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Image by: (Shin) The Prince of Tennis official website © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
Contents
The Prince of Tennis is a manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The main character, Ryoma is a young boy who is highly skilled in tennis and has won various tournaments in the United States. He came back to Japan to join the Seishun Academy Middle School and soon became one of the ace players of the school’s Tennis Club. As a member of the team, Ryoma participates in many tennis matches against different schools all over Japan. The first series concluded with 379 episodes and Ryoma’s journey continues to the next season called ‘The New Prince of Tennis’.
Image by: The Prince of Tennis Comic1 © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
The Japanese title of The Prince of Tennis is ‘テニスの王子様 read ‘Tenisu no Oujisama’ which is the exact translation of the English title. ‘Tennis’ is an English word so it is written in katakana as ‘テニス, Tenisu’. ‘Ou’(王, Ō) means king but when you add a ‘Ji’(子) which means child it becomes ‘Ouji’, a prince. ‘Sama’(様) is used to show politeness and you need to be respectful when you are in the presence of royalty, which in Japanese is ‘王族, Ōzoku’.
Image by: (Shin) The Prince of Tennis official website © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
In Japanese culture, names have significant meanings that are supposed to represent you as a person. Names can be expressed in hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Let’s find out the meanings of some names of characters in The Prince of Tennis!
Image by: The Prince of Tennis official website © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
Ryoma is the main character of the series and is very talented in Tennis. He sometimes acts arrogant but never forgets to work hard. ‘Echi’(越) means to cross or beyond and ‘Zen’(前) means front. The name ‘Ryoma’(リョーマ) is a pretty common name written in many different ways. However, his name is written in Katakana so it is hard to tell the meaning here. Want to know more about this name? Click here!
Image by: The Prince of Tennis official website © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
Kunimitsu is the strict captain of the ‘Seigaku tennis club’. ‘Te’(手) means hand, ’Zuka’(塚) or ‘Tsuka’ means mound, ‘Kuni’(国) means country, and ‘Mitsu’(光) means light.
Image by: The Prince of Tennis Comic1 Ep1 © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
Sakuno is the grand-daughter of the Seigaku tennis coach and a fan of Ryoma. Unfortunately, Ryoma often forgets who she is. ‘Ryu’(竜) means dragon, ‘Saki’(崎) means cape, ‘Saku’(桜) also read as ‘Sakura’ means cherry blossom, and ‘No’(乃) is a common ending for girls’ names.
Image by: The Prince of Tennis Comic1 Ep1 © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
Sumire is the coach of the ‘Seigaku tennis club’. ‘Sumire’(スミレ) means violet and it is written in Katakana. You often encounter Japanese elderly with their name in Katakana, this was due to the lack of education that the poor received in that period. Want to know more about this name? Click here!
Image by: The Prince of Tennis official website © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
Sadaharu is the brain of the Seigaku tennis club. He is a unique player who can anticipate his opponents’ next move very accurately. ‘Inui’(乾) means dry, ‘Sada’(貞) means correct, and ‘Haru’(治) means to heal.
Here are some useful phrases from The Prince of Tennis which will help you along with your Japanese studies!
Image by: The Prince of Tennis Comic6 Ep43 © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
The tennis club leader Kunimitsu told Ryoma to be the next pillar of strength. ‘Hashira’ means pillar. ‘Naru’ means to become but to order someone to become you say ‘Nare’.
Image by: The Prince of Tennis Comic1 Ep1 © Takeshi Konomi/Shueisha Inc
In Japanese, speech may differ by gender, age, or even birthplace. For the elderly, it is common for them to put ‘ja’ at the end. Seigaku’s coach is an elderly lady, so she calls Ryoma ‘Bouzu’ which means little boy. She was explaining that Ryoma is a lefty, so she said ‘Hidari kiki jayo’. ‘Hidari’(左) is left and ‘Migi’(右) is right. ‘Kiki te’ means the dominant hand.
Sort by Most Kanji Variations
This is the order of names with many variations of kanji.
Basically, names with more variations are more common and familiar to the Japanese.
Sort by Most Viewed
The names are sorted by the number of times they have been viewed on this site. This ranking is based on the behavior of users around the world, including Japan, so it does not mean that the names are commonly viewed by Japanese people only.
Please note that just because a name has been viewed more times does not mean it is a famous name in Japan.
What is Hiragana?
Hiragana is a syllabary used in written Japanese, which originated from the cursive style of Kanji.
What is Katakana?
Katakana is also a Japanese syllabary. Basically, the characters don't have any meaning by themselves, they only represent the sounds.
Japanese try to express the words came from foreign languages with the most similar sounds in Japanese using Katakana.
What is English Transcription?
English Transcription is a term used when translating Japanese names into English. It represents a romanised version of the name with the aim of reproducing the pronunciation as accurately as possible. English Transcription can also be used for name searches.
Japanese Style Nickname
In Japan, nicknames are commonly used to express familiarity and affection. Here are key features and contexts:
Shortened Forms: Names are often shortened for ease and intimacy, such as 'Yuki' from 'Yukiko' or 'Taka' from 'Takashi'.
Suffixes: Terms like 'chan' for girls and 'kun' for boys are added to names among close friends and family. However, 'chan' can also be used for boys during childhood. Additionally, among adults who are very close, like best friends, 'chan' may still be used to convey affection and familiarity. More Details
Usage and Cultural Aspects: Nicknames are typically used in informal settings among friends, family, or close colleagues, and are not suitable for formal or professional environments. The use of a nickname suggests a degree of intimacy and should reflect the nature of the relationship. Young people often demonstrate creativity in their social interactions by crafting unique nicknames.
Note: In Japanese, the long vowel sound is indicated by a special character called a "chōonpu" (長音符), which looks like a horizontal dash (ー). This character serves to extend the duration of the vowel sound immediately preceding it. For instance, in the name "あーちゃん" (A-chan), the "あ" (A) is extended, producing a prolonged "ah" sound, similar to the "a" in "father."
Households?
The names are sorted by the number of Japanese households where the surname is used.
The more households there are, the more famous and common the surname is.
About this site's data of last names