"Nanashi"

[xX_Nanashi_Xx]

I have been told that "nanashi" means "nameless" in Japanese. Is this right? I have searched "nameless" in English-Japanese dictionaries and I did NOT come out with "nanashi".

Anyway, I am writing a story and one of the characters has no name, therefore everyone calls him "Nanashi". Is this awkward? Appropriate?

Thanks!

xX_Nanashi_Xx

 

[SacredBlue]

I wouldn't know if it's exactly correct, but if you lok at the Kanji
名無し
名(na) Name
無し(nashi) Without
I don't think this would be the exact phrase to express 'Nameless'..But I don't know the phrase that would.

 

[okaeri_man]

nanashi sounds fine, although at first i read it as nan'ashi... bit confusing. a quick look in the dictionary gave the offering of mumei 無名, which use the same kanji but in the reversed order. perhaps mumei is better, but its meaning is leaning more towards "an unknown name" rather than "no name". 名無し on the other hand sounds more "no name", if you know what i mean

 

[xX_Nanashi_Xx]

thanks! ^_^

 

[Elizabeth]

My kanji dictionary lists both "anonymous" and "unknown" for nanashi and mumei, but only "nameless" for 名無し。Although anonymous is more commonly and distinctly tokumei (匿名), literally withheld name, I do believe.

 

[bakadesu]

kanjidict.stc.cx/?d1=on&s=nanashi&max=10&exact=on&d3=on&d9=on&d15=on