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The meaning of the first name Sanji ??

yunita

後輩
14 Jan 2008
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Hello everyone,

I would need your help ;)

We are expecting our second son and we have come across the name Sanji which sounds beautiful to me, but I am not sure about the possible meanings of this name.
Do you know this name?
What meanings does the name have?
I have tried searching the web, but apart from the fact that this name is/was in use as a first name in Japan I could not find any information about the meaning :(

Thanks in advance,
yunita
 
Usually meaning of our name is decided what Kanji is used.
Even names that sound alike have different meaning when written in Kanji.
If you decide "Sanji" for your boy, you may think that name means "Praise".
We write it "賛辞".

I think that in Japan Sanji has been a forgotten name for long time until it appeared in a popular manga "One Piece".

Historically Sanji was often the third boy of many brothers. "san" means three.
 
For the sake of your unborn child, do not name it after a freaking anime character. Even if that is not your intention, that's how it will seem to everyone.

The other meaning for 賛辞 is eulogy. You might as well name him 惨事, or simply 産児. Pick a new name.
 
hello and thanks to the two of you!

@hanachan Thanks for your very informative posting!

So it seems to me that Sanji is a rather old-fashioned name which was (mostly) used for a third son, but the Kanji combination meaning praise could also be used... So this name could be used for a second son? Or does this sound bad for Japanese ears? ;)

I have another question for you: I have heard that in Japan the parents decide how their child´s first name will be written and that some names are only written in Katakana (especially girls´ names).

So would parents look at all possible ways of writing their baby´s name and select the combination of Kanji which they find best or are there only a few certain ways that a name is written and only these Kanji combinations are used?

@nice gaijin: Yes, I am aware that there is this Anime character, but I have been searching the web where I have found that several REAL Japanese people of this first name exist, I wouldn´t pick a name because it appears in a manga/anime...
And one thing you never know is: even if you think of this connection now (and in the surroundings you live in), by the time the kid is in school no one may know this ;)

There are many ways to go wrong when naming a child, in the end, each parent tries to do his/her best and to leave out the most hilarious names/associations...

but anyway, thanks for your opinion ;)

Thanks,
y.
 
@nice gaijin: Yes, I am aware that there is this Anime character, but I have been searching the web where I have found that several REAL Japanese people of this first name exist, I wouldn´t pick a name because it appears in a manga/anime...
And one thing you never know is: even if you think of this connection now (and in the surroundings you live in), by the time the kid is in school no one may know this ;)
One Piece has been around for about 10 years. Doraemon has been around since 1969, and there are much older series still around today. Considering the longevity of these stories, I think it's safe to say that the unintentional reference will not be missed by grade school kids (the main audience for this particular story).

Having been there for the birth of my host brother's daughter, I saw them going through the naming process. They first narrowed the list down to a few names they liked, then looked at all of the possible compounds, and settled when they found a suitable combination. The deciding factors were meaning, stroke count and overall aesthetics of the characters themselves, as well as the sound of the name.

Also, regarding the legality of names, I understand that children born in countries that do not use/recognize kanji, their legal name (should they come to Japan) would be written in katakana, regardless of whether their parents picked kanji out for them already. This is, of course, probably not of too much concern, but just something to consider (If anyone knows the particular rules regarding this, please share)
 
@nice gaijin: thanks for your info!

Ok, One-Piece might or might not be known with school kids by the time he gets to school ;) Here in Austria it seems, things like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh or other animes like Dragonball are far more popular with school kids than One Piece - which is something people of my age know/like, but I don't think it is too widely known ;) interesting regional differences....

Thanks for the info about the kanjis... In our case I am basically interested in the possible or most common meanings of the name (this is where the kanji come in ;) ) as to not choose anything with a negative meaning... I would do the same with a name of English/Greek/Latin/Scandinavian/ etc. origin. For instance, I would never name my baby Barbara as this means "foreign/strange" or Thomas ="twin"....

Thanks for your help,
Y.
 
Kon'nichiwa yonita, sorry for my late reply.

So it seems to me that Sanji is a rather old-fashioned name which was (mostly) used for a third son, but the Kanji combination meaning praise could also be used... So this name could be used for a second son? Or does this sound bad for Japanese ears? ;)
The name of Sanji is not bad itself, and the sound is not bad or strange.
Not funny to name Sanji for a second son. Is there the rule when you give a Japanese-style name your children? Maybe nothing. But we often avoid a confusing name for our children. For example, as nice gaijin said, Sanji also means 惨事. it's an unhappy event. However, such a risk is only in Japan, because we use Kanji. Its sound is not a problem.
I have heard that in Japan the parents decide how their childツ´s first name will be written and that some names are only written in Katakana (especially girlsツ´ names).
So would parents look at all possible ways of writing their babyツ´s name and select the combination of Kanji which they find best or are there only a few certain ways that a name is written and only these Kanji combinations are used?
Today, Japanese names are very various. Some are westernized and written in Katakana. If it is the same name, written in Hiragana or Katakana is more feminine than Kanji, we Japanese feel.
Japanese have a sense for the kanji from experience. We can select what Kanji should use for our children's names. There is not a verboten, but we have self-imposed-restraint. That is:
死、悪、酷、魔 (negative image or bad meaning)
Usually, we don't use such Kanji for name.

My friend's daughter is Orli, of course, her name is written in Kanji. 鳳里
It's a very beautiful name for Japanese. It seems to be good for both boys and girls.
My friend is a great fan of Orlando Bloom. :p
 
One Piece has been around for about 10 years. Doraemon has been around since 1969, and there are much older series still around today. Considering the longevity of these stories, I think it's safe to say that the unintentional reference will not be missed by grade school kids (the main audience for this particular story).

Having been there for the birth of my host brother's daughter, I saw them going through the naming process. They first narrowed the list down to a few names they liked, then looked at all of the possible compounds, and settled when they found a suitable combination. The deciding factors were meaning, stroke count and overall aesthetics of the characters themselves, as well as the sound of the name.

Also, regarding the legality of names, I understand that children born in countries that do not use/recognize kanji, their legal name (should they come to Japan) would be written in katakana, regardless of whether their parents picked kanji out for them already. This is, of course, probably not of too much concern, but just something to consider (If anyone knows the particular rules regarding this, please share)

lol, you're absolutely correct. 11 years later and both the manga and the show are STILL going strong with no signs of stopping for several more years. sound advice imo
 
I wonder how little Sanji is doing now, he'd be in like 5th or 6th grade?

@yunita please come back and tell us how your child that shares a name with a popular cartoon character is doing so well, and how he doesn't resent you at all. Worked out for A.A. Milne anyways

The OP clearly stated that he lives in Austria, so I wouldn't expect the naming to be much of an issue.

Furthermore, your sarcastic reply is not very becoming of a site moderator.
 
The OP clearly stated that he lives in Austria, so I wouldn't expect the naming to be much of an issue.
Well that would be a relief! It's always sad to see children suffer from their parents' obsessions and quirks, Perhaps there's an international community of people named after fictional characters, and the hardships of growing up named Naruto or Goku.
Furthermore, your sarcastic reply is not very becoming of a site moderator.
I'm also sophomoric, I laughed at your Hard Gay joke.

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A little girl I went to elementary school with had a last name of "Hoar" and her weird parents gave her the first name of "Ima". I always hoped she got to change her name when she turned 18.
 
I wonder how Aku turned out. This was the boy that was all over the news in the 1990s when his parents tried to name him Akuma (Devil). The local government rejected the request and they took it to the courts. They ended up naming him 亜駆 (Aku) which has Akuma subtly hidden in the kanji (亜区馬).
 
I searched around for info on the kid. It turns out that Aku's old man was arrested (twice) on possession of narcotics, and on the second arrest he was also charged with burglary or aggravated burglary or something like that. Busted into a hamburger shop looking for money or drugs or something. The old man got divorced from his wife three years after the kid was born. He got custody of the kid, but after the arrest the kid went into an orphanage. Apparently wanted to be pro soccer player. The "kid" is now a 25-year old. Nobody knows his whereabouts. Speculation is that he must have changed his name.
 
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