Japan is a unique country. What is behind these words? Special, unlike anything else nature, culture, religion, philosophy, art, way of life, fashion, cuisine, the harmonious coexistence of high technology and ancient traditions, as well as the Japanese language itself - as difficult to learn as it is fascinating. One of the most important parts of the language is given names and surnames. They always carry a piece of history, and Japanese ones are doubly curious.
Why do we, foreigners, need to know all this? Firstly, because it is informative and interesting, because Japanese culture has penetrated into many areas of our modern life. It's very fun to decipher surnames famous people: for example, the animator Miyazaki - “temple, palace” + “cape”, and the writer Murakami - “village” + “top”. Secondly, all this has long and firmly become part of the youth subculture.
Fans of comics (manga) and animation (anime) simply love to take various Japanese names and surnames as pseudonyms. Samp and other online games also actively use such pseudonyms for player characters. And it’s not surprising: such a nickname sounds beautiful, exotic and memorable.
Country rising sun will always find something to surprise an ignorant foreigner. It is noteworthy that when recording or officially introducing a person, his last name comes first, and then his first name, for example: Sato Aiko, Tanaka Yukio. This sounds unusual to the Russian ear, and therefore it can be quite difficult for us to distinguish Japanese names and surnames from each other. The Japanese themselves, in order to avoid confusion when communicating with foreigners, often write their surname in capital letters. And it really makes the task easier. Fortunately, it is common for the Japanese to have only one given name and one surname. And this people does not have such a form as patronymic (patronymic).
Another unusual feature of Japanese communication is the active use of prefixes. Moreover, these prefixes are most often added to the surname. European psychologists say that there is nothing more pleasant for a person than the sound of his name - but the Japanese apparently think differently. Therefore, names are used only in situations of very close and personal communication.
How common are Japanese first and last names? It's surprising, but even family members rarely call each other by name. Instead, special words are used meaning "mom", "dad", "daughter", "son", "elder sister", " younger sister", "elder brother", "younger brother", etc. The prefixes "chan (chan)" are also added to these words.
Girls in Japan are most often called names that mean something abstract, but at the same time beautiful, pleasant and feminine: “flower”, “crane”, “bamboo”, “water lily”, “chrysanthemum”, “moon”, etc. similar. Simplicity and harmony are what distinguish Japanese names and surnames.
Female names in many cases contain the syllables (hieroglyphs) “mi” - beauty (for example: Harumi, Ayumi, Kazumi, Mie, Fumiko, Miyuki) or “ko” - child (for example: Maiko, Naoko, Haruko, Yumiko, Yoshiko, Hanako , Takako, Asako).
It's interesting that some girls in modern Japan They consider the ending “ko” unfashionable and omit it. So, for example, the name "Yumiko" turns into the everyday used "Yumi". And her friends call this girl “Yumi-chan.”
All of the above are quite common Japanese female names these days. And the girls’ surnames are also strikingly poetic, especially if you translate the exotic combination of sounds into Russian. Most often they convey the image of a typical Japanese rural landscape. For example: Yamamoto - “the base of the mountain”, Watanabe - “to cross the surrounding area”, Iwasaki - “rocky cape”, Kobayashi - “small forest”.
Whole poetic world open Japanese first and last names. Women's ones are especially similar to works in the haiku style, surprising with their beautiful sound and harmonious meaning.
Men's names are the most difficult to read and translate. Some of them are formed from nouns. For example: Moku (“carpenter”), Akio (“handsome”), Katsu (“victory”), Makoto (“truth”). Others are formed from adjectives or verbs, for example: Satoshi (“smart”), Mamoru (“protect”), Takashi (“tall”), Tsutomu (“try”).
Very often, Japanese male names and surnames include hieroglyphs indicating gender: “man”, “husband”, “hero”, “helper”, “tree”, etc.
Often used This tradition originated in the Middle Ages, when families had many children. For example, the name Ichiro means “first son”, Jiro means “second son”, Saburo means “third son”, and so on until Juro, which means “tenth son”.
Japanese names boyfriends and last names can be created simply on the basis of the hieroglyphs available in the language. During the imperial dynasties they gave great value what to call yourself and your children, but in modern Japan, preference is given simply to what you like in sound and meaning. At the same time, it is not at all necessary that children from the same family bear names with a common hieroglyph, as was traditionally practiced in imperial dynasties past.
All Japanese male names and surnames have two characteristics in common: semantic echoes of the Middle Ages and difficulty in reading, especially for a foreigner.
Surnames are distinguished large number and diversity: Linguists estimate that there are more than 100,000 surnames in the Japanese language. For comparison: there are 300-400 thousand Russian surnames.
The most common currently Japanese surnames: Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka, Yamamoto, Watanabe, Saito, Kudo, Sasaki, Kato, Kobayashi, Murakami, Ito, Nakamura, Oonishi, Yamaguchi, Kuroki, Higa.
Fun fact: Japanese first and last names vary in popularity depending on the area. For example, in Okinawa (the country's southernmost prefecture), the surnames Chinen, Higa and Shimabukuro are very common, while in the rest of Japan very few people have them. Experts attribute this to differences in dialects and culture. Thanks to these differences, the Japanese can tell just by the surname of their interlocutor where he is from.
IN European culture certain traditional names, from which parents choose the most suitable for their baby. Fashion trends often change, and one or the other becomes popular, but rarely does anyone come up with a unique name on purpose. IN Japanese culture the situation is different: there are many more isolated or rarely encountered names. Therefore, there is no traditional list. Japanese names (and surnames too) are often derived from some beautiful words or phrases.
They are distinguished by their clearly expressed poetic meaning, first of all, female names. For example:
However, among male names you can find beautiful meanings:
It's not just names that are found. And last names can be very poetic. For example:
Sometimes there are funny Japanese names and surnames, or rather, ones that sound funny to the Russian ear.
Among these we can note male names: Bank, Quiet (emphasis on “a”), Use, Joban, Soshi (emphasis on “o”). Among the female ones, the following sounds funny for a Russian speaker: Hey, Osa, Ori, Cho, Ruka, Rana, Yura. But such funny examples extremely rare, given the rich variety of Japanese names.
As for surnames, here you are more likely to find a strange and difficult to pronounce combination of sounds than a funny one. However, this is easily compensated for by numerous funny parodies of Japanese names and surnames. Of course, they were all invented by Russian-speaking jokers, but there is still some phonetic similarity with the originals. For example, this parody: Japanese racer Toyama Tokanawa; or Tohripo Tovisgo. Behind all these “names” a phrase in Russian is easily guessed.
In Japan, there is still a law, preserved from the Middle Ages, according to which husband and wife are required to have the same surname. This is almost always the husband’s surname, but there are exceptions - for example, if the wife is from a noble family, famous family. However, it still does not happen in Japan that spouses wear double surname or each his own.
In general, in the Middle Ages, only Japanese emperors, aristocrats and samurai had surnames, and ordinary people were content with nicknames, which were often attached to their names. For example, the place of residence, or even the name of the father, was often used as a nickname.
Japanese women often also did not have surnames: it was believed that they had no need, because they were not heirs. The names of girls from aristocratic families often ended in "hime" (meaning "princess"). Samurai wives had names ending in "gozen". They were often addressed by their husband's surname and title. But personal names, both then and now, are used only in close communication. Japanese monks and nuns from the noble classes bore names ending in “in.”
After death, every Japanese person acquires a new name (it is called “kaimyo”). It is written on a sacred wooden tablet called "ihai". A nameplate with a posthumous name is used in burial and memorial rituals, as it is considered to be the embodiment of the spirit of the deceased person. People often acquire kaimyo and ihai u during their lifetime. In the Japanese view, death is not something tragic, but rather one of the stages on the path of the immortal soul.
By learning more about Japanese names and surnames, you can not only learn the basics of the language in a unique way, but also gain a deeper understanding of the philosophy of this people.
Personal names in Japan are the most difficult area in the Japanese language. Women's names are no exception here. At first, reading the translations, it may seem that there is nothing complicated. In Japanese, the surname is pronounced first and then the given name. In Russian, as in many Western languages, the first name is pronounced first, and then the last name. But believe me, this is the smallest difficulty you encounter when working with Japanese names. Although even such a small thing sometimes confuses people less familiar with Japanese culture.
Japanese culture, and personal names in particular, have undergone dramatic changes over the past hundred years. This also affected the spelling of names and their meaning. New hieroglyphs and signs for writing names were allowed. The last major change dates back to the nineties of the twentieth century. Then the Japanese Parliament amended the list of permitted characters for writing names. In principle, these signs are updated with amendments approximately every five years. But as they say, only a dead language does not change.
The change in attitude towards traditions is especially noticeable in modern Japanese names. If earlier Japan was extremely traditional society, then now with each generation this is fading away. Among modern Japanese names for girls, names from Japanese comics - manga - are very popular. Manga is one of the Japanese cultural phenomena, comics covering a variety of topics for both children and adults. Manga, in essence, is not the usual children's comics, but rather a serious literary and figurative work. This cultural phenomenon is already known and popular all over the world.
Another difficulty is the transliteration of Japanese names for girls. Transliteration of any language causes a lot of controversy, let alone the language of the land of the rising sun. The Polivanov system is most often used in Russian practice. It was introduced in the thirties of the twentieth century and since then has been a tacitly approved system of transliteration from Japanese to Cyrillic.
Pronunciation Yui Aoi Yua Rin Hina Yuina Sakura Mana Saki Yuna |
Writing 結衣 結愛 陽菜 結菜 さくら 愛菜 咲希 優奈 |
Name meaning tie and clothes mallow/marshmallow/geranium connect and love majestic/impressive sunny/positive connect/form sakura love and vegetable/greens bloom and rarely/desire superb/graceful |
Here is a list of Japanese female names collected by our editors. These are, of course, not all possible Japanese female names, but according to statistics, these are the most popular. Japanese names are the most the hard part Japanese language and that is why there are so many discrepancies in their translations. Enjoy watching.
Pronunciation Ay Aika Aiko Aimi Akane Akemi Aki Akiko Akira Amaterasu Aoi Arisu Asami Asuka Atsuko Avaron Aya Ayaka Ayame Ayano Ayumi Azumi June Junko Izumi Kaori Kaoru Kasumi Katsumi Kazue Kazuko Kazumi Kiku Kimi Kimiko Kin Kiyoko Kiyomi Kohaku Kotone Coe Kumiko Kiyoko Madoka Mayi Maiko Makoto Mana Manami Mariko Masako Masami Masumi Masuyo Megumi Mi Michi Michiko Midori Minako Minori Misaki Mitsuko Miyako Mieko Mizuki My Momo Momoe Moriko Nana Nao Naoki Naoko Naomi Natsumi Ran Reiko Rika Ren Fumiko Hana Hanako Haru Haruka Haruki Haruko Harumi Hideko Hikaru Hiro Hiromi Hisako Hoshi Hotaru Chi Chico Chiharu Chica Chikako Chie Chieko Chow Eiko Amy Emiko Erie Etsuko |
Writing 蓝 and 爱 爱佳 爱子 爱美 明美 秋 and 明 and 晶 秋子 明 and 亮 天照 碧 and 葵 アリス 麻美 明日香 笃子 and 温子 アヴァロン 彩 and 绫 彩花 and 彩华 菖蒲 彩乃 and 绫乃 あゆみ あずみ 顺子 and 纯子 香织 胜美 一恵 和子 and 一子 和美 后子 and 君子 清子 清见 琥珀 琴音 幸 and 光 久美子 恭子 円 and 円花 舞子 爱美 and 爱海 真里子 雅子 and 昌子 雅美 真澄 益世 美智子 美奈子 美咲 光子 美夜子 美代子 美月 モモ 百恵 森子 ナナ 直 and 尚 直树 直子 and 尚子 直美 夏美 丽子 文子 花子 晴 and 春 and 阳 遥 and 遥 and 悠 春树 はるこ 春美 秀子 裕 and 寛 and 浩 裕美 and 浩美 久子 恵子 千春 散花 千香子 千代 千代子 栄子 恵美 and 絵美 恵子美 絵理 悦子 |
Name meaning indigo/love love song child of love I love beauty bright red color bright beauty autumn/bright/spark autumn child bright/clear Sun Goddess blue/mallow Alice morning beauty aroma tomorrow apple island colorful/design color-flower/flower petals Iris flower my color/my design pace/walk/walk safe living. obedient obedient child fountain aroma of weaving aroma fog victory of beauty branch/first blessing harmonious harmonious beauty chrysanthemum honest, noble noble child gold pure child amber harp sounds happiness/light/peace child of the city circle/flower dance meaning/sincerity Love tender beauty true child of the village elegant child elegant beauty true clarity benefit the world blessing beauty path beautiful, wise child green beautiful baby true beauty of bloom shining child beautiful child of the night beautiful generation child budding peach hundred blessings forest child seven obedient/respected obedient tree obedient child first of all, beauty summer beauty lily/orchid lovely child significant aroma water lily child of treasured beauty favorite/flower flower baby spring/sun distance spring beauty gorgeous child shine generous/tolerant abundant beauty long-lived child star firefly wisdom wise child thousand springs scattered flowers fragrant baby a thousand generations child of a thousand generations butterfly long-lived child beautiful blessing/ beautiful baby blessed prize joyful child |
FEMALE names - ratio - Russian and Japanese
Alexandra - (protector) - - Mamoka
Alice - (from the noble class) - - Yoizokumi
Alla - (other) - - Sonota
Anastasia - (resurrected) - - Fukkatsumi
Anna - (mercy, grace) - - Jihiko
Antonina - (spatial) - - Sorariko
Anfisa - (blooming) - - Kaika, - Sakura
Valentina - (strong) - - Tsuyoi
Varvara - (cruel) - - Zankokumi
Vasilisa - (royal) - - Joteiko
Faith - (faith) - - Shinkori
Victoria - (winner) - - Shori
Galina - (clarity) - - Tomei
Daria - (great fire) - - Ohiko
Evgeniya - (noble) - - Yoiidenko
Catherine - (purity, spotlessness) - - Koheiri
Elena - (solar) - - Taiyota
Elizabeth - (who worships God) - - Keikenna
Zinaida - (born of God) - - Kamigauma
Zoya - (life) - - Sei, - Inoti
Inna - ( torrent) - - Hayakawa
Irina - (peace or anger) - - Sekai, - Ikari
Karina - (dear) - - Kawaimi
Kira - (Mistress) - - Fujinka
Claudia - (limping) - - Ramejo
Ksenia - (wanderer, stranger) - - Horomi
Larisa - (seagull) - - Kamome
Lydia - (sad song) - - Nageki
Love - (love) - - Ay, - Ayumi
Lyudmila - (dear to people) - - Tanomi
Margarita - (pearl) - - Shinjuka, - Tamae
Marina - (sea) - - Maritaimi
Maria - (bitter, stubborn) - - Nigai
Hope - (hope) - - Nozomi
Natalya - (born, native) - - Umari
Nina - (queen) - - Queenmi
Oksana - (inhospitable) - - Aisonaku
Olesya - (forest) - - Ringyoko
Olga - (light) - - Hikari
Polina - (destroying, destroying) - - Hakaina
Raisa - (heavenly, light, submissive) - - Tenshimi
Svetlana - (light) - - Hikaru
Seraphim - (flame snake) - - Honooryumi
Snezhana - (snowy) - - Yuki, Yukiko
Sofia - (wise) - - Kasikomi
Tamara - (palm) - - Yashimi
Tatyana - (lady) - - Joshiko
Ulyana - (righteous) - - Tadashimi
Julia - (wavy, fluffy) - - Hajoka, - Nami
Yana - (God's grace) - - Dzihiri
Before the Meiji Restoration, only aristocrats (kuge) and samurai (bushi) had surnames. The rest of the Japanese population was content with personal names and nicknames.Women of aristocratic and samurai families also usually did not have surnames, since they did not have the right of inheritance. In those cases where women did have surnames, they did not change them upon marriage.
Surnames were divided into two groups - the surnames of aristocrats and the surnames of samurai.
Unlike the number of samurai surnames, the number of aristocratic surnames has practically not increased since ancient times. Many of them went back to the priestly past of the Japanese aristocracy.
The most respected and respected clans of aristocrats were: Konoe, Takashi, Kujo, Ichijo and Gojo. All of them belonged to the Fujiwara clan and had a common name - "Gosetsuke". From among the men of this family, regents (sessho) and chancellors (kampaku) of Japan were appointed, and from among the women, wives for the emperors were chosen.
The next most important clans were the Hirohata, Daigo, Kuga, Oimikado, Saionji, Sanjo, Imaidegawa, Tokudaji and Kaoin clans. The highest state dignitaries were appointed from among them. Thus, representatives of the Saionji clan served as imperial grooms (meryo no gogen). Next came all the other aristocratic clans.
The hierarchy of nobility of aristocratic families began to take shape in the 6th century and lasted until the end of the 11th century, when power in the country passed to the samurai. Among them, the clans Genji (Minamoto), Heike (Taira), Hojo, Ashikaga, Tokugawa, Matsudaira, Hosokawa, Shimazu, Oda enjoyed special respect. A whole series their representatives in different times were the shoguns (military rulers) of Japan.
The personal names of aristocrats and high-ranking samurai were formed from two kanji (hieroglyphs) with a “noble” meaning.
Personal names of samurai servants and peasants were often given according to the principle of "numbering". The first son is Ichiro, the second is Jiro, the third is Saburo, the fourth is Shiro, the fifth is Goro, etc. Also, in addition to “-ro”, the suffixes “-emon”, “-ji”, “-zo”, “-suke”, “-be” were used for this purpose.
Upon entering the period of adolescence, the samurai chose a different name for himself than the one given to him at birth. Sometimes samurai changed their names throughout adult life, for example, to emphasize the onset of her new period (promotion or relocation to another duty station). The master had the right to rename his vassal. In cases of serious illness, the name was sometimes changed to that of Amida Buddha to appeal to his mercy.
According to the rules of samurai duels, before the fight the samurai had to name his full name, so that the opponent can decide whether he is worthy of such an opponent. Of course, in life this rule was observed much less often than in novels and chronicles.
The suffix "-hime" was added to the end of the names of girls from noble families. It is often translated as "princess", but in fact it was used in relation to all noble young ladies.
The suffix "-gozen" was used for the names of samurai wives. They were often called simply by their husband's surname and rank. Personal names married women were practically used only by their close relatives.
For the names of monks and nuns from the noble classes, the suffix "-in" was used.
Personal names in Japan are the most difficult area in the Japanese language. Women's names are no exception here. At first, reading the translations, it may seem that there is nothing complicated. In Japanese, the surname is pronounced first, and then the given name. In Russian, as in many Western languages, the first name is pronounced first, and then the surname. But believe me, this is the smallest difficulty you encounter when working with Japanese names. Although even such a small thing sometimes confuses people less familiar with Japanese culture.
Japanese culture, and personal names in particular, have undergone dramatic changes over the past hundred years. This also affected the spelling of names and their meaning. New hieroglyphs and signs for writing names were allowed. The last major change dates back to the nineties of the twentieth century. Then the Japanese Parliament amended the list of permitted characters for writing names. In principle, these signs are updated with amendments approximately every five years. But as they say, only a dead language does not change.
The change in attitude towards traditions is especially noticeable in modern Japanese names. If Japan used to be an extremely traditional society, now this is fading away with each generation. Among modern Japanese names for girls, names from Japanese comics - manga - are very popular. Manga is one of the Japanese cultural phenomena, comics covering a variety of topics for both children and adults. Manga, in essence, is not the usual children's comics, but a rather serious literary and visual work. This cultural phenomenon is known and popular all over the world.
Another difficulty is the transliteration of Japanese names for girls. Transliteration of any language causes a lot of controversy, let alone the language of the land of the rising sun. The Polivanov system is most often used in Russian practice. It was introduced in the thirties of the twentieth century and since then has been a tacitly approved system of transliteration from Japanese to Cyrillic.
Here is a list of Japanese female names collected by our editors. These are, of course, not all possible Japanese female names, but according to statistics, these are the most popular. Japanese names are the most difficult part of the Japanese language and that is why there are so many discrepancies in their translations. Enjoy watching.
Pronunciation Amaterasu |
Writing 秋 and 明 and 晶 笃子 and 温子 彩花 and 彩华 彩乃 and 绫乃 顺子 and 纯子 和子 and 一子 后子 and 君子 爱美 and 爱海 雅子 and 昌子 直子 and 尚子 晴 and 春 and 阳 遥 and 遥 and 悠 裕 and 寛 and 浩 裕美 and 浩美 恵美 and 絵美 |
Name meaning indigo/love love song child of love I love beauty bright red color bright beauty autumn/bright/spark autumn child bright/clear Sun Goddess blue/mallow morning beauty aroma tomorrow kind child apple island colorful/design color-flower/flower petals Iris flower my color/my design pace/walk/walk safe living. obedient obedient child aroma of weaving victory of beauty branch/first blessing harmonious harmonious beauty chrysanthemum honest, noble noble child pure child pure beauty harp sounds happiness/light/peace beautiful baby child of the city circle/flower dancing child meaning/sincerity tender beauty true child of the village elegant child elegant beauty true clarity benefit the world blessing beautiful, wise child beautiful baby beauty of bloom shining child beautiful child of the night beautiful generation child beautiful moon budding hundred blessings forest child obedient/respected obedient tree obedient child first of all, beauty summer beauty lily/orchid lovely child significant aroma water lily child of treasured beauty favorite/flower flower baby spring/sun distance spring tree spring child spring beauty gorgeous child generous/tolerant abundant beauty long-lived child firefly wisdom wise child thousand springs scattered flowers fragrant baby a thousand generations child of a thousand generations long-lived child beautiful blessing/ beautiful baby blessed prize joyful child |
Do you know Japanese names and their meanings? What names are popular in Japan today? We will answer these and other questions in the article. Japanese names these days tend to include family name(last name) followed by personal name. This practice is common in East and Southeast Asia, including Korean, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and other cultures.
Beautiful names for Japanese men are usually divided into two types: single-component and multi-component. Names with one element include a verb, as a result of which the name has an ending - y, for example, Mamoru (protector). Or an adjective ending in -si, for example, Hiroshi (spacious).
Sometimes you can find names with one sign that have an onic reading. Names composed of a pair of hieroglyphs usually indicate masculinity. For example: son, warrior, man, husband, courageous and so on. Each of these indicators has its own ending.
The structure of such names usually contains a hieroglyph, which reveals how the name should be read. There are also names consisting of three elements. In this episode the indicator will be two-link. For example, “eldest son”, “ youngest son" and so on. It is rare to meet a person with a three-part name and a one-component indicator. It is not often that you come across names that have four components written in Japanese alphabet rather than in hieroglyphs.
Japanese name meaning "dragon" like local residents, and to foreigners. What does the name Shizuka represent? Interpretation of this name: quiet. The meanings of the letters in this name are as follows:
The number of the name Shizuka is 7. It conceals the ability to direct abilities into the world of philosophy or art, into religious activity, and the field of science. But the results of the activities of people with this name largely depend on a deep analysis of victories that have already been accomplished and on true planning for their own future. By getting to know other people, they often develop into leaders and teachers of the highest caliber. But if they are engaged in commercial or financial affairs, then here they themselves will need someone’s help.
The planet named after Shizuka is Mercury, the element is cold dry air, the zodiac sign is Virgo and Gemini. The color of this name is changeable, variegated, mixed, day is Wednesday, metals - bismuth, mercury, semiconductors, minerals - agate, emerald, topaz, porphyry, rock crystal, glass, sardonyx, plants - parsley, basil, celery, walnut tree, valerian , animals - weasel, monkey, fox, parrot, stork, thrush, nightingale, ibis, lark, flying fish.