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What does -maru on names mean?

J44xm

経験値が足りない
6 Dec 2004
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I've seen a number of Japanese names ending in -maru, and I'm wondering what that suffix means. For example, in the series Naruto, there's Konohamaru (named after the village Konoha), Orochimaru (an "orochi"--or is Orochi a proper name?--is a mythical eight-headed serpent), and Shikamaru ("shika" seems to have many meanings!).

WWWJDIC says that maru (丸, or まる) is a noun with the following meanings: (1) circle; (2) full (month); (3) perfection; purity; [and] (4) suffix for ship names." Which of these meanings is intended in these names? I believe it's probably the third or fourth, but of course I'm not sure.
 
J44xm said:
WWWJDIC says that maru (丸, or まる) is a noun with the following meanings: (1) circle; (2) full (month); (3) perfection; purity; [and] (4) suffix for ship names." Which of these meanings is intended in these names? I believe it's probably the third or fourth, but of course I'm not sure.

The dictionary I have says まる (丸, 圓); noun, (1) circle or globe; (2) (state of being) whole or complete; (3) the inner space of a castle; (4) slang for money. It also lists
まる.い: adj., (1) round or globular; (2) without sharp corner; (3) round in personality;
まるぼちゃ: noun, a round and cute face;
まるまっち.い: adj., (slang) small and round in the face, short in height, round in face, cute;
まるま.る: adv., plumply.

I would assume from the various connotations when when applied to a person that the personal noun suffix -maru either refers to (1) roundness of the face, (2) roundness of character, or both. So in a sense both possibilities of -maru would all converge to your (3) "perfection" of an (ideal young) person in body and spirit as a term of endearment. :)
 
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lexico said:
The dictionary I have says まる (丸, 圓)...

I've been seeing this a lot, and I'm curious. Do you have a Japanese dictionary that uses non-simplified kanji? Or is that a Korean-Japanese dictionary that uses them? Or is it just that it's easier to input them on a Korean keyboard? I think it might be hard for some (western) learners here to recognize that 圓=円, 會=会, 體=体 etc., so I was just wondering why you've been using them.
 
"Maru" was used in the days of the samurai (Sengoku and Edo periods) to names of young boys before they reach adulthood. Children of high-ranking saumurai (such as feudal lords) were given different names for different stages of their lives (infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood). So, the "maru" added to the names of anime characters such as in Inuyasha suggest the characters are young. 🙂
 
Oh, Glenn, I don't know what to say......

Glenn said:
I've been seeing this a lot, and I'm curious. Do you have a Japanese dictionary that uses non-simplified kanji? Or is that a Korean-Japanese dictionary that uses them? Or is it just that it's easier to input them on a Korean keyboard? I think it might be hard for some (western) learners here to recognize that 圓=円, 會=会, 體=体 etc., so I was just wondering why you've been using them.
Thanks for pointing that out, Glenn. Actually I would have liked to use the Japanese standard usage of the kanji 円. It's just that my input method, kana/gana or kanji, is not quite adjusted to Japanese yet. I search through hundreds of kanjis from a "special characters table," actually a number of such tables, and just couldn't find the the right one, 円 (this I copied from your post! :)). I guess I can build or copy some kind of table from somewhere that has all~many modern Japanese simplified chars, and copy them when I can't locate one from the default char table. I'm sorry about this. I tried, but not hard enough, I guess! :oops:
 
marumaru-Maru

Japanese ships are usually named ○○丸
The fishing vessels in the harbour I work at are all called Sumiyoshi-maru 住吉丸。I once asked an old salt what it was all about and he said that, as far as fishermen were concerned, their work boats were the result of the cumulative effort of the local community. Materials, builders, crew and the fish they haul in are all local. The boats reflect and give meaning to that community. They are their pride and joy and deserve a special moniker.
 
lexico said:
I search through hundreds of kanjis from a "special characters table," actually a number of such tables, and just couldn't find the the right one, 窶ー~ (this I copied from your post! :)). I guess I can build or copy some kind of table from somewhere that has all~many modern Japanese simplified chars, and copy them when I can't locate one from the default char table. I'm sorry about this. I tried, but not hard enough, I guess! 😊
Wouldn't it be easier to just use the Japanese IME (or, if you're not using Windows, whatever Japanese input software is available for your OS)? That way you could just type in the readings and and convert to kanji, and I'm sure you'd have a much easier time finding the common characters, since they would be among the first ones listed.

lexico said:
It's just that my input method, kana/gana or kanji, is not quite adjusted to Japanese yet.
I just wanted to point this out, since I've seen you use this phrase a number of times, but... there's no such thing as "gana." It's just that the "k" of kana becomes voiced in the compound word hiragana. Hiragana and katakana are two types of kana, and the word kana alone refers to both.
 
lexico said:
Thanks for pointing that out, Glenn. Actually I would have liked to use the Japanese standard usage of the kanji 窶ー~. It's just that my input method, kana/gana or kanji, is not quite adjusted to Japanese yet. I search through hundreds of kanjis from a "special characters table," actually a number of such tables, and just couldn't find the the right one, 窶ー~ (this I copied from your post! :)). I guess I can build or copy some kind of table from somewhere that has all~many modern Japanese simplified chars, and copy them when I can't locate one from the default char table. I'm sorry about this. I tried, but not hard enough, I guess! 😊

Well that explains it. I'm not sure how this works on Korean OS's, but have you tried some sort of IME like on English Windows?

[Edit] Oops, I forgot that jt_ already mentioned that. Well, there's a link there, anyway, so I'll leave it. :)
 
Konnichiwa J44xm-san!

I've seen a number of Japanese names ending in -maru, and I'm wondering what that suffix means.
Yes, Japanese boys had -maru in their name ending as like Bonten-maru. But what it means, -maru? First of all, I answer the question. Maru means excreta, feces, excrement, lavatory or something dirty. Oh, Japanese boy has a excreta in their name? :nailbiting:


Why Japanese parents name their baby "excreta"?
This custom "name -maru" was done in ancient(old) times. In ancient times, infant mortality was very high rate. Because there was not medical treatment and medicine. People depended on a superstition, charm or god. "name -maru" is one of those charm. Ancient people believed that illness (pestilence) is brought by Oni (Oni is a demon). Oni take baby's life easily. People must protect their baby from Oni (pestilence). And they named their baby as like "excreta" or something dirty. "excreta" is dirty and people hate to touch dirty things. And ancient people thought that "Oni must hate to touch dirty things too!". And they name their baby as "excreta". This is a charm to protect their baby from Oni (pestilence). :)


Other charm name "Ohiroi", "Hiroimaru".
"Ohiroi(Hiroi-maru)" is "hirou" originally, and means "pick up" in Japanese. Japanese people believed that abandoned child has long life. And Japanese King Hideyoshi named his son "Hiroimaru". And Hiroimaru was called "Ohiroi". "Ohiroi" means a foundling. But this name "Ohiroi" is very rare and name "Ohiroi" is not common custom. King Hideyoshi had gotten two children but they died in babyhood. He desired his baby earnestly, but his age is 57. It was very hard for him to get his baby. But he get his baby! He was very glad and he name his baby "Hiroimaru". It is a wish to get long life. :notworthy:


Dose Japanese boy has the name "-maru"? and "-maru" means "excreta" even now?
Nowadays, name "-maru" has not meaning dirty things, and most of all boy has not name "-maru" now. The least I have not friends who has name "-maru". On the contrary name "-maru" means noble child. Because name "-maru" was used for child of feudal lord, high-ranking samurai or noble.


a superfluity information
Some characters has name "-maru" in Anime "Naruto", Konohamaru, Orochimaru, Shikamaru, Akamaru... But usually Ninja has not the name "-maru" because Ninja is farmer but not feudal lord or noble. But Naruto is fictitious world but not Japan. Don't mind small things!
And Orochi means monster(giant) serpent.
Shika means deer. "Ino shika Chou" originate in the Japanese card game "Hanafuda". "Ino" is Inoshishi and means a wild boar. "Chou" is Choucho and means butterfly. Is "Ino" a wild boar? Is "Chouji" a butterfly? Is it the opposite? :D


"maru" never means "excreta" now, is it right?
Yes, usually maru means a circle or full now. But there is a thing that originate in ancient "maru". It is a "Omaru". Omaru is a chamber pot(or small scale toilet for baby). But Omaru is a proper noun, and Omaru has no relation to Maru nowadays. 😌


WWWJDIC says that maru (丸, or まる) is a noun with the following meanings: (1) circle; (2) full (month); (3) perfection; purity; [and] (4) suffix for ship names."
Why suffix for ship names, "-maru"?
The reason of suffix for ship names "-maru" is the same as beby's name. People wished a safety of cruise and they named their ship "-maru" to protect their ship from see monster. But this is one of some reason to suffix for ship names "-maru". :note:


Name "-maru" was not only ship but also Katana!
Some well known Katana has name "-maru", an instance "Kishinmaru". In this case, name "-maru" derived from "Maro". "Maro" is ancient word and means "I : the first person". The Katana which is named "-maru" express a pair of the owner, and the katana named the first person "-maru".

"Kishinmaru" is famous as Saitou Hajime's Katana. Saitou Hajime is a member of Shinsengumi. And he is in Anime "Rurouni Kenshin" / "Samurai X".

NANGI
 
Nangi-san, that was amazing! Thank you very much for all of the information that you shared. I -- and others too, I'm sure -- appreciate it very much. (No, Ino's the boar and Chōji's the butterfly! :) (In fact, a recent episode actually associated Chōji with butterflies! It's nice to know why they did that.))
 
Yeah, that was amazing Nangi. Thank you so much for sharing that info. It makes some things in the anime a bit clearer.
 
Konnichiwa Nangi-san!

This is excellent information you gave us.
I love the etymology and all the examples from history and language, although I know little game or anime.

You must have an encyclopedia in your head!

NANGI said:
Why Japanese parents name their baby "excreta"?
This custom "name -maru" was done in ancient(old) times. In ancient times, infant mortality was very high rate. Because there was not medical treatment and medicine. People depended on a superstition, charm or god. "name -maru" is one of those charm. Ancient people believed that illness(pestilence) is brought by Oni (Oni is a demon). Oni take baby's life easily. People must protect their baby from Oni (pestilence). And they named their baby as like "excreta" or something dirty. "excreta" is dirty and people hate to touch dirty things. And ancient people thought that "Oni must hate to touch dirty things too!". And they name their baby as "excreta". This is a charm to protect their baby from Oni (pestilence). :)
This is so interesting, Nangi-san. I've read that Chinese and Koreans in the olden times had essentially the same custom of giving their children ugly, repulsive names so that the hungry, evil spririts 鬼神 would overlook them when searching for prey. Isn't that amazing!
NANGI said:
"maru" never means "excreta" now, is it right?

Yes, usually maru means a circle or full now. But there is a thing that originate in ancient "maru". It is a "Omaru". Omaru is a chamber pot(or small scale toilet for baby). But Omaru is a proper noun, and Omaru has no relation to Maru nowadays. 😅
I wonder if the "Omaru" you mentioned is the same thing in my dictionary?

まる[虎子] noun; potty for urine and feces; used by patients or children; often called おかわ おまる

question 1: Why the tiger-cub?
question 2: Is the hospital bed-side thingy called "omaru?"
question 3: Are "okawa" and "omaru" one word or two synonyms?
question 4: Do you think I should dump my dictionary? What would you suggest I get instead?
 
Konnichiwa Mina-san!

Thanks warm encouragement, J44xm-san! Cacawate-san! Lexico-san! 😅


I answer Lexico-san's question simply. Please tell me if I have a mistake, or please ask me if you can not understand my poor English. :p

I wonder if the "Omaru" you mentioned is the same thing in my dictionary?
まる[虎子] noun; potty for urine and feces; used by patients or children; often called おかわ おまる
Yes, it is! "Omaru" is "御虎子" or "虎子". "おかわ:Okawa" is a shorten word(or baby talk) of "かわや:Kawaya" and means lavatory or chamber pot.

question 1: Why the tiger-cub?
Sorry, I don't know why the tiger-cub... but this word "虎子" is used from ancient times, and called "おおつぼ:Ootsubo" but not "まる:maru" in ancient times. "おおつぼ" means big-pot. Why "big-pot" is "tiger-cub"? Sorry, I don't know.

In ancient times, noble used "しのはこ:shinohako". It is a chamber pot which is made by lacquered box. And farmer made lavatory on a bridge or pier. River is "Kawa" and shed is "Ya". "Kawaya" means a shed of riverside.

question 2: Is the hospital bed-side thingy called "omaru?"
Yes, it is called "Omaru" or "Portable toilet". And urine glass is called "Shibin" or "Shubin".

question 3: Are "okawa" and "omaru" one word or two synonyms?
"Omaru" means only chamber pot or small scale toilet for baby. But "okawa" means chamber pot and lavatory. I think answer is "not one word".

question 4: Do you think I should dump my dictionary? What would you suggest I get instead?
I think you should not dump your dictionary because your saying is not bad, it is correct completely! If you will find a conflict between your dictionary and my writing post, it is caused by my poor English. Don't dump the dictionary please. 😅

NANGI
 
NANGI -

It's nice to see a fellow KANSAI-BEN person here! ;) you must know what i mean.

ALSO, Cacawate: I had dinner with your avatar a few months ago. he's a cool guy :)
 
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