May 22, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
credit: h.koppdelaneyConsidering the complexity of Japanese names, many Westerners may have a hard time pronouncing and understanding the meaning behind the names in Japan. Names in Japan are usually written in kanji (Chinese characters that are also used in the Japanese language) and there are thousands of kanji characters, each with its own meaning.
One name could be written in different kanji combinations and could have different meaning depending on what kanji character is used. A single kanji character can also have many different pronunciations. Thus, it may be difficult to determine the meaning of a name if you only base it on its pronunciation. One very good example is the name “Keiko” which is a popular Japanese name for females. It is a name with many different kanji combinations and thus may have different meanings depending on what kanji character is used.
Some names are also written in Hiragana, wherein the characters stand for each syllable. Hiragana is commonly used in Japanese names for girls and rarely for Japanese boy names because of its soft impression. It is usual for male names in Japan to end in “ro” which means son just as it is common for female names in Japan to end in “ko” which means child. The name for boys were traditionally chosen by their parents to indicate their birth order, like “Ichiro”, meaning first son or to indicate the qualities they want to see in their bloodline, like “Daiki”, which means great nobility.
You may also have noticed that there are only a few Japanese names that begin with B, D, G, J, and Z for the reason that these consonants are considered uncivilized not just for use on personal names but even for things. Family names in Japan are also often based on their geographical location or their family’s origin, like Tanaka for instance, which means “middle rice field”.
Updated May 22, 2011. Published May 21, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
