have noticed that these names are pronounced different by a Japanese speaking person compared to an English speaking person, which is to be expected to some degree, but often the accent, or more pronounced syllable, is different between the languages. I only have the Japanese pronounciation for Kagome, all the other names are how they are pronounced by English speakers. Where I have given the pronounciation and then a / followed by another pronounciation, I am not sure which is correct as I have heard to pronounced both ways.
Male:
Akito [ah-KEE-toh]
Ayame [eh-YAW-mee]
Hatori [hah-TOHR-ee]
Hatsuharu [haw-soo-HAWR-oo] / [hawt-soo-HAW-roo]
Kazuma [kah-ZOO-mah]
Kimishima [keim-ee-SHEE-mah] - 'kimi' from noble
Keiichi [ki-EI-chee]
Miroku [mear-OH-koo]
Momiji [moh-MEE-jee]
Ryuhou [ree-EW-hoh]
Sanoske [sahn-OH-skeh] / [sahn-OHS-keh]
Toya [TOY-ah]
Yahiko [YAH-hee-koh] - 'ko' likely means child
Yuhi [YOO-hee]
Yukito [yoo-KEE-toh] - 'yuki' means snow or luck
Female:
Kaede [ki-EH-deh]
Kagome [kah-goh-MEH]
Kagura [kah-GURH-ah]
Kanami [KAWN-ah-mee]
Kanna [kawn-ah]
Kaoru [KOW-roo]
Kikiyo [kee-kee-YOH] - 'yo' probably means sun
Kogura [KAWG-urh-ah]
Megumi [muh-GOO-mee]
Mimori [mee-MOHR-ee]
Ritsu [REET-soo]
Tohru [TOH-roo]
Tomoyo [TOH-moy-yoh] - 'yo' probably means sun
BTW Kohaku is also used as a male name in the anime series InuYasha. I was wondering if anyone knew any REAL male with the name Kohaku, or a derivitive of the spelling, as romanji can take on many spellings. Kohaku is also a type of koi fish people can be named after.
This isn't so much for personal interest but for the site. There isn't that many Japanese names.
Thanks in advance, I'll be doing searching on my own too!
I have noticed that these names are pronounced different by a Japanese speaking person compared to an English speaking person, which is to be expected to some degree, but often the accent, or more pronounced syllable, is different between the languages. I only have the Japanese pronounciation for Kagome, all the other names are how they are pronounced by English speakers. Where I have given the pronounciation and then a / followed by another pronounciation, I am not sure which is correct as I have heard to pronounced both ways.
Male:
Akito [ah-KEE-toh]
Ayame [eh-YAW-mee]
Hatori [hah-TOHR-ee]
Hatsuharu [haw-soo-HAWR-oo] / [hawt-soo-HAW-roo]
Kazuma [kah-ZOO-mah]
Kimishima [keim-ee-SHEE-mah] - 'kimi' from noble
Keiichi [ki-EI-chee]
Miroku [mear-OH-koo]
Momiji [moh-MEE-jee]
Ryuhou [ree-EW-hoh]
Sanoske [sahn-OH-skeh] / [sahn-OHS-keh]
Toya [TOY-ah]
Yahiko [YAH-hee-koh] - 'ko' likely means child
Yuhi [YOO-hee]
Yukito [yoo-KEE-toh] - 'yuki' means snow or luck
Female:
Kaede [ki-EH-deh]
Kagome [kah-goh-MEH]
Kagura [kah-GURH-ah]
Kanami [KAWN-ah-mee]
Kanna [kawn-ah]
Kaoru [KOW-roo]
Kikiyo [kee-kee-YOH] - 'yo' probably means sun
Kogura [KAWG-urh-ah]
Megumi [muh-GOO-mee]
Mimori [mee-MOHR-ee]
Ritsu [REET-soo]
Tohru [TOH-roo]
Tomoyo [TOH-moy-yoh] - 'yo' probably means sun
BTW Kohaku is also used as a male name in the anime series InuYasha. I was wondering if anyone knew any REAL male with the name Kohaku, or a derivitive of the spelling, as romanji can take on many spellings. Kohaku is also a type of koi fish people can be named after.
This isn't so much for personal interest but for the site. There isn't that many Japanese names.
Thanks in advance, I'll be doing searching on my own too!
1
Replies
For curious minds
since you admit that this isn't as much for you as it is for the database, I won't go through too much detail. Since I'm sure that people will peep in here, though, I can help a little bit
First of all, the meaning of any one name can differ depending on what characters are used to write it. Each name can be broken into several elements, and I'll only spend minimal energy on each of them, so a meaning I give is only a common one and is not definitive.
As for pronunciation, a basic guide is:
a = the a in father
e = the e in fed
i = the es in feet
o = the o in go
u = the os in food
other letters can be tricky. the syllable TSU is often left silent (since you watch Inuyasha, think of his sword Tetsusaiga -- it's pronounced TET-saiga, without any SOO sound.) sometimes, however, the TSU is pronounced as SOO (as in Tsunami). The japanese R is odd as well, as it has no true english equivilant. It is pronounced as a mix between the english R and L. English speakers tend to pronounce the Japanese R as either a clear L sound (as in Inuyasha's Kirara) or, less commonly, a clear R sound (as in Inuyasha's Miroku)
As for Kohaku . . . if the name in itself is a word, without breaking it into elements, that means "Amber". With this meaning, it is almost always a girl's name. It can be broken into elements also, though, and becomes a boys name. Ko can mean "small", "child", "great", "big", or "fault" among other things. Haku can mean "oak", or "eldest brother" among other things. Haku can be broken into two elements as well, Ha and Ku, but I will stop here. As you can see, a name that means "Great Oak" (one possilbe meaning of Ko + one possible meaning of Haku) can easily be a masculine name. This is how it is with many names. Kohaku is a rarity, though, because most names with the element KO at the beginning or end are feminine, and the element is usually used to mean "child" or "little"
since you admit that this isn't as much for you as it is for the database, I won't go through too much detail. Since I'm sure that people will peep in here, though, I can help a little bit
First of all, the meaning of any one name can differ depending on what characters are used to write it. Each name can be broken into several elements, and I'll only spend minimal energy on each of them, so a meaning I give is only a common one and is not definitive.
As for pronunciation, a basic guide is:
a = the a in father
e = the e in fed
i = the es in feet
o = the o in go
u = the os in food
other letters can be tricky. the syllable TSU is often left silent (since you watch Inuyasha, think of his sword Tetsusaiga -- it's pronounced TET-saiga, without any SOO sound.) sometimes, however, the TSU is pronounced as SOO (as in Tsunami). The japanese R is odd as well, as it has no true english equivilant. It is pronounced as a mix between the english R and L. English speakers tend to pronounce the Japanese R as either a clear L sound (as in Inuyasha's Kirara) or, less commonly, a clear R sound (as in Inuyasha's Miroku)
As for Kohaku . . . if the name in itself is a word, without breaking it into elements, that means "Amber". With this meaning, it is almost always a girl's name. It can be broken into elements also, though, and becomes a boys name. Ko can mean "small", "child", "great", "big", or "fault" among other things. Haku can mean "oak", or "eldest brother" among other things. Haku can be broken into two elements as well, Ha and Ku, but I will stop here. As you can see, a name that means "Great Oak" (one possilbe meaning of Ko + one possible meaning of Haku) can easily be a masculine name. This is how it is with many names. Kohaku is a rarity, though, because most names with the element KO at the beginning or end are feminine, and the element is usually used to mean "child" or "little"
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Sorry for the many mispellings
It's late. ^_^ please don't crucify me
It's late. ^_^ please don't crucify me
1
Wow, thanks a lot. I can see how it would be very difficult to put Japanese names in a data base of their meaning. But, I like that in names/a language. As most of my ancestory is Scottish, I plan one day to take word elements from gaelic and create unique name with meaningful etymologies. I how Japanese names are not so defined as in Western Culture, where the same names are often used over and over. I find most people don't know what their name means or what the name of their child means. I personally grew up with a VERY common name, and I felt like it left me lacking a sense of identity. There were 9 girls out of a graduating class of ~200, 100 were girls. There were only two other names with more than one person having them, Sarah and Courtney, of each there was only two. The rest of the girls had a name that was not shared by anyone else in our grade.
I know im rambling on; I just love everything about Japanese culture. It is so very beautiful. My grandfather still keeps with many old Scottish traditions, but my father doesn't, so I think that is why I really enjoy societies which still not only still respect the old ways, but encourage them.
For eg on the Scottish names:
A more recently coined name (to my knowledge and searching through google) is Deasloch. 'Deas' is Gaelic for 'south' or 'from south' and 'loch' is Scottish term for a lake.. Daesloch = from the south lake. Others on this website agreed.
Neways, im bored waiting for xmas day... just rambling...
thanks again!
~ SD
I know im rambling on; I just love everything about Japanese culture. It is so very beautiful. My grandfather still keeps with many old Scottish traditions, but my father doesn't, so I think that is why I really enjoy societies which still not only still respect the old ways, but encourage them.
For eg on the Scottish names:
A more recently coined name (to my knowledge and searching through google) is Deasloch. 'Deas' is Gaelic for 'south' or 'from south' and 'loch' is Scottish term for a lake.. Daesloch = from the south lake. Others on this website agreed.
Neways, im bored waiting for xmas day... just rambling...
thanks again!
~ SD
1
No prob! I'm sorry if I came off a little "know it all" - ish; I'm studying to be a japanese translator, so that little rant is kind of pre packaged.
and I love the way that name looks, Daesloch. Would you use it for a boy or a girl? Because I think it would be a gorgeous boys name!
and I love the way that name looks, Daesloch. Would you use it for a boy or a girl? Because I think it would be a gorgeous boys name!
1
Daesloch
Deffinately a boys name. In most traditionally cultures, the woman would move to the man's town, so it's more important for men to carry on names that are in relations to places or relatives. The name Daesmond, and most place names were once surnames, so if Daesloch is not a new invention, and simply a revival, it would also have been a surname.
I really like Daesloch too. If I ever live by a southern lake, or the south part of a lake, I would love to name a son that. One could call him Daesy for short.
Ty for all your help. If you interested in further Gaelic ranting, I'm starting a post above about some qus. I have.
~ SD
Deffinately a boys name. In most traditionally cultures, the woman would move to the man's town, so it's more important for men to carry on names that are in relations to places or relatives. The name Daesmond, and most place names were once surnames, so if Daesloch is not a new invention, and simply a revival, it would also have been a surname.
I really like Daesloch too. If I ever live by a southern lake, or the south part of a lake, I would love to name a son that. One could call him Daesy for short.
Ty for all your help. If you interested in further Gaelic ranting, I'm starting a post above about some qus. I have.
~ SD
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Please ignore Ayame and Kaede BUT
Althought Toya is linked, it is not the Japanese version of the name. It gives Toya as a female name and a relative of Tonya, which it isn't in this case.
My apologies for Ayame and Kaede, I sometimes forgot to check everyname in the database. But for the record, Ayame is used as a male name in the anime Fruits Basket, mind you the character is portrayed as very feminine, aka bishonen.
Althought Toya is linked, it is not the Japanese version of the name. It gives Toya as a female name and a relative of Tonya, which it isn't in this case.
My apologies for Ayame and Kaede, I sometimes forgot to check everyname in the database. But for the record, Ayame is used as a male name in the anime Fruits Basket, mind you the character is portrayed as very feminine, aka bishonen.
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