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HelpRe: Japanese models' names
in reply to a message by Bear
Oh, okay. :) I love talking about Japanese names.
Here goes.
In the case of these models, Aiku, Erika and Ayumi don't really have a meaning, because they are written in hiragana (Japanese phonetic script). In Japanese, for a name to have a meaning, it must be written in kanji (Chinese characters). Those three names can have meanings if they are written in kanji. The model Ikumi writes her name in the Roman alphabet, so it doesn't have a meaning either. Sometimes, Japanese celebrities choose to write their name in the Roman alphabet (to look cool), but normal people wouldn't do that.
(I think) Ayumi is thought of as a cool and pretty name in Japan, as it's borne by the very popular singer Ayumi Hamasaki. Erika also has a famous bearer - the actress Erika Sawajiri.
Naoko ("honest/sincere child"), Shizuka ("quiet/silent"), and Mizuki ("beautiful moon") are common, traditional names. Many of the other models' names are quite modern-sounding.
Chihiro - "a thousand" and "inquire" (this kanji is probably used simply bacause it has the sound "hiro")
Harumi - "spring beauty"
Iruka - "enter" (again, probably chosen because of the sound) and "summer"
Kozue - "treetop" or "tip of a branch"
Leena [Riina is the proper transliteration] is definitely a modern, "ateji" name, meaning it's based on the English name Leena, but given Japanese characters. In this model's case the Chinese characters mean "pear tree", "garment" and "name". As the meaning doesn't really make sense, the characters were probably picked for their sound. I've seen many names like this - for example, the singer Anna Tsuchiya's son is called Sky, but is written with the Chinese characters for "sea" and "clear". Ateji names are basically the Japanese equivalent of "creative" naming.
Reina is probably a traditional Japanese name. I think the similarity with English name is a coincidence. In the models' case, it is written for the characters for "star" and "gauze".
I'm sorry this post is so long... But I hope you know more about the names now.
Here goes.
In the case of these models, Aiku, Erika and Ayumi don't really have a meaning, because they are written in hiragana (Japanese phonetic script). In Japanese, for a name to have a meaning, it must be written in kanji (Chinese characters). Those three names can have meanings if they are written in kanji. The model Ikumi writes her name in the Roman alphabet, so it doesn't have a meaning either. Sometimes, Japanese celebrities choose to write their name in the Roman alphabet (to look cool), but normal people wouldn't do that.
(I think) Ayumi is thought of as a cool and pretty name in Japan, as it's borne by the very popular singer Ayumi Hamasaki. Erika also has a famous bearer - the actress Erika Sawajiri.
Naoko ("honest/sincere child"), Shizuka ("quiet/silent"), and Mizuki ("beautiful moon") are common, traditional names. Many of the other models' names are quite modern-sounding.
Chihiro - "a thousand" and "inquire" (this kanji is probably used simply bacause it has the sound "hiro")
Harumi - "spring beauty"
Iruka - "enter" (again, probably chosen because of the sound) and "summer"
Kozue - "treetop" or "tip of a branch"
Leena [Riina is the proper transliteration] is definitely a modern, "ateji" name, meaning it's based on the English name Leena, but given Japanese characters. In this model's case the Chinese characters mean "pear tree", "garment" and "name". As the meaning doesn't really make sense, the characters were probably picked for their sound. I've seen many names like this - for example, the singer Anna Tsuchiya's son is called Sky, but is written with the Chinese characters for "sea" and "clear". Ateji names are basically the Japanese equivalent of "creative" naming.
Reina is probably a traditional Japanese name. I think the similarity with English name is a coincidence. In the models' case, it is written for the characters for "star" and "gauze".
I'm sorry this post is so long... But I hope you know more about the names now.
This message was edited 12/8/2010, 10:46 AM
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