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Help[Facts] Re: Moka and Hayate
in reply to a message by ClaudiaS
Thankyou! In case you see this, though, can you be a little specific about the "intuition doesn't take you far with Japanese names"? It's not needed for the name, but I'm curious about what you mean about that. Do you mean that, since they can have so many different pronunciations, that intuition isn't always the most accurate?
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Yes, exactly. There are common kanji readings for names, and rare readings, and readings that seem to have been made up on the spot by the parents. People naturally guess the common ones first, but they are often wrong.
For instance there is a girl's name written 幸子 that was very common in the mid-20th century. A usual reading for 幸 is "Sachi" so this name can be read Sachiko. However, in names only, 幸 can also be read as "Yuki." So the name is very often Yukiko instead. One can even find rare examples of 幸子 read as Toshiko, Tomoko, Keiko, Kazuko, Yuiko and Sakiko.
I met a 13-year-old girl this summer whose name was written 美紗. On the surface this is nothing other than the common name Misa. However, in her case it was pronounced Misuzu. There would be no way to know that, without being told.
For instance there is a girl's name written 幸子 that was very common in the mid-20th century. A usual reading for 幸 is "Sachi" so this name can be read Sachiko. However, in names only, 幸 can also be read as "Yuki." So the name is very often Yukiko instead. One can even find rare examples of 幸子 read as Toshiko, Tomoko, Keiko, Kazuko, Yuiko and Sakiko.
I met a 13-year-old girl this summer whose name was written 美紗. On the surface this is nothing other than the common name Misa. However, in her case it was pronounced Misuzu. There would be no way to know that, without being told.
This message was edited 10/25/2014, 10:02 AM
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