Japanese names associated with winter. Japanese nicknames for girls. What attachments are available


Japanese names consist of a family name followed by a given name, and as a rule, Japanese names are written in kanji. However, parents may also occasionally use the Japanese hiragana and katakana syllabaries to write their children's names. Moreover, in 1985, the list of officially allowed characters for writing Japanese names was expanded and now you can use Latin characters (romanji), hentaiganu, manyoganu (syllabic alphabet), as well as special characters and characters like * % $ ^ and the like. But in practice, characters are almost always used to write Japanese names.

In the past, people in Japan were the property of the emperor, and the surname reflected their role in the government. For example, Otomo (大友 "great friend, comrade"). Names were also given to let people know that the person had made some great achievement, contribution, etc.


Before the Meiji Restoration, the common people did not have surnames, and if necessary used the name of the place of birth. For example, a person named Ichiro: could introduce himself as: "Ichiro: from the village of Asahi, Musashi Province. Merchants used the names of their stores or brands. For example, Denbei, the owner of Sagamiya - could introduce himself as "Sagamiya Denbei." Peasants could call themselves after their father (for example, Isuke, whose father was called Genbei, could say: "Iseke, son of Genbei").

After the Meiji Restoration, the government ordered all commoners to come up with a last name as part of a plan to modernize and westernize. Some people chose historical names, others simply invented, for example, fortune-telling, or turned to priests to choose a surname. This explains the fact that there are a lot of different surnames in Japan, both in pronunciation and spelling, and makes it difficult to read.


Japanese surnames are extremely diverse, with an estimated over 100,000 different surnames. Typical, most common Japanese surnames include: Satō (佐藤), Suzuki (铃木) and Takahashi (高桥).

However, Japanese surnames are distributed differently in different regions of Japan. For example, the surnames Chinen (知念), Higa (比嘉), and Shimabukuro (岛袋) are common in Okinawa but not in other parts of Japan. This is due mainly to differences between the language and culture of the Yamato people and Okinawa.

Many Japanese surnames come from the characteristic features of the rural landscape, for example: Ishikawa (石川) means "stone river", Yamamoto (山本) - "base of the mountain", Inoue (井上) - "above the well".

In general, surnames usually have some patterns and their reading does not cause any particular difficulties, but Japanese names are very diverse both in pronunciation and spelling.

While many typical Japanese names can be easily spelled and read, many parents choose names with unusual characters or pronunciations. Such names do not have an unambiguous reading or spelling.

Especially the tendency to give such names appeared since 1990. For example, the popular name 大翔 for boys is traditionally read as Hiroto, but alternative readings of this name have also appeared: Haruto, Yamato, Daito, Taiga, Sora, Taito, Masato, and all of them have come into use.


Male names often end in –ro: (郎 "son", but also 朗 "clear, light", e.g. Ichiro), -ta (太 "big, fat", e.g. Kenta), contain ichi (一 "first [ son]), ji (二 - second [son]", or 次 "next", eg "Jiro"), or dai (大 "great, big", eg "Daiichi").

In addition, in male names with two hieroglyphs, hieroglyphs-indicators of the male name are often used: 夫 (o) - "husband", 男 (o) - "man", 雄 (o) - "hero", 朗 (ro :) - " cheerful" , 樹 (ki) - "tree", 助 (suke) "helper" and many others.

Japanese female names

Most Japanese female names have an abstract meaning. Usually such characters are used in such names as 美 mi "beauty", 愛 ai "love", 安 en "calm", 知 ti "mind", 優 yu: "tenderness", 真 ma "truth" and others. As a rule, names with similar hieroglyphs are given to girls as a wish to possess these qualities in the future.

There is another type of female names - names with hieroglyphs of animals or plants. Animal names with the characters 虎  "tiger" or 鹿 "deer" were thought to be healthful, but these names are now considered old-fashioned and almost never used, with the exception of the character 鶴 "crane". Names containing hieroglyphs associated with the plant world are still often used, for example, 花 hana - "flower", 稲 ine - "rice", 菊 kiku - "chrysanthemum", 竹 take - "bamboo", 桃 momo - "peach ", 柳 yanagi - "willow", and others.

There are still names with numerals, but they are very few in number and are quite rare. Such names most likely come from the old tradition of naming the girls of noble families in order of birth. Currently, the commonly used characters for numerals are 千 ti "thousand", 三 mi "three", 五 go "five", and 七 nana "seven".

Quite often there are also names with the meanings of the seasons, natural phenomena, time of day and many others. For example: 雪 yuki "snow", 夏 natsu "summer", 朝 asa "morning", 雲 kumo "cloud".

It happens that syllabic alphabets are used instead of hieroglyphs. At the same time, the record of such a name is constant, unlike words that can be written in different ways (alphabet, hieroglyphs, mixed). For example, if a female name is written in hiragana, then it will always be written that way, although it can be written in a hieroglyph in its meaning.

By the way, it is very fashionable and exotic instead of classic female names to use foreign names: あんな Anna, まりあ Maria, えみり Emiri, れな Rena, りな Rina and others.

An indicator of Japanese female names.

A typical Japanese female name ends with the character -子 (child) - ko. (Maiko, Haruko, Hanako, Takako, Yoshiko, Asako, Naoko, Yumiko, etc.). And currently, about a quarter of Japanese female names end in -ko. Until 1868, this name was used only by members of the imperial family, but after the revolution, this name became quite popular, especially in the middle of the 20th century. However, after 2006, this indicator of a female name ceased to be fashionable due to the emergence of a new fashion for names, and many girls searched for it from the name, and began to call them simply Yumi, Hana, Haru, etc.

The second most used character is 美 mi "beauty" (up to 12%), unlike many other indicators of the gender of the name, it can occur anywhere in the name (Fumiko, Mie, Kazumi, Miyuki).

Also, about 5% of Japanese female names contain the component 江 e "bay" (Mizue, 廣江 Hiroe).

Many other characters are used to indicate that this is a female name, each of which occurs in less than 4% of female names: 代 yo "era", 香 ka "smell", 花 ka "flower", 里 ri "measure of the length of ri" ( often used phonetically), 奈 na is used phonetically, 織 ori "cloth" and others.

However, there are female names consisting of several hieroglyphs that do not have indications that this is a female name. Examples: 皐月 Satsuki, 小巻 Komaki.

Popular Japanese names and their meanings

Since 2005, the Japanese company Benesse Corporation has annually published a ranking of popular Japanese names among newborns. In 2011, from January 1 to May 31, 34,500 people were born, of which 17,959 were boys and 16,541 were girls.

Popular Japanese names for men

Name hieroglyphs Name reading The meaning of the hieroglyphs of the name Number of boys % boys
1 大翔 Hiroto big + flying 119 0,66
2 Ren lotus 113 0,63
3 悠真 Yuma calm + honest 97 0,54
4 颯太 So:ta dashing + big, fat, great 92 0,51
5 蒼空 sora blue sky 84 0,47
6 翔太 Sho:ta flying + big, fat, great 79 0,44
7 大和 Yamato big + peaceful, soft, gentle 73 0,41
8 陽斗 haruto solar + measure of capacity, ladle 79 0,44
9 Riku dry land 64 0,36
10 陽翔 haruto sunny, positive + flying 64 0,36

Popular Japanese female names

Name hieroglyphs Name reading The meaning of the hieroglyphs of the name Number of girls % girls
1 結衣 Yui tie+clothes 109 0,66
2 Aoi mallow, marshmallow, geranium, etc. 104 0,63
3 結愛 Yua connect + love 102 0,62
4 Rin majestic; imposing 100 0,60
5 陽菜 hina sunny, positive + vegetable, greenery 99 0,60
6 結菜 Yuina connect, form, finish + vegetable, greens 99 0,60
7 さくら Sakura Sakura 74 0,45
8 愛菜 mana love + vegetable, greens 74 0,45
9 咲希 saki bloom + rarely, desire 71 0,43
10 優奈 Yu:on excellent, graceful, friendly + phonetic NA 66 0,40

Japanese nicknames/nicknames/nicknames

From each name, one or more diminutive names can be formed by adding the nominal suffix -chan or -kun to the base. There are two types of name stems. One consists of a full name, for example Taro: -chan (Taro:), Kimiko-chan (Kimiko) and Yasunari-chan (Yasunari).

Another type of stem is an abbreviation for the full name. Ta:-chan (Taro:), Kii-chan (Kimiko), Ya:-chan (Yasunari), Ko:-kun, Ma:-kun, Sho:-chan, etc. The second type of abbreviation has a closer relationship (for example, between friends).

There are other ways of forming short names, for example, a girl with the name Megumi can be called Kei-chan, since the character that begins the name Megumi (恵) can also be read as Kei.

The common Japanese practice of creating abbreviations, which is to combine the first two syllables of two words, is sometimes applied to names (usually celebrities).

For example, Kimura Takuya (木村 拓哉), a famous Japanese actor and singer, becomes Kimutaku (キムタク). This is sometimes applied to foreign celebrities as well: Brad Pitt, whose full name in Japanese is Buraddo Pitto (ブラッド ピット) is rather known as Burapi (ブラピ), while Jimi Hendrix is ​​shortened to Jimihen (ジミヘン). Another slightly less common method is to double one or two syllables in a person's name. For example, Mamiko Noto, may be called MamiMami.

Japanese names in Chinese

As a rule, Japanese names are written in hieroglyphs. And the hieroglyphs, like many other things, the Japanese borrowed from the Chinese. Those. Japanese and Chinese will read the same hieroglyph differently. For example, 山田太郎 (Yamada Taro:) the Chinese will read something like "Shantien Tailang", and 鳩山由紀夫 (Hatoyama Yukio) - "Jiushan Youjifu". That's why the Japanese don't understand their names when they read them in Chinese."

Reading Japanese names and surnames

Reading names in Japanese is very difficult. The hieroglyphs of the same name can be read in different ways, and at the same time, the pronunciation of the same name can also be written in different ways ... More about the features of reading Japanese names can be

Japanese nominal suffixes

In Japan, when referring to a person, it is customary to use a surname or a given name (usually the Japanese refer to each other by their surname) to use nominal suffixes, more about them in brief written

Names and Surnames of Japanese Emperors

Japanese emperors do not have surnames, and their lifetime Japanese names are tabooed and not used in official Japanese documents, and instead the emperor is addressed by a title without a name. When an emperor dies, he receives a posthumous name, which consists of two parts: the name of the virtue that glorifies him and the tenno title: "emperor". For example:


During the life of the emperor, it is also not customary to address him by name, since in general it is not polite to address him by name, and even more so to the emperor, and various titles are used instead. For example, as a child, Akihito had a title - Tsugu-no-miya (Prince Tsugu). Such titles are mostly used as long as the person is an heir or has not received a special name.

Japan is a unique country. What is behind these words? A special, unlike anything nature, culture, religion, philosophy, art, lifestyle, fashion, cuisine, the harmonious coexistence of high technology and ancient traditions, as well as the Japanese language itself - is as difficult to learn as it is fascinating. One of the most important parts of the language are names and surnames. They always carry a piece of history, and the Japanese ones are doubly curious.

Decode name

Why do we, foreigners, know all this? Firstly, because it is informative and interesting, because Japanese culture has penetrated into many areas of our modern life. It is very exciting to decipher the names of famous people: for example, the cartoonist Miyazaki - “temple, palace” + “cape”, and the writer Murakami - “village” + “top”. Secondly, all this has long and firmly become part of the youth subculture.

Fans of comics (manga) and animation (anime) simply love to take various Japanese names and surnames as pseudonyms. Sump and other online games also make extensive use of such aliases for player characters. And no wonder: such a nickname sounds beautiful, exotic and memorable.

These mysterious Japanese names and surnames

The Land of the Rising Sun will always find something to surprise an ignorant foreigner. It is noteworthy that when recording or formally introducing a person, his last name comes first, and then his first name, for example: Sato Aiko, Tanaka Yukio. For the Russian ear, this sounds unusual, and therefore it can be quite difficult for us to distinguish Japanese names and surnames from each other. The Japanese themselves, in order to avoid confusion when communicating with foreigners, often write down their surname in capital letters. And it really makes things easier. Fortunately, it is customary for the Japanese to have only one given name and one surname. And such a form as a patronymic (patronymic) is absent from this people at all.

Another unusual feature of Japanese communication is the active use of prefixes. Moreover, these prefixes are most often attached to the surname. European psychologists say that there is nothing more pleasant for a person than the sound of his name - but the Japanese, apparently, think otherwise. Therefore, names are used only in situations of very close and personal communication.

What attachments are available

  • (surname) + dignity - universal polite address;
  • (surname) + sama - an appeal to members of the government, directors of companies, clerics; also used in stable combinations;
  • (last name) + sensei - an appeal to martial arts masters, doctors, as well as professionals in any field;
  • (surname) + kun - an appeal to teenagers and young men, as well as an elder to a younger or a superior to a subordinate (for example, a boss to a subordinate);
  • (name) + chan (or chan) - an appeal to children and among children under 10 years old; appeal of parents to their offspring of any age; in an informal setting - to beloved and close friends.

How often are Japanese names and surnames used? Surprisingly, even family members rarely call each other by their first names. Instead, special words are used that mean "mother", "dad", "daughter", "son", "older sister", "younger sister", "big brother", "little brother", etc. To these words prefixes "chan (chan)" are also added.

Women's names

Girls in Japan are most often called names that mean something abstract, but at the same time beautiful, pleasant and feminine: "flower", "crane", "bamboo", "water lily", "chrysanthemum", "moon" and so on. similar. Simplicity and harmony - that's what distinguishes Japanese names and surnames.

Female names in many cases contain the syllables (hieroglyphs) "mi" - beauty (for example: Harumi, Ayumi, Kazumi, Mie, Fumiko, Miyuki) or "ko" - child (for example: Maiko, Naoko, Haruko, Yumiko, Yoshiko, Hanako , Takako, Asako).

Interestingly, some girls in modern Japan consider the “ko” ending unfashionable and omit it. So, for example, the name "Yumiko" turns into the everyday "Yumi". And friends of this girl are turning "Yumi-chan."

All of the above are quite common female Japanese names in our time. And the names of the girls are also distinguished by amazing poetry, especially if you translate an exotic combination of sounds into Russian. Most often they convey the image of a typical Japanese rural landscape. For example: Yamamoto - "the base of the mountain", Watanabe - "to cross the neighborhood", Iwasaki - "rocky cape", Kobayashi - "small forest".

A whole poetic world is opened by Japanese names and surnames. Women's pieces are especially similar to haiku pieces, surprising with their beautiful sound and harmonious meaning.

Male names

Men's names are the most difficult to read and translate. Some of them are formed from nouns. For example: Moku ("carpenter"), Akio ("handsome"), Ketsu ("victory"), Makoto ("truth"). Others are formed from adjectives or verbs, for example: Satoshi ("smart"), Mamoru ("protect"), Takashi ("high"), Tsutomu ("try").

Very often, Japanese male names and surnames include characters that indicate gender: “man”, “husband”, “hero”, “assistant”, “tree”, etc.

Often used This tradition originated in the Middle Ages, when there were many children in families. For example, the name Ichiro means "first son", Jiro means "second son", Saburo means "third son", and so on up to Juro, which means "tenth son".

Japanese boy names and surnames can be created simply on the basis of the hieroglyphs available in the language. In the days of the imperial dynasties, great importance was attached to how to name yourself and your children, but in modern Japan, preference is given simply to what you like in sound and meaning. At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary for children from the same family to have names with a common hieroglyph, as was traditionally practiced in the imperial dynasties of the past.

All Japanese male names and surnames have two features in common: the semantic echoes of the Middle Ages and the difficulty of reading, especially for a foreigner.

Common Japanese surnames

Surnames are distinguished by a large number and variety: according to linguists, there are more than 100,000 surnames in the Japanese language. For comparison: there are 300-400 thousand Russian surnames.

The most common Japanese surnames at present are: Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka, Yamamoto, Watanabe, Saito, Kudo, Sasaki, Kato, Kobayashi, Murakami, Ito, Nakamura, Oonishi, Yamaguchi, Kuroki, Higa.

An interesting fact: Japanese names and surnames have different popularity, depending on the area. For example, in Okinawa (the country's southernmost prefecture), the surnames Chinan, Higa, and Shimabukuro are quite common, while very few people carry them in the rest of Japan. Experts attribute this to differences in dialects and culture. Thanks to these differences, the Japanese, by the name of their interlocutor alone, can tell where he comes from.

Such different names and surnames

In European culture, certain traditional names are characteristic, from which parents choose the most suitable for their baby. Fashion trends often change, and one or the other becomes popular, but rarely does anyone come up with a unique name on purpose. In Japanese culture, things are different: there are many more singular or rare names. Therefore, there is no traditional list. Japanese names (and surnames too) are often formed from some beautiful words or phrases.

Name poetry

First of all, female names are distinguished by a pronounced poetic meaning. For example:

  • Yuri - "Water Lily".
  • Hotaru - "Firefly".
  • Izumi - "Fountain".
  • Namiko - "Child of the Waves".
  • Aika - "Song of Love".
  • Natsumi - "Summer Beauty".
  • Chiyo - "Eternity".
  • Nozomi - "Hope".
  • Ima - "Gift".
  • Rico - "Jasmine Child".
  • Kiku - "Chrysanthemum".

However, among the male names you can find beautiful meanings:

  • Keitaro - "Blessed".
  • Toshiro - "Talented".
  • Yuki - "Snow";.
  • Yuzuki - "Crescent".
  • Takehiko - "Bamboo Prince".
  • Raydon - "God of Thunder".
  • Toru - "Sea".

Family poetry

There are not only names. And last names can be very poetic. For example:

  • Arai - "Wild Well".
  • Aoki - "Young (green) tree."
  • Yoshikawa - "Lucky River".
  • Ito - "Wisteria".
  • Kikuchi - "Pond with chrysanthemums."
  • Komatsu - "Little Pine".
  • Matsuura - "Pine Bay".
  • Nagai - "Eternal well".
  • Ozawa - "Little swamp".
  • Oohashi - "Big Bridge".
  • Shimizu - "Pure water".
  • Tiba - "Thousand leaves".
  • Furukawa - "Old River".
  • Yano - "Arrow on the Plain".

bring a smile

Sometimes there are funny Japanese names and surnames, or rather, funny-sounding for the Russian ear.

Among these, masculine names can be noted: Bank, Quiet (emphasis on "a"), Usho, Joban, Sosi (emphasis on "o"). Among women, it’s funny for a Russian-speaking person to sound: Hey, Wasp, Ori, Cho, Ruka, Rana, Yura. But such funny examples are extremely rare, given the rich variety of Japanese names.

As for the surnames, it is more likely to find a strange and difficult to pronounce combination of sounds here than a funny one. However, this is easily compensated by numerous funny parodies of Japanese names and surnames. Of course, they are all invented by Russian-speaking jokers, but there is still some phonetic similarity with the originals. For example, such a parody: Japanese racer Toyama Tokanawa; or Tokhripo Tovizgo. Behind all these "names" a phrase in Russian is easily guessed.

Interesting facts about Japanese names and surnames

In Japan, there is still a law that has been preserved since the Middle Ages, according to which a husband and wife must have the same surname. Almost always this is the husband's surname, but there are exceptions - for example, if the wife is from a noble, famous family. However, so far in Japan it does not happen that spouses have a double surname or each has their own.

In general, in the Middle Ages, only Japanese emperors, aristocrats and samurai had surnames, and ordinary people were content with nicknames, which were often attached to names. For example, the place of residence, or even the name of the father, was often used as a nickname.

Japanese women also often did not have surnames: it was believed that they did not need anything, because they were not heirs. The names of girls from aristocratic families often ended in "hime" (which means "princess"). Samurai wives had names ending in gozen. Often they were addressed by the surname and title of the husband. But personal names, both then and now, are used only in close communication. Japanese monks and nuns from the nobility had names ending in "in".

After death, every Japanese acquires a new name (it is called "kaimyo"). It is written on a sacred wooden tablet called "ihai". The nameplate is used in burial rites and memorial rituals, as it is considered the embodiment of the spirit of the deceased person. People often acquire kaimyo and ihai u during their lifetime. In the views of the Japanese, death is not something tragic, but rather one of the stages on the path of an immortal soul.

Learning more about Japanese names and surnames, you can not only learn the basics of the language in a peculiar way, but also better understand the philosophy of this people.

Japanese male names are the hardest part to read when it comes to proper names. It happens when the same character is read in completely different ways. And behind every name hides its meaning. So if you want to know a little more about Japanese male names, as well as their meaning, come here!

Male Japanese names

Before World War II, Japan did not use restrictions on the use of signs. You can imagine what a mess it was and how many problems it caused. Because remembering 50 thousand characters is unrealistic, and those who worked with papers could only sympathize, since they had to sit with a dictionary. But this is in the past, now only 166 characters are allowed for names, which greatly simplifies everyone's life. So, your attention is given table with the most common Japanese names and their meanings.

Name Meaning
A cayo clever man
Aki autumn
Akio Handsome
Akihiko bright prince
areta new
Arata fresh
Akihiro scientist
G oro fifth son
D aiske good helper
Giro second son
Daichi great wisdom or great first son
June obedient
Junichi purity, obedience
Jero tenth son
AND sao dignity
Isao merit
Ichiro first son boy
Isamu brave
Yoshihiro widespread perfection
Iwao stone man
Yoshi good
Yoshikezu fair, good
Isaneji inviting man
Yoshinori fair principles
Yoshito lucky

By the way, the Japanese most often call each other by last name. If you want to address by name, then you must use a specific nominal suffix. Without a suffix, you can use the name only if it is your good friend. If we are talking about male names, then it is necessary to use the following suffixes: -sama, -san, -kun. -Sama means respect for older people, positions and so on. -San is used as a neutral address. -Kun is most often used for male names of more intimate acquaintances, such as work colleagues or classmates.

Name Meaning
TO eiji respectful (second son)
katsu victory
Ken strong, healthy
Kent strong
Kenichi first health
Kazuhiro harmony
Kenshin humble truth
Kyo ginger, large
kin gold
Catsero victorious son
Kunayo compatriot
Kero ninth son
Koji the one who is happy is the ruler's son
Katashi hardness
Ketsuo victorious son
Kenichi governor
Koheku amber

Male Japanese names can be one-component And multicomponent. One-component names consist of verbs, adjectives in -si. For example, Hiroshi comes from the word wide.

Name Meaning
M akato true
Mamoru defender
Mikayo tree trunk man
Minoru fruitful
Maseyuki right happiness
Masashi luxurious
Mitseru full height
Mazeto graceful man
Meseyoshi one who rules justly
Madoka calm
Masumi true clarity
Matheio enlarges the world
Minoru true
Mazaru intellectual
Manebu diligent
machio man on the right track
H aoki honest tree
Norio man of the law
Set virtuous, rise
Nobuo faithful man
Nobu faith
Nobuyuki devoted happiness
Neo fair man

Japanese male names that consist of two hieroglyphs, most often have indicators of the masculine principle. For example, such indicators can be the following words: husband, assistant, warrior, tree. Each such indicator has its own ending. For example, assistant has the ending -suke, and tree- ro, husband ends in -o. Of course, there are other basic components in male names, but these are the most common. And they are needed in order to understand what reading to read the name. Thus, signs with the component 朗 ro it is necessary to read according to this reading. Although sometimes there are exceptions.

Name Meaning
ABOUT zemu the one who rules
Orochi big snake
R and about excellent
Ryu dragon spirit
Raiden Thunder and lightning
Rokero sixth son
WITH uzumu one who progresses
Setoshi quick-witted
Sabero third son
sora sky
Sadeo decisive man
T akash worthy of praise
Tadao faithful man
tarot great son (as only the first son is called)
Tadashi true
Toshayo genius
Tetsuya iron
Toru wanderer
Takeshi cruel, warrior
Tekahiro common nobility
Tedeo loyal person
Tetsuo a wise man
Temotsu protecting
Tekumi craftsman
Toshiyuki happy and emergency

There are also three-part names. They most often have a two-component indicator. For example, "eldest son", "assistant", "fourth son" and so on. Although there are cases when the name consists of two hieroglyphs and one component.

meet and four-component names, but this is rare. Also rare are names written only in kana (alphabet).

Name Meaning
F umayyo literary child
X isoca saved
Hiro wide
Hitoshi balanced
Hiroyuki widespread happiness
Hachiro eighth son
Hejime Start
Hiroshi in abundance
hikeru shining
Hizeshi durable
W ijeru one who transcends
Shin true
Shiro second son
Shoji one who corrects
Shoichi one who succeeds
Shichiro seventh Son
E iji second son, excellent
YU cayo happy man
Yuudai great hero
Yutaka rich
Yuchi brave
Yuki happiness, snow
Yasuhiro rich honesty
Yasushi peaceful
Yasuo fair man


Japanese male names
very difficult in their reading (because there are many exceptions), but very interesting in translation. It is always very interesting what is hidden behind the next mysterious name. They say that the fate of a person depends on his name. Perhaps that is why the Japanese put the best qualities of a person into the name, which can manifest themselves if they want to grow and develop.

Japanese male names- one of the most difficult parts in reading proper names. In this article, you learned the meaning of male Japanese names.

By the way, many names in Japan sound the same, but are written in different hieroglyphs. That is why it is important not only to know the name of your interlocutor, but also to understand what hieroglyphs it is written with. And if you don’t know Japanese characters yet, then we advise you to look, thanks to which you can already learn how to write some Japanese names and surnames.

What Japanese male names do you like? Please share in the comments.

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A Japanese given name (人名 jinmei) these days usually consists of a family name (surname) followed by a personal name.

Names are usually written in kanji, which can have many different pronunciations on different occasions.

Modern Japanese names can be compared to names in many other cultures. All Japanese have a single surname and a single given name without a middle name, with the exception of the Japanese Imperial Family, whose members do not have a surname. Girls who marry princes also lose their last names.

In Japan, the surname comes first, and then the given name. At the same time, in Western languages ​​(often in Russian), Japanese names are written in the reverse order of first name - last name - according to European tradition. For convenience, the Japanese sometimes write their last name in CAPITAL letters so that it is not confused with the given name.

Names in Japan are often created independently from existing characters, so the country has a huge number of unique names. Surnames are more traditional and most often go back to toponyms. There are more names in Japanese than surnames. Male and female names differ due to their characteristic components and structure. Reading Japanese proper names is one of the most difficult elements of the Japanese language.

The surname in Japanese is called "myoji" (苗字 or 名字), "uji" (氏) or "sei" (姓).

The vocabulary of the Japanese language has long been divided into two types: wago (Japanese 和語 "Japanese") - native Japanese words and kango (Japanese 漢語 Chineseism) - borrowed from China. Names are also divided into the same types, although a new type is now actively expanding - gairaigo (jap. 外来語) - words borrowed from other languages, but components of this type are rarely used in names.

Modern Japanese names are divided into the following groups:
kunny (consisting of vago),
onny (consisting of kango),
mixed.
The ratio of Kun and Onn surnames is approximately 80% to 20%.

The vast majority of surnames in Japanese consist of two characters, surnames of one or three characters are less common, and four or more digit surnames are very rare.

Male names are the most difficult part of Japanese proper names to read, it is in male names that non-standard readings of nanori and rare readings are very common, strange changes in some components, although there are also easy-to-read names. For example, the names Kaworu (薫), Shigekazu (薫), and Kungoro: (薫五郎) use the same character 薫 ("flavor"), but in each name it is read differently; and the common main component of yoshi names can be written in 104 different characters and their combinations. Sometimes reading is not at all connected with written hieroglyphs, so it happens that only its bearer himself can read the name correctly.

Japanese female names, unlike male ones, in most cases have a simple kun reading and a clear and understandable meaning. Most female names are composed according to the “main component + indicator” scheme, however, there are names without an indicative component. Sometimes female names can be written entirely in hiragana or katakana. Also, sometimes, there are names with on-reading, and also only in female names there are new non-Chinese borrowings (gairaigo).

Ancient names and surnames

Before the Meiji Restoration, only aristocrats (kuge) and samurai (bushi) had surnames. The rest of the population of Japan was content with personal names and nicknames.

Women of aristocratic and samurai families also usually did not have surnames, since they did not have the right to inherit. In cases where women did have surnames, they did not change them upon marriage.

Surnames were divided into two groups - the surnames of aristocrats and the surnames of samurai.

Unlike the number of samurai surnames, the number of surnames of aristocrats has practically not increased since ancient times. Many of them date back to the priestly past of the Japanese aristocracy.

The most honored and respected clans of aristocrats were: Konoe, Takashi, Kujo, Ichijo and Gojo. All of them belonged to the Fujiwara clan and had a common name - "Gosetsuke". From among the men of this kind, regents (sessho) and chancellors (kampaku) of Japan were appointed, and wives for emperors were chosen from among women.

The following in nobility were the Hirohata, Daigo, Kuga, Oimikado, Saionji, Sanjo, Imaidegawa, Tokudaiji, and Kaoin clans. From among them, the highest state dignitaries were appointed. So, representatives of the Saionji clan served as imperial stables (meryo no gogen). Then came all the other aristocratic clans.

The hierarchy of nobility of aristocratic families began to take shape in the VI century and lasted until the end of the XI century, when power in the country passed to the samurai. Among them, the clans of Genji (Minamoto), Heike (Taira), Hojo, Ashikaga, Tokugawa, Matsudaira, Hosokawa, Shimazu, Oda enjoyed special respect. A number of their representatives at different times were the shoguns (military rulers) of Japan.

The personal names of aristocrats and high-ranking samurai were formed from two kanji (hieroglyphs) of a "noble" meaning.

The personal names of samurai servants and peasants were often given according to the "numbering" principle. The first son is Ichiro, the second is Jiro, the third is Saburo, the fourth is Shiro, the fifth is Goro, and so on. Also, in addition to "-ro", the suffixes "-emon", "-ji", "-zo", "-suke", "-be" were used for this purpose.

Upon entering the samurai during his youth, he chose a different name for himself than what he was given at birth. Sometimes samurai changed their names throughout adulthood, for example, to emphasize the onset of her new period (promotion or moving to another duty station). The lord had the right to rename his vassal. In the event of a serious illness, the name was sometimes changed to the name of the Buddha Amida in order to appeal to his mercy.

According to the rules of samurai fights, before the fight, the samurai had to give his full name so that the enemy could decide whether he was worthy of such an opponent. Of course, in life this rule was observed much less frequently than in novels and chronicles.

At the end of the names of girls from noble families, the suffix "-hime" was added. It is often translated as "princess", but in fact it was used in relation to all noble young ladies.

For the names of the wives of the samurai, the suffix "-gozen" was used. Often they were called simply by their husband's surname and rank. The personal names of married women were practically used only by their close relatives.

For the names of monks and nuns from the noble classes, the suffix "-in" was used.

Modern names and surnames

During the Meiji Restoration, all Japanese were given surnames. Naturally, most of them were associated with various signs of peasant life, especially with rice and its processing. These surnames, like those of the upper class, were also usually composed of two kanji.

The most common Japanese surnames now are Suzuki, Tanaka, Yamamoto, Watanabe, Saito, Sato, Sasaki, Kudo, Takahashi, Kobayashi, Kato, Ito, Murakami, Onishi, Yamaguchi, Nakamura, Kuroki, Higa.

Men's names have changed less. They also often depend on the "serial number" of the son in the family. The suffixes "-ichi" and "-kazu" meaning "first son" are often used, as well as the suffixes "-ji" ("second son") and "-zo" ("third son").

Most Japanese female names end in "-ko" ("child") or "-mi" ("beauty"). Girls, as a rule, are given names that are connected in meaning with everything beautiful, pleasant and feminine. Unlike male names, female names are usually written in hiragana instead of kanji.

Some modern girls do not like the "-ko" ending in their names and prefer to omit it. For example, a girl named "Yuriko" might refer to herself as "Yuri".

According to the law passed during the time of Emperor Meiji, after marriage, the husband and wife are required by law to take the same surname. In 98% of cases, this is the husband's surname.

After death, the Japanese receive a new, posthumous name (kaimyo), which is written on a special wooden tablet (ihai). This tablet is considered the embodiment of the spirit of the deceased and is used in funeral rites. Kaimyo and ihai are bought from Buddhist monks - sometimes even before a person's death.

Japanese surnames and their meaning

Abe - 阿部 - corner, shadow; sector
Akiyama - 秋山 - autumn + mountain
Ando: - 安藤 - calm + wisteria
Aoki - 青木 - green, young + tree
Arai - 新井 - new well
Arai - 荒井 - wild well
Araki - 荒木 - wild + tree
Asano - 浅野/淺野 - small + [uncultivated] field; plain
Baba - 馬場 - horse + seat
Wada - 和田 - harmony + rice field
Watanabe - 渡辺/渡邊 - to cross + surroundings
Watanabe - 渡部 - to cross + part; sector;
Goto: - 後藤 - behind, future + wisteria
Yokota - 横田 - side + rice field
Yokoyama - 横山 - side, side of the mountain
Yoshida - 吉田 - happiness + rice field
Yoshikawa - 吉川 - happiness + river
Yoshimura - 吉村 - happiness + village
Yoshioka - 吉岡 - happiness + hill
Iwamoto - 岩本 - rock + base
Iwasaki - 岩崎 - rock + cape
Iwata - 岩田 - rock + rice field
Igarashi - 五十嵐 - 50 storms
Iendo: - 遠藤 - distant + wisteria
Iida - 飯田 - boiled rice, food + rice field
Ikeda - 池田 - pond + rice field
Imai - 今井 - now + well
Inoe - 井上 - well + top
Ishibashi - 石橋 - stone + bridge
Ishida - 石田 - stone + rice field
Ishii - 石井 - stone + well
Ishikawa - 石川 - stone + river
Ishihara - 石原 - stone + plain, field; steppe
Ichikawa - 市川 - city + river
Ito - 伊東 - that, he + east
Ito: - 伊藤 - I + wisteria
Kawaguchi - 川口 - river + mouth, entrance
Kawakami - 川上 - river + top
Kawamura - 川村 - river + village
Kawasaki - 川崎 - river + cape
Kamata - 鎌田 - sickle, scythe + rice field
Kaneko - 金子 - gold + child
Katayama - 片山 - piece + mountain
Kato: - 加藤 - add + wisteria
Kikuchi - 菊地 - chrysanthemum + earth
Kikuchi - 菊池 - chrysanthemum + pond
Kimura - 木村 - tree + village
Kinoshita - 木下 - tree + under, bottom
Kitamura - 北村 - north + village
Ko:no - 河野 - river + [uncultivated] field; plain
Kobayashi - 小林 - small forest
Kojima - 小島 - small + island
Koike - 小池 - small + pond
Komatsu - 小松 - small pine tree
Kondo - 近藤 - close + wisteria
Konishi - 小西 - small + west
Koyama - 小山 - small mountain
Kubo - 久保 - long + maintain
Kubota - 久保田 - long + maintain + rice field
Kudo: - 工藤 - worker + wisteria
Kumagai - 熊谷 - bear + valley
Kurihara - 栗原 - chestnut + plain, field; steppe
Kuroda - 黒田 - black rice field
Maruyama - 丸山 - round + mountain
Masuda - 増田 - increase + rice field
Matsubara - 松原 - pine + plain, field; steppe
Matsuda - 松田 - pine + rice field
Matsui - 松井 - pine + well
Matsumoto - 松本 - pine + base
Matsumura - 松村 - pine + village
Matsuo - 松尾 - pine + tail
Matsuoka - 松岡 - pine + hill
Matsushita - 松下 - pine + under, bottom
Matsuura - 松浦 - pine + bay
Maeda - 前田 - behind + rice field
Mizuno - 水野 - water + [uncultivated] field; plain
Minami - 南 - south
Miura - 三浦 - three bays
Miyazaki - 宮崎 - temple, palace + cape
Miyake - 三宅 - three houses
Miyamoto - 宮本 - temple, palace + base
Miyata - 宮田 - temple, palace + rice field
Mori - 森 - forest
Morimoto - 森本 - forest + base
Morita - 森田 - forest + rice field
Mochizuki - 望月 - full moon
Murakami - 村上 - village + top
Murata - 村田 - village + rice field
Nagai - 永井 - eternal well
Nagata - 永田 - eternal rice field
Naito - 内藤 - inside + wisteria
Nakagawa - 中川 - middle + river
Nakajima/Nakashima - 中島 - middle + island
Nakamura - 中村 - middle + village
Nakanishi - 中西 - west + middle
Nakano - 中野 - middle + [uncultivated] field; plain
Nakata/ Nakada - 中田 - middle + rice field
Nakayama - 中山 - middle + mountain
Narita - 成田 - to form + rice field
Nishida - 西田 - west + rice field
Nishikawa - 西川 - west + river
Nishimura - 西村 - west + village
Nishiyama - 西山 - west + mountain
Noguchi - 野口 - [uncultivated] field; plain + mouth, entrance
Noda - 野田 - [uncultivated] field; plain + rice field
Nomura - 野村 - [uncultivated] field; plain + village
Ogawa - 小川 - small river
Oda - 小田 - small rice field
Ozawa - 小沢/小澤 - small swamp
Ozaki - 尾崎 - tail + cape
Oka - 岡 - hill
Okada - 岡田 - hill + rice field
Okazaki - 岡崎 - hill + cape
Okamoto - 岡本 - hill + base
Okumura - 奥村 - deep (hidden) + village
It - 小野 - small + [uncultivated] field; plain
Ooishi - 大石 - big stone
Ookubo - 大久保 - big + long + support
Oomori - 大森 - big forest
Oonishi - 大西 - big west
Oono - 大野 - large + [uncultivated] field; plain
Oosawa - 大沢/大澤 - big swamp
Ooshima - 大島 - big island
Oota - 太田 - large + rice field
Ootani - 大谷 - big valley
Oohashi - 大橋 - big bridge
Ootsuka - 大塚 - big + hill
Sawada - 沢田/澤田 - swamp + rice field
Saito: - 斉藤/齊藤 - equal + wisteria
Saito: - 斎藤/齋藤 - purification (religious) + wisteria
Sakai - 酒井 - alcohol + well
Sakamoto - 坂本 - slope + base
Sakurai - 桜井/櫻井 - sakura + well
Sano - 佐野 - assistant + [uncultivated] field; plain
Sasaki - 佐々木 - assistants + tree
Sato: - 佐藤 - helper + wisteria
Shibata - 柴田 - brushwood + rice field
Shimada - 島田 - island + rice field
Shimizu - 清水 - pure water
Shinohara - 篠原 - undersized bamboo + plain, field; steppe
Sugawara - 菅原 - sedge + plain, field; steppe
Sugimoto - 杉本 - Japanese cedar + roots
Sugiyama - 杉山 - Japanese cedar + mountain
Suzuki - 鈴木 - bell (bell) + tree
Suto / Sudo - 須藤 - by all means + wisteria
Seki - 関/關 - Outpost; barrier
Taguchi - 田口 - rice floor + mouth
Takagi - 高木 - tall tree
Takada/Takata - 高田 - tall + rice field
Takano - 高野 - high + [uncultivated] field; plain
Takahashi - 高橋 - tall + bridge
Takayama - 高山 - high mountain
Takeda - 武田 - military + rice field
Takeuchi - 竹内 - bamboo + inside
Tamura - 田村 - rice field + village
Tanabe - 田辺/田邊 - rice field + neighborhood
Tanaka - 田中 - rice field + middle
Taniguchi - 谷口 - valley + mouth, entrance
Chiba - 千葉 - a thousand leaves
Uchida - 内田 - inside + rice field
Uchiyama - 内山 - inside + mountain
Ueda/Ueta - 上田 - top + rice field
Ueno - 上野 - top + [uncultivated] field; plain
Fujiwara - 藤原 - wisteria + plain, field; steppe
Fujii - 藤井 - wisteria + well
Fujimoto - 藤本 - wisteria + base
Fujita - 藤田 - wisteria + rice field
Fukuda - 福田 - happiness, prosperity + rice field
Fukui - 福井 - happiness, prosperity + well
Fukushima - 福島 - happiness, prosperity + island
Furukawa - 古川 - old river
Hagiwara - 萩原 - bicolor lespedeza + plain, field; steppe
Hamada - 浜田/濱田 - shore + rice field
Hara - 原 - plain, field; steppe
Harada - 原田 - plain, field; steppe + rice field
Hashimoto - 橋本 - bridge + base
Hasegawa - 長谷川 - long + valley + river
Hattori - 服部 - clothes, subordinate + part; sector;
Hayakawa - 早川 - early + river
Hayashi - 林 - forest
Higuchi - 樋口 - gutter; drain + mouth, input
Hirai - 平井 - level well
Hirano - 平野 - flat + [uncultivated] field; plain
Hirata - 平田 - flat + rice field
Hirose - 広瀬/廣瀬 - wide fast current
Homma - 本間 - base + gap, room, luck
Honda - 本田 - base + rice field
Hori - 堀 - channel
Hoshino - 星野 - star + [uncultivated] field; plain
Tsuji - 辻 - street
Tsuchiya - 土屋 - land + house
Yamaguchi - 山口 - mountain + mouth, entrance
Yamada - 山田 - mountain + rice field
Yamazaki/ Yamasaki - 山崎 - mountain + cape
Yamamoto - 山本 - mountain + base
Yamanaka - 山中 - mountain + middle
Yamashita - 山下 - mountain + under, bottom
Yamauchi - 山内 - mountain + inside
Yano - 矢野 - arrow + [uncultivated] field; plain
Yasuda - 安田 - calm + rice field.

The cultural values ​​and centuries-old traditions of Japan remain a mystery to us in many ways. As if with a mysterious haze hiding something important from prying eyes, the country of samurai and technogenic civilization is shrouded. Both names and surnames are a curious part of the Japanese language and cultural heritage. They are an integral part of the history of the country and are fraught with many interesting facts. Japanese female names are a separate topic worthy of discussion.

Beautiful Japanese woman

Japanese name base

It is difficult for any representative of the Russian-speaking culture to distinguish a Japanese name from a surname. Therefore, you just need to remember that the Japanese first have a surname, then a personal name without a patronymic. In the land of the rising sun, both boys and girls are named by parents without much difficulty, guided by the dictates of the heart. At the same time, they rely on cultural traditions, as well as on modern trends in word formation. Names for girls often consist of two parts, one of which can be replaced and get a new meaning.

Written in hieroglyphs, Japanese female names are read differently. The sound will depend on how you read it.

The Japanese have another interesting feature. They actively use all kinds of prefixes. It is curious that the prefix is ​​most often applied to their surnames, and the names are generally omitted. The prefix values ​​are:

  • san - the prefix is ​​​​used in combination with the surname for traditionally polite treatment
  • sama - a prefix is ​​added to the surnames when referring to high-ranking officials, members of the government, representatives of the clergy
  • sensei - this prefix sounds after the surname when referring to professionals in any direction; in us, it evokes associations with Japanese films and means an appeal to martial arts masters
  • kun - in combination with the surname, it is used in communication with teenagers and subordinates
  • chan (chan) - this prefix is ​​​​added to a personal name in communication with children, friends or lovers.

It is noteworthy that in Japanese families the following appeals are more often heard: father and mother, daughter and son, younger brother or younger sister, older brother or older sister. By tradition, the prefix -chan (-chan) is added to these addresses.

Female names in Japanese

Eloquence and simplicity are inherent in Japanese surnames and given names. Girls in this amazing country are called abstractly. The beautiful, simple, feminine sound of a female name is interconnected with its meaning: “moon”, “flower”, “bamboo”, “aroma”, “chrysanthemum”, “morning dew”.

Girls' names often contain the following characters: "mi", which means "beauty" (Fumiko, Harumi, Kazumi, Miyuki), or "ko", which means "child" (Yumiko, Asako, Maiko, Takao). Among girls, the character "ko" is not particularly popular, so they often omit it in colloquial speech. Thus, Naoko becomes Naoko, and her friends call her Nao-chan.

Such syllables are also very popular:

  • ah - love
  • ti - mind
  • en - calmness
  • ma is true
  • yu - tenderness

They are added, wishing the girl to acquire these qualities over time.

Another type includes Japanese female names with the presence of hieroglyphs that mean plants or animals. More often than others, a syllable with the meaning "crane" is used. But the "tiger" and "deer" have long gone out of fashion, although their presence indicates good health. Syllables related to plants are in particular demand:

  • hana means "flower"
  • kiku - chrysanthemum
  • ine - rice
  • momo peach
  • take - bamboo
  • yanagi - willow

Japanese female names with hieroglyphs-numerals are considered quite rare. They are traditionally used in noble families, reflecting the order of birth. Here are some of them: "nana" means the number seven, "go" - five, "mi" - three, "ti" - a thousand.

It happens that hieroglyphs have the meaning of natural phenomena, seasons, time of day, etc. What an extensive list one can make of them! Here are a few examples: "natsu" - summer, "kumo" - a cloud, "asa" - morning.

In Japanese, beautiful names for girls combined with surnames sound very poetic. They often mean some natural phenomena, or reflect the features of landscapes or positive qualities of character.

The list of popular names for girls contains those that are now used in famous animated series, historical chronicles, comics.

Parents often turn to specialists to come up with an unusual, beautiful name for their daughter with a melodic sound and a special meaning. An extensive list in modern Japanese names, the use of prefixes and the emergence of new hieroglyphs make it almost impossible - female names are rarely repeated. Interestingly, their parliament changes the list of permitted characters in the spelling of names approximately every five years.

No matter how beautiful the female names of the Japanese are, they often choose not classic Japanese, but exotic foreign ones for their language, for example: Anna, Emiri, Maria, Rina, Rena, etc.

This is interesting

When marrying, a Japanese woman takes her husband's surname. In rare cases, it happens the other way around, a man takes the name of his wife if she is from a very noble family. In their traditions there is no such thing as a double surname.

In the Middle Ages, women did not have surnames at all. It was believed that they simply did not need them, because the girls were not heirs. In aristocratic families, girls were often called so that at the end they sounded the syllable "hame", which in Japanese means "princess". Samurai wives were addressed by their husband's surname and rank, and their personal names ended in "-gozen". The nobility and the monastic class bore names with the ending "in".

Examples of Popular Japanese Names for Women

Names are perhaps the most difficult part of the Japanese language. It is almost impossible to list all of them. According to statistics, the most popular in recent years are:

Ai - indigo, love

Ika - a song about love

Aiko is a child of love

Aimi - I love beauty

Akane - bright red

Akemi - bright beauty

Aki - autumn, bright, spark

Akiko - child of autumn

Akira - clear

Amaterasu - goddess of the sun

Aoi - blue, mallow

Arisu - Alice

Asami - morning beauty

Asuka - the flavor of tomorrow

Atsuko is a kind child

Avaron - the island of apples

Aya - colorful, design

Ayaka - flower petals

Ayame - iris flower

Ayano is my color

Ayumi - walking, walking

Azumi - safe living

Jun - obedient

Junko is an obedient child

Izumi - fountain

Kaori - the scent of weaving

Kaoru - fragrance

Kasumi - mist

Katsumi - victory of beauty

Kazue - branch, first blessing

Kazuko - harmonious

Kazumi - harmonious beauty

Kiku - chrysanthemum

Keen - gold

Kiyomi - pure beauty

Kohaku - amber

Kou - happiness

Mayi - dance

Makoto - sincerity

Mana is love

Manami - gentle beauty

Masami - elegant beauty

Megumi - blessing

Michi - way

Midori - green

Minori - truth

Mitsuko - radiant child

Mizuki - beautiful moon

Momo - peach

Moriko - forest child

Naoki - obedient tree

Naomi - first of all

Ran - lily, orchid

Rika is a significant fragrance

Ren - water lily

Fumiko is a child of cherished beauty

Haru - spring, sun

Harumi - spring beauty

Hikaru - shine

Hoshi is a star

Chi - wisdom

Chow - butterfly

Shika - gentle deer

Shinju is a gem

Amy is a beautiful blessing

Etsuko is a joyful child

Yasu - calm

Yayoi - Spring

Transliteration of the Japanese language causes a lot of talk and controversy. Therefore, there are many discrepancies in the translations of names. Having become acquainted with the basics of the formation of female names in the land of the rising sun, one can not only study their language more deeply, but be imbued with the philosophy of this mysterious people.