New Post
Search
Help[Facts] Re: Anime/manga names vs. real-life Japanese names
in reply to a message by Septapus
I understand and even agree with your point, but I am not sure there is any way to know whether a name exists "in real life" or not. I have read numerous articles in the past ten years or so about the very peculiar, "kira-kira" (sparkly) names modern Japanese parents are giving babies. People complain in particular that it's impossible to even guess from the kanji used, what the actual pronunciation is.
Is a name Japanese because it derives from the Japanese language, or because it is borne by a Japanese person in Japan? Light, for example, would be Raito in Japanese, and that would blend in invisibly with long-existing names. A similar name is Taiga (tiger), a word which can be written impeccably by using Japanese characters with other meanings, but it was extremely popular in the last Year of the Tiger (and not in preceding or subsequent years), so parents were obviously thinking of the animal.
Is a name Japanese because it derives from the Japanese language, or because it is borne by a Japanese person in Japan? Light, for example, would be Raito in Japanese, and that would blend in invisibly with long-existing names. A similar name is Taiga (tiger), a word which can be written impeccably by using Japanese characters with other meanings, but it was extremely popular in the last Year of the Tiger (and not in preceding or subsequent years), so parents were obviously thinking of the animal.
This message was edited 5/2/2025, 10:28 AM
4
Replies
I feel like if the only source listed for the name is that it came from an anime, it's probably best to go with popular culture. If there is evidence that it's used in real life as well, then you can add Japanese to the usage.
3