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My Favorite Names

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Japanese Name Column

Japanese Name Column

: Eleven stories behind the Japanese naming

There are as many names as there are children born, and each naming has its own story. This article will introduce 11 examples of Japanese naming practices.
: Suffixes attached to names that Japanese people consider to be important

In Japan, you might encounter the situation that people use suffixes to attach to their names. We tend not to call someone’s name without suffixes unless she/he is your close friend or family member.

For instance, when you were introduced to Mr. Kenji Yamada at the first meeting, you wouldn’t say him ‘hi, how are you Kenji?” It seems friendly to some people but sounds like a bit impolite .
: The popular names for children of mixed nationality couples

For an interracial couple, they share two different cultures (or more!) is so exciting. And if the parents have different nationalities, how they name their child?
Here are our picks for the popular names for mixed race child.
: What are the most popular kanji for the naming of babies in Japan today?

The website 明治安田生命 releases the rankings of “the most popular kanji for names” every year.
Every single kanji has its meaning, therefore, parents think carefully about which kanji to use for naming their child. Let’s find out what was the most popular kanji used for naming in 2019.
: Comparing Japanese Names in 1912 with Modern Names

The Japanese insurance company 明治安田生命 releases the rankings of “the most popular names” every year. Find out the top names given boys and girls.

One of the major events of 2019 was the revision of the Japanese era. Heisei (平成) era lasted for 31 years, and it was changed to Reiwa (令和). The whole of Japan was so excited that a new era had begun.
Has this big event affected the way we name our babies?
: Japanese names of characters from “Fighting Spirit”

Fighting Spirit is a popular boxing series manga. The story follows a kind boy named Ippo who spends his time helping his mother instead of making friends. Ippo was too gentle and kept to himself, making him a target for some bullies. One day, during a particularly bad beating, a professional boxer named Mamoru saved the fainted Ippo. After a while, Ippo woke to the sound of boxers training and realized that he was in the Kamogawa Gym where Mamoru practiced. Trying to cheer Ippo up, Mamoru told him to take out all his feelings on a punching bag. It was then when Ippo discovered his boxing talent and since that day, Ippo walked along the path to being a professional boxer.
: Trends in Japanese names as they change over time

Popular names change with the period. Certain names are trendy in each generation. This is because names change with the influence of each period, events, society, celebrities, etc. For Japanese people, they might often guess the generation in which a person was born just by listening to their name. Here is a recent history o of some naming trends.
: Most common Okinawa family names

Have you been to Okinawa?
Okinawa is the most western part of Japan and has a population of 1.45 million. It is composed of 37 inhabited remote islands with magnificent nature. Many people from the Japanese mainland migrate to Okinawa for the amazing nature.
Also, it is a very popular holiday destination for Japanese people, as well as for weddings and honeymoons.
: Japanese names of characters from “Fist of the North Star”

Fist of the North Star is a well-known martial arts manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. Sometime in the 1990s, the world had become violence dominated place after the nuclear war that disrupted the globe. Kenshiro was a kind young man who wished to live in peace after surviving the nuclear attack. However, by being betrayed and having his fiancée Yuria abducted by his best friend, Kenshiro decided to reclaim her by using his skills as the 64th successor of the ancient assassination style 'Hokuto Shinken' and protecting the weak and innocents along the way.
: Japanese names of characters from “World Trigger”

World trigger, the story is about a fight between the monsters from the Neighbor World and the National Defence Agency 'Border’. One day 'The Gate' to the Neighbor World opened in Mikado City, and monsters started to invade. No weapons were useful against them and chances of surviving were very thin. But, a mysterious organization 'The Border' appeared and successfully defeated the monsters using a special weapon called the Trigger.
: Japanese names of characters from “Toriko”

In the gourmet age, people's interest is all in food. Restaurants would employ gourmet hunters to chase uncommon creatures and high-quality ingredients. Komatsu, the head chef of the luxurious Hotel Gourmet looks for gourmet hunter Toriko's assistance to catch an incredibly perilous crocodile called the 'Galala Gator' to comply with a customer's desire for a dish. Propelled by Toriko's capacity and desire, Komatsu decides to go with Toriko on his hazardous yet exciting adventure to taste all the rarest foods around the world!
: Japanese names of characters from “Steins; Gate”

Steins; Gate is an anime adaptation of a popular science fiction video game created by 5pb. and Nitroplus. Rintaro runs a group called the 'Future gadgets laboratory' with his friends Mayuri and Itaru to invent all sorts of items. One day, while attending a conference Rintaro finds the dead body of Kurisu, a famous young scientist. Panicked Rintaro instantly sent a message to Itaru about it but as soon as he did he collapsed. When he woke up, he immediately noticed some things were not the way he remembered and discovered that Kurisu was alive. The text he had just sent was received before he even sent it. After investigation, the laboratory members learned that their invention 'Cell Phone-Microwave' (a cellphone operated microwave) could send text messages to the past. Including Kurisu as a new member, the 'Future Gadget Laboratory' decides to create a real time machine.
: Japanese names of characters from “Slam Dunk”

Slam Dunk is about a high school student called Hanamichi Sakuragi who battles to join the Shohoku High School basketball team to make a young lady named Haruko Akagi fall in love with him. Hanamichi works hard every day and learns the meaning and results of resilience. Alongside his teammates and companions, Hanamichi sets out toward the National Championship!
: Japanese names of characters from “Sword Art Online”

Sword Art Online, a popular anime adaptation of a long-running novel series written by Reki Kawahara. Kazuto was one of the 10,000 players of the newly released online game called 'Sword art online'. If you die in the game you will not be able to leave the virtual world which meant death in real life. So Kazuto had no choice but to fight for his life and survive the crazy death game.
: Japanese names of characters from “Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto”

Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, a comedy manga series written by Naki Sano. Each episode has its own plot, of course, featuring Sakamoto, the coolest high school student you will ever know. He steals everyone's hearts and can outsmart and outdo anyone. Because of this, he has just as many haters as admirers, but the haters usually find out how cool Sakamoto is and become his friends and followers.
: Japanese names of characters from “One-Punch Man”

As the title of this wonderful series hints, the story follows a young man named Saitama who can beat his foes in a single punch. To get rid of the dullness, Saitama decides to join the Hero Association to find a worthy opponent and to get his name out into the world. Not long after, the world suffers from an alien invasion.
: Japanese names of characters from “Ghostory”

Ghostory is an anime adaptation of a Japanese novel series written by Isin Nisio and illustrated by Vofan. The story follows a high school boy named Koyomi Araragi who once saved an injured vampire by giving his blood. As a result, he almost turned into a vampire himself but with the help of Meme, he regained back his humanity. Since then, Koyomi decided to help people around him struggling with ghostly troubles.
: Japanese names of characters from “Liar Game”

How far would you go to obtain 100 million yen? You will surely find out if you ever participate in the peculiar Liar Game. In this game, You have to beat your opponent to earn money or lose and be in debt. A young lady named Nao Kanzaki was dragged into the Liar game where you have to betray others before they betray you.
: Japanese names of characters from “Jujutsu Kaisen: Sorcery Fight”

Jujutsu Kaisen: Sorcery Fight, a story written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. In a world where cursed spirits dwell amongst unwary humans, fragments of the most powerful and feared demon Ryoumen Sukuna have been scattered all around the world. Should any living being consume any of Sukuna's body parts, the power they obtain could destroy the whole world. However, there is more power in a single finger than most sorcerers can contain, making it extremely hard for humans to gain superpowers. Fortunately, there are one in a million people who can serve as a vessel for Sukuna's power, one of them being Yuji who is not your average teenager.
: Japanese names of characters from “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure”

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a long-running series featuring the generations of the Joestar family. 'JoJo' is the nickname of each protagonist in the series. It all started in the 19th century when the prestigious Joestar family adopted a young boy called Dio Brando. Dio then turns into a vampire with the power of the cursed stone mask. Jonathan and Dio's fight continues even after Jonathan's death and the story continues to his grandson Joseph Joestar.

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