What does your Japanese name mean?

Reiku · 4 Jan 2006

I've noticed a tendancy--especially here--for people to use a Japanese screen name without knowing what it actually means.

Often it is the name of a favorite anime character, or something like that--but after remembering a forum goer named Choubaka (who claimed to have no idea what that could mean) I thought it might be interesting for those who use Japanese screen names to post here and ask the more fluent Nihongo speakers on this forum what--if anything--the names translate as...

...okay, this is me I'm talking about--but if I'm going to ask and take the risk that my family name is something embarassing, I'm going to at least try to take a few people down with me!

So, here it is--Gempuku name: Reiku, Family Name: Hiteruo

Any of that mean anything?

Kuzzy · 4 Jan 2006

Well, really, the only thing either of those names convey is sounds, or pronunciation. If I told you to write the name Natsume Soseki down, you couldn't do so (in Japanese) without already knowing what Kanji is used. And of course, you could not tell me the meaning of those sounds without knowing the relevant Kanji.

As for myself, Kuzzy isn't a Japanese name, but it did evolve from one. It's a long story, but it was initially Kuzuha, from the character 樟葉楓子 in I! My! Me! Strawberry Egg! So, I suppose Kuzuha would mean camphor leaf. Needless to say, I didn't start using it because of its meaning

Reiku · 4 Jan 2006

Why not? Tiger balm's useful medicine.

Ah well--I suppose what I meant was if the pronounciation matched any words.

I understand that there could be different translations because the same syllables could be represented by more than one kanji--and therefore more than one meaning.

But I was curious as to any possible meanings--I.E.: If I spoke the name aloud, what would I be saying?

I realize there's a good chance it doesn't correspond to any words, but if there is a possible translation--well, that is what I'm trying to find out.

Reiku, my Gempuku name, was the only one I had a choice in--and I picked it as a combination of Rei = Zero and Ku = Void , although I've since seen that the "Ku" part only seems to have that meaning in martial arts. That's someting I've not quite figured out--why words used in Japanese martial arts seem to be completely different from the rest of the language. Even for terms which are not soley a combat term but could be spoken in everyday life, it seems the meanings do not carry over: You say it one way when speaking about martial arts, and another when speaking in general.

That's never quite made sense to me--or are dojo's just using an older pronounciation?

If there is some cultural reason why the terms are kept different, I'd be very interested to know what it was.

McCrutch67 · 4 Jan 2006

Aside from the gairaigo レイク, "lake"

So so far, zero-void, elegant phrase, and lake for you.

As far as the martial arts names thing, don't trust me but it seems that they only use the terms in names, not in speaking. Words are still words, there's not a "martial arts language" but because of the flexibility in kanji in names, a single sound could have many meanings. I think because of this, people choose the meanings(and kanji) they like the best and that becomes common.

Of course I'm just talking about names. I don't even know that much about it, that's just a guess. You're saying terms though. Are there words that are said differently when talking about martial arts? I really don't know anything about that. If someone can correct/add, please do.

Glenn · 4 Jan 2006

For terms you mean something like the word "measure" in English? Its musical meaning is pretty distant from its everyday meaning. Or were you thinking of something different?

E-Arkham · 5 Jan 2006

Probably going to stick to "Kepu" myself in カタカナ. My real name "Erik" comes a little too close to 選り屑(trash) for my tastes.

この決定が今重大じゃない。

Kep

d3jake · 5 Jan 2006

E-Arkham said:
Probably going to stick to "Kepu" myself in カタカナ. My real name "Erik" comes a little too close to 選り屑(trash) for my tastes.

この決定が今重大じゃない。

Kep

How do you know this?

Kuzzy · 5 Jan 2006

E-Arkham said:
My real name "Erik" comes a little too close to 選り屑(trash) for my tastes.

It doesn't take much imagination to think of what ネイサン (Nathan) could be mistaken for.

Reiku · 5 Jan 2006

Glenn said:
For terms you mean something like the word "measure" in English? Its musical meaning is pretty distant from its everyday meaning. Or were you thinking of something different?

It could be something like that--but every traslating resource I've ever used seems to have no reference to some of these terms. I don't know about Japanese, but english dictionaries generally list obscure or specialized definitions like that.

I've checked many different dictionaries, online translators, basically anything I could find--but for some reason it's like these terms don't exist outside of the dojo. Maybe they figure an american would only be interested in he common usage? It's not like I've limited myself to "tourist dictionaries" for this...

Anyway, it's interesting to see the different meanings western names can have in Japanese--I hadn't thought about that.

"Nathan" doesn't sound close to any Japanese words I know, but then my vocabulary is rather limited at the moment...

I still think it's hillarious that an informal english greeting is a semiformal term of agreement in Nihongo.

It puts an interesting spin on the common advice for picking up a girl:

"Just walk up and say Hai"

By the way, thanks for the translations, McCrutch67. I guess my fears were relatively unfounded if I'm getting definitions like "elagant phrase".

(I guess the name fits beter than I thought)

The "lake" definition would explain why I got a picture of a sunset over a large body of water when I did a google image search for "reiku". That's actually a pretty interesting thing to do--a freind of mine who uses the screen name "Death Tap" got a picture of sheet music. I've been meaning to have someone transcribe it into piano tablature so I can play it and see what it sounds like.

Kuzzy · 5 Jan 2006

Reiku said:
"Nathan" doesn't sound close to any Japanese words I know, but then my vocabulary is rather limited at the moment...

Well, it's not so much "Nathan" as the Japanisation of the name - neisan. And if you still don't know, 姉さん／ねえさん／neesan means "elder sister" in Japanese.

Reiku · 5 Jan 2006

Hai, I'm familliar with that one. I guess it just didn't pop out at me, and I can't read katakana yet so I couldn't tell what pronounciation you were using.

McCrutch67 · 5 Jan 2006

Yeah I couldn't figure it out either. I saw it and I'm like "duh"! I just need to hear it I think. If someone said it I might have thought of it. That's kinda funny.

Glenn · 5 Jan 2006

Reiku said:
It could be something like that--but every traslating resource I've ever used seems to have no reference to some of these terms. I don't know about Japanese, but english dictionaries generally list obscure or specialized definitions like that.

I've checked many different dictionaries, online translators, basically anything I could find--but for some reason it's like these terms don't exist outside of the dojo. Maybe they figure an american would only be interested in he common usage? It's not like I've limited myself to "tourist dictionaries" for this...

I see. I think they're usually listed in Japanese dictionaries. I haven't looked, but that would be my guess. I don't know too many martial arts terms anyway.

epigene · 5 Jan 2006

I've rushed through this thread with a terribly tired brain, so I must apologize in advance for anything I may ignore to respond.

I'm replying primarily to the OP's first question.

If you meant "Reiku" to mean "zero" and "void", then it should have been "Reikuu." 零（れい）空（くう）

I'm not sure why you call it a "Gempuku" name because that is the kind of name used in feudal times and not since the Meiji Restoration (1868). It may be in anime or manga (period dramas) but not in real Japanese society.

The family name "Hiteruo" rings no bells in Japanese because it is in romaji and romaji doesn't represent any symbolic meanings. Meanings come with kanji only, which you must know already. Many words spelled out in romaji is very often explained and associated meanings in forums like this by Japanese speakers based on "common-sense" meanings only. New creations like the family name you made up has no meaning because we can't see any basis in linguistic or traditional/cultural terms.

As for the name Nathan, it is a choice name for conversion into Japanese kanji.

Just an example: ねいさんー＞寧山 (sounds like a name of a master of fine arts)

FYI, people decide on names based on a careful study of kanji, so a "kanwa （漢和）dictionary" is necessary. I've never seen a good online kanwa dictionary. The only ones that are good are hard copies or come as CD-ROMs in Japan.

Hope it is of some help!

nice gaijin · 5 Jan 2006

Just a reminder: many names used in anime are not used in real life, and commonly don't even have kanji (such as One Piece, Full Metal Alchemist, etc). Even in some cases when the names sound authentic, they are still not real names in the sense that they are either not in current use or never have been.

Kuzzy · 6 Jan 2006

epigene said:
As for the name Nathan, it is a choice name for conversion into Japanese kanji.

Just an example: ねいさんー＞寧山 (sounds like a name of a master of fine arts)

Thanks for the informative post. I was wondering, how would you read this? If you kept the 音読み readings, you would have the same problem. Could it be read, say, あきやま? I'm not really familiar with all of the 人名用漢字 and any rules that they may be used by.

Thanks!

Mike Cash · 6 Jan 2006

I can't resist asking any longer...What the heck is a genpuku name?

As far as my impressions of "Reiku", I can't help but instantly think of the major Japanese loan shark finance company by the same name.

As to "Hiteruo", I don't know what to make of the "hi" portion and the "teruo" sounds like a Japanese man's first name. Not in the least like a Japanese family name at all.

Kinsao · 6 Jan 2006

My username has a Japanese kind of sound to it, but it wasn't intended to sound like that. It was a nickname I acquired years ago, and I decided to use it for this forum because I felt it had a sort of 'Eastern twang' (if I may put it like that!).

Out of curiosity, I did look it up in a dictionary and discovered that the most common meanings appear to be 'kin = gold' + 'sao = pole'......... ☝

epigene · 7 Jan 2006

Kuzzy said:
Thanks for the informative post. I was wondering, how would you read this? If you kept the 音読み readings, you would have the same problem. Could it be read, say, あきやま? I'm not really familiar with all of the 人名用漢字 and any rules that they may be used by.

Thanks!

The general tendency in names is to use the ON readings, due to the fact that names, particularly for masters of arts and crafts, are stylized in the Chinese way. It is not a fixed rule, however. People nowadays comb through "kanwa" dictionaries for every possible ways of reading each kanji to come up with unique ways of reading a name. In addition, there are family names of Japanese that can never be read correctly even by native speakers. There are even TV programs on strange family names.

寧山 is not Akiyama.
寧 is read:
"ねい" (ON)
"やすらか, やすい, やすんずる, むしろ, なんぞ, いずくんぞ" (KUN)
A common use of the kanji is in the word 丁寧（ていねい）
So, 寧山 can mean "gentle or peaceful mountain"??? (Maybe... )

Kinsao said:
My username has a Japanese kind of sound to it, but it wasn't intended to sound like that. It was a nickname I acquired years ago, and I decided to use it for this forum because I felt it had a sort of 'Eastern twang' (if I may put it like that!).

Out of curiosity, I did look it up in a dictionary and discovered that the most common meanings appear to be 'kin = gold' + 'sao = pole'.........

Actually, I never felt it had a Japanese sound.
And, I agree the most common meanings of the two kanji characters don't exactly reflect you...

What does your Japanese name mean?

Reiku

先輩

Kuzzy

窶冦ﾂ行ﾂ坂?｡ﾋ?ｪ

Reiku

先輩

McCrutch67

先輩

Glenn

一切皆苦

E-Arkham

後輩

d3jake

C++ Programmer

Kuzzy

窶冦ﾂ行ﾂ坂?｡ﾋ?ｪ

Reiku

先輩

Kuzzy

窶冦ﾂ行ﾂ坂?｡ﾋ?ｪ

Reiku

先輩

McCrutch67

先輩

Glenn

一切皆苦

epigene

相変わらず不束者です

nice gaijin

Resident Realist

Kuzzy

窶冦ﾂ行ﾂ坂?｡ﾋ?ｪ

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Kinsao

Horizon Rider

epigene

相変わらず不束者です

Similar threads