Name Transliteration

[Michealin]

I have a character named Koyama Ryuu whose name I'd like to post on her roleplaying profile in Japanese. However, I've gotten several different transliterations that I don't want to post here because online stuff can be wildly inaccurate. How would her name be written in calligraphy? I'd like it as an image as well, if possible.

 

[letslearn]

I have a character named Koyama Ryuu whose name I'd like to post on her roleplaying profile in Japanese. However, I've gotten several different transliterations that I don't want to post here because online stuff can be wildly inaccurate. How would her name be written in calligraphy? I'd like it as an image as well, if possible.

do you mean kanji?
for example
小山 koyama (hill)
竜 ryuu (dragon)

 

[Michealin]

I should have specified that I meant the character set in which one would, usually, write a name.

 

[letslearn]

I should have specified that I meant the character set in which one would, usually, write a name.

there are three sets.
kanji, hiragana, katakana.
koyama : 小山、こやま、コヤマ - hill
ryuu: 竜、りゅう、リュウ- dragon
A lot of times in books I see kanji as the last name (surname) and katakana as the first name

so if your characters name was ryuu koyama i.e family name was koyama, It could be written as....
小山リュウ

 

[Michealin]

Okay. I'd like both names, which are in Eastern (surname-leading) order, in the most easily-readable character set for those unfamiliar with Japanese, like myself. I know katakana is hard to read because I have a friend who took beginning Japanese and he couldn't read my Japanese Magic: the Gathering cards, which were in katakana.

 

[Mike Cash]

Okay. I'd like both names, which are in Eastern (surname-leading) order, in the most easily-readable character set for those unfamiliar with Japanese, like myself. I know katakana is hard to read because I have a friend who took beginning Japanese and he couldn't read my Japanese Magic: the Gathering cards, which were in katakana.

I notice your interest in Japanese pop culture goes back at least five years. Have these hobbies never made you interested in learning anything at all about the language?

 

[Toritoribe]

I have a character named Koyama Ryuu whose name I'd like to post on her roleplaying profile in Japanese.

You mean you are going to use it as a female name? It's a male name. (At least almost all native speakers interpret so.)
Also, note that katakana given names are common only in some kind of fictions. Kanji is the most common, and katakana is less common even than hiragana in real life.

 

[Yoshi_h]

As Toritoribe pointed out, 'Ryu' is a name for male. So, a female named 'Ryu' makes me imagine a mannish or androgynous one. For that reason, I recommend リュウ or 流 if you insist on the name 'Ryu' for her.
小山 is the most popular for 'Koyama', and 古山 will come second, I guess.

By the way, surnames written in Katakana are common among the older generations as my mother, aunts, and grandmothers have it.

 

[Toritoribe]

By the way, surnames written in Katakana are common among the older generations as my mother, aunts, and grandmothers have it.

Do you mean given names?
It would be no problem to use a katakana given name if the OP is going to play the game as a woman in her 90's or maybe 100's.

 

[Yoshi_h]

Do you mean given names?

Yes. Thanks.
I mean that some given name written in Katakana sound nicely old-fashioned to me like 柴崎コウ and characters in role-playing game are imaginary anyway.

 

[Toritoribe]

Yeah, therefore I mentioned both about "in some kind of fictions" and "in real life" in my previous post.

EDIT:
柴咲コウ is also taken from the name of a character in a manga, if my memory is correct.

 

[Yoshi_h]

I just wanted to show another information. That's why I said 'By the way'.

 

[Michealin]

Mike Cash, I used to have a book titled Everyday Japanese, which fell apart several years ago. I've been interested in anime since the 90's, which spurred me to become interested in Japanese language and culture.

I named her Ryuu because I see names not borne by saints, or a culture's equivalent thereof, as androgynous by nature. Andrea, a name used by English speakers for women, is the Italian form of Andrew and, therefor, a male name in Italy. That phenomenon isn't exclusive to Western name translations either as Evelyn, which is thought of as a woman's name, started out as a man's name.

 

[Mike Cash]

I never would have guessed that your interest in the Japanese language spans a couple of decades....

 

[Toritoribe]

I just wanted to show another information. That's why I said 'By the way'.

It's the same also to me. I pointed out that the source of the information "A lot of times in books I see ... katakana as the first name" is unreliable, or at least biased as examples.

That phenomenon isn't exclusive to Western name translations either as Evelyn, which is thought of as a woman's name, started out as a man's name.

Hiromi, Kaoru, Akira, Makoto, Masami,,,, the same goes for Japanese. Ryū isn't in this group, though. Anyway, then I recommend using a kanji name 竜 or 龍.

 

[Yoshi_h]

I pointed out that the source of the information "A lot of times in books I see ... katakana as the first name" is unreliable

I won't deny your experience as it is. But truth is truth. You can find it as below: 今の大体70歳以降の女性に多く見られるカタカナの名前というのは... - Yahoo!知恵袋

 

[Toritoribe]

明治安田生命 | 名前ランキング2015 - 生まれ年別名前ベスト10 - 女の子

And here's another truth. The page linked above is a data regarding popular female given names assembled by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company. As you can see, katakana names disappeared from the top 10 after "born 1921" list. (And this data fits an answer 明治大正時代まで戸籍上の名前はカタカナのハナとかトメとかが普通でした in the site you provided.)
Please read again my previous posts carefully. I never said a katakana given name is wrong. I just pointed out that it's rare in real life and "A lot of times in books I see ... katakana as the first name" is unreliable/biased (I believe you agree with this).
I don't know your mother's age, of course, but I don't think katakana female given names are common even for women in their 70's (therefore I wrote "a woman in her 90's or maybe 100's" in my previous post). Yes, this is just my experience so far, but I haven't met katakana given name women in my customers(a relatively large number), acquaintances or relatives. (By the way, I do really want to know the basis of your judgement that those names are common other than a stranger's subjective impression found in the web. Or, do you mean "women in their 90's or 100's" by the older generations ?)

 

[Yoshi_h]

I do really want to know the basis of your judgement that those names are common other than a stranger's subjective impression found in the web.

I'm not trying to discuss popular names in a specific period, but just saying there was a time when Katakana given names were common and females with those names did exist, not only in fictions, whether you like the fact or not. That's what I am saying about truth and 'another information'.

By the way, it's interesting that you have never met women named in Katakana while I can easily find those people in my city.

 

[Mike Cash]

I'm not trying to discuss popular names in a specific period, but just saying there was a time when Katakana given names were common and females with those names did exist, not only in fictions, whether you like the fact or not. That's what I am saying about truth and 'another information'.

I fear you may be missing the point a bit.

The point is not whether katakana names are or were common, or to what degree in what era. The point was that using anecdotal information from a single beginning Japanese learner with rather limited exposure to the language as a basis for forming an opinion or making a judgment is not a good idea. While the information may prove to be correct, it is still wise to seek some other information sources to confirm it.

 

[Toritoribe]

just saying there was a time when Katakana given names were common and females with those names did exist

Is there any difference from my "women in their 90's or 100's" example?

By the way, it's interesting that you have never met women named in Katakana while I can easily find those people in my city.

It is a fact, unfortunately.

 

[Yoshi_h]

Is there any difference from my "women in their 90's or 100's" example?

No, of course.

katakana given names are common only in some kind of fictions. Kanji is the most common, and katakana is less common even than hiragana in real life.

I agreed with that, as to these years. Aside that, I showed another information that there was a time when people were given a Katakana name commonly in their 'real lives'. That's all.

It is a fact, unfortunately.

OK. I definitely didn't mean you are lying. Again, I say "I don't deny your experience as it is".

 

[Toritoribe]

Well, a question comes to my mind now. Is that kind of information in the distant past useful for the OP, as Mike-san pointed out?

 

[Yoshi_h]

I think the information can be useful for everyone including the Japanese who doesn't know about Japanese culture on naming as long as it's true.

 

[Toritoribe]

Regardless of the possibility it might confuse the OP? Fine.
By the way, this is an opinion as a moderator, this thread seems to be going off topic. I have to give warning to myself.