[Opinions] Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?
I am a huuuuuge fan of Japanese names . . . but the primary reason I try to steer people away from Japanese names is because of the meanings; any one name can mean any number of things, and putting the stress on the wrong syllable can change a lovely name into an obsenity. As long as you do your research and feel comfortable that you have a firm understanding of the name you're saddling your child with, as well has a healthy respect for the culture it came from (and the realization that a name from a culture that you don't belong to could unsettle or upset other people) then there's no problem with it!
Chiyo: Especially great if you're naming her for Memoirs of a Geisha ^_^. I always like Chiyo better than Sayuri. My favorite spelling means "A thousand generations"
Chihiro: As in Spirited away? Actually, I do like it spelled just like it is in that movie.
Aiko: The princess's name, you know ^_^ My favorite spelling roughly means "We are Great Together" (ai = "Together" and ko = "Great").
Sen: Are we getting back into the Spirited Away thing? Sen isn't used as a name in Japan, and it has a few less than flattering meanings (like "Boil" or "Hermit") but it is a nice pronunciation.
Note for Haru and Sachi (not meaning this as a rant, it's just a little extra info for any layperson who may be reading): you actually have it backwards, the original names are Haru and Sachi from which Haruko and Sachiko are derivations. adding -ko to the end of a name in Japan is similar to adding -ette, -elle, etc. to the end of an English name. The most commonly used Kanji mean "Child" or "Little" (though another common meaning used in names is "big").
While my favorite spelling for Haru does have it meaning "Spring", my favorite spelling for Sachi means "Wish" as opposed to "Bliss".
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WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  Sabrina Fair  ·  9/5/2006, 11:44 AM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  Integrity  ·  9/6/2006, 3:35 AM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  Elle  ·  9/5/2006, 6:04 PM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  Sabrina Fair  ·  9/5/2006, 6:07 PM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  kizuko  ·  9/5/2006, 2:57 PM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  Sabrina Fair  ·  9/5/2006, 4:38 PM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  Britney  ·  9/5/2006, 1:16 PM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  menno_girl  ·  9/5/2006, 1:09 PM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  Sabrina Fair  ·  9/5/2006, 1:11 PM
Re: WDYT of these Japanese names?  ·  Glorianna  ·  9/5/2006, 1:00 PM