Japanese Names  Influenced by the West

Current Topics | 西洋に影響 受ける日本人の名前

Japanese Names Influenced by the West

Until the 1990’s many Japanese people named their children by including one kanjicharacter from their own names, or something relevant to the baby’s sibling, or something that reflected the trends of the time. Since kanji have a meaning, people could guess the generation a person was born into and their gender just by looking at a name. However, these days there is a tendency to place more importance on the way a name sounds rather than its meaning. Even Japanese people can hardly read names correctly due to unnatural kanji used only for phonetic purposes. Furthermore, the number of so called “kirakira (flashy) names,” such as stage names has also increased.

1990年代せんきゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうねんだい
sennkyuuhyaku kyuujuunenn’dai
(the) nineteen-nineties
まで、
made,
until
日本人にほんじん
nihonnjinn no
Japanese people
おおくは
ooku ha
many
どもに、
kodomo ni,
(their) children
おや名前なまえ
oya no namae
their own <parents’> names
から
kara
from
漢字かんじ
kannji
kanji
ひと文字もじ
hitomoji wo
one character
れる、
ireru,
by including
または、
aruiha,
or
きょうだい
kyoudai
(the baby’s) sibling
to
to
関連かんれんづけたり
kannrenn’duke tari
something relevant or
世相せそう
sesou wo
(the) trends of (the) time
反映はんえいした
hannei shita
something that reflect
名前なまえけました。
namae wo tsuke mashita.
named
漢字かんじには
kannji niha
kanji
意味いみ
imi ga
(a) meaning
ある
aru
have
ので、
node,
since
名前なまえ
namae wo
(a) name
れば、
mire ba
(just) by looking at
まれた年代ねんだい
umareta nenndai
(a person) was born into (the) generation
ya
and
性別せいべつ
seibetsu ga
(their) gender
推測すいそくできました。
suisoku deki mashita.
(people) could guess
しかし、
shikashi,
however
近年きんねん
kinnen ha
these days
意味いみ
imi
(its) meaning
よりも
yori mo
rather than
名前なまえひびきを
namae no hibiki wo
(a) name sounds on (the way)
重視じゅうしする
juushi suru
to place more importance
傾向けいこう
keikou ga
(a) tendency
あります。
ari masu.
there is
文字もじおとわせた
moji no oto ni awaseta
(only) for phonetic purposes
不自然ふしぜん漢字かんじ
fushizennna kannji ga
unnatural kanji
てられる
ate rareru
used
ため、
tame,
due to
日本人にほんじん
nihonnjinn
Japanese people
でも
demo
even
ただしく
tadashiku
correctly
めなくなっています。
yomenaku natte i masu.
can hardly read (names)
さらに、
sarani,
furthermore
芸名げいめい
geimei
stage names
のような、
no youna,
such as
いわゆる
iwayuru
so called
キラキラネームきらきらねーむ」が
“kirakira ne-mu” ga
(the number of) kirakira (flashy) names
えました。
fue mashita.
has also increased

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