Japanese Names

鈴木一郎 (すずき-いちろう) Suzuki Ichirou

Do you know which one is the surname?

In English, the surname would come last (and thus is aptly called a last name) but that’s not how it works in Japan.  When reading Japanese names, the surname comes before the given name.  Actually, it would be considered the upper name because Japanese is written vertically.  The surname is called 名字 (みょうじ). In Japanese, the given name is called 名前 (なまえ) or 下の名前 (したのなまえ), which literally means bottom name.

Most Japanese people have only one surname and one given name.  Middle names are usually not given.  There are thousands of Japanese family names, and many different Kanji combinations. The Japanese imperial family members have no surname. Given names in Japanese are usually combinations of Kanji or written with Kana alone.  The Kanji for a name may have several different pronunciations.  Names that are written in only Hiragana and Katakana are only phonetic readings and do not have the meaning that would be expressed by Kanji.

子 (KO) meaning “child” was a very popular name ending for girls.  It’s not as popular in modern times but names containing -ko at the end can certainly still be used.  Usually the Kanji preceding the -ko ending are lovely or beautiful in nature.

AIKO   愛子  (愛 (ai) “love, affection”,  藍 “indigo”)

AKIKO   晶子, 明子, 秋子   (晶 (aki) “sparkle”, 明 (aki) “bright”, 秋 (aki) “autumn”)

ATSUKO   温子, 篤子, 敦子   (温 (atsu) “warm”, 篤 (atsu) “kind, cordial”, 敦 (atsu) “honest”)

AYAKO   彩子, 綾子, 絢子   (彩 (aya) “colour”, 綾 (aya) “design”, 絢 (aya) “kimono design”)

CHIKAKO   千香子   (千 (chi) “thousand”, 香 (ka) “smell, perfume”)

CHIYOKO   千代子   (千 (chi) “thousand” and 代 (yo) “generations”)

CHOUKO   蝶子   (蝶 (chou) “butterfly”)

ETSUKO   悦子   (悦 (etsu) “joy”)

HANAKO   花子   (花 (hana) “flower”)

HARUKO   春子, 陽子   (春 (haru) “spring” or 陽 (haru) “sun, sunlight”)

HIROKO   寛子, 裕子, 浩子   (寛 (hiro) “tolerant, generous”, 裕 (hiro) “abundant” or 浩 (hiro) “prosperous”)

HOSHIKO   星子  (星 (hoshi) “star”)

JUNKO   順子, 純子  (順 (jun) “obedient” or 純 (jun) “genuine, pure”)

KAZUKO   一子, 和子  (一 (kazu) “one” or 和 (kazu) “harmony”)

KEIKO   慶子, 敬子, 啓子  (慶 (kei) “celebrate”, 敬 (kei) “respect” or 啓 (kei) “open”)

KIMIKO   后子, 君子   (后 (kimi) “empress” or 君 (kimi) “senior, noble”)

KIYOKO   清子   (清 (kiyo) “pure, clean”)

KUMIKO   久美子   (久 (ku) “long time”, 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

MARIKO   真里子   (真 (ma) “real, true”, 里 (ri) “village”)

MICHIKO   美智子   (美 (mi) “beautiful”, 智 (chi) “wisdom, intellect”)

MINAKO   美奈子  (美 (mi) “beautiful”, 奈 (na), a phonetic character)

MITSUKO   光子   (光 (mitsu) “light”)

MIYAKO   美夜子   (美 (mi) “beautiful”, 夜 (ya) “night”)

MOMOKO   百子, 桃子   (百 (momo) “hundred” or 桃 (momo) “peach tree”)

MORIKO   森子   (森 (mori) “forest”)

NAOKO   直子  (直 (nao) “honest, straight”)

NATSUKO   夏子   (夏 (natsu) “summer”)

NORIKO   法子, 典子 (法 (nori) “law, rule” or 典 (nori) “code, ceremony”)

RIKO   莉子, 理子   莉 (ri) “jasmine” or 理 (ri) “truth”)

SACHIKO   幸子  (幸 (sachi) “happiness”)

SAKURAKO   桜子  (桜 (sakura) “cherry blossom”)

SETSUKO   節子  (節 (setsu) “occasion, period, melody”)

SUMIKO   澄子  (澄 (sumi) “clear”)

TAKAKO   孝子  (孝 (taka) “filial piety”)

TAMIKO   多美子   (多 (ta) “many”, 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

TOMIKO   富子  (富 (tomi) “wealth, abundance”)

TOMOKO   智子, 朋子   (智 (tomo) “wisdom, intellect” or 朋 (tomo) “friend”)

TSUKIKO   月子   (月 (tsuki) “moon”)

UMEKO   梅子   (梅 (ume) “plum”)

YOKO; YOUKO   陽子, 洋子  (陽 (you) “sun, sunlight” or 洋 (you) “ocean”)

YOSHIKO   良子, 芳子, 悦子   (良 (yoshi) “good”, 芳 (yoshi) “fragrant” or 悦 (yoshi) “joy”)

YUKO   優子  ( 優 (yu) “gentleness, superiority”)

YUKIKO   幸子, 雪子   (幸 (yuki) “happiness” or 雪 (yuki) “snow”)

YUMIKO   由美子, 弓子   (弓 (yumi) “archery bow” or 由 (yu) “reason” with 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

YUUKO   優子, 悠子, 裕子   (優 (yuu) “gentleness, superiority”, 悠 (yuu) “distant, leisurely” or 裕 (yuu) “abundant”)

It’s natural to want sweet girl names though, right? However, I’ve never seen a boy name end in -ko that’s had the meaning “child”.  There are a few that end in -o meaning “man, husband”.  Boys’ names usually end in -rou meaning “son” or “bright”.  Names ending in -rou can be paired with numbers to indicate the birth order of sons.

1. ICHIRO; ICHIROU   一郎   (一 (ichi) one” and 郎 (rou) “son”

2. JIRO; JIROU   二郎   (二 (ji) “two” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

3. SABURO; SABUROU   三郎   (三 (sabu) “three” and 郎 (rou) “son”

4. SHIRO; SHIROU   四郎   (四 (shi) “four” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

5. GORO; GOROU   五郎   (五 (go) “five” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

6. ROKURO; ROKUROU   六郎   (六 (roku) “six” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

7.  SHICHIRO; SHICHIROU   七郎   (七 (shichi) “seven” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

8. HACHIRO; HACHIROU   八郎  (八 (hachi) “eight” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

9. KURO; KUROU   九郎   (九 (ku) “nine” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

10. JURO; JUROU   十郎   (十 (ju) “ten” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

There are other -rou containing names.  Also, below are some male exclusive names featuring -o. Boys are usually given strong or prosperous Kanji in their names. No sweetness in this realm. The manlier the better!
AKIO   明夫, 明男, 昭雄   m (明(aki) “bright”; 夫 (o) “husband, man”, 男 (o) “male, man” or 雄 (o) “hero, manly”)

KATSUO   勝雄   (勝 (katsu) “victory” and 雄 (o) “hero, manly”)

KATSURO; KATSUROU   勝郎   (勝 (katsu) “victory” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

KAZUO   一男, 和夫   (一 (kazu) “one” or 和 (kazu) “harmony” combined with 男 (o) “male” or 夫 (o) “husband, man”)

KICHIRO; KICHIROU   吉郎   m   (吉 (kichi) “good luck” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

TARO; TAROU 太 (ta) “thick, big” and 郎 (rou) “son”.

YOSHIRO; YOSHIROU   義郎   (義 (yoshi) “righteous” and 郎 (rou) “son”)

And… below are a bunch of other names. There are some names that I love; some I think are okay.  There are names on this list that I would honestly name my children. Of course you could change the Kanji around to find a nice meaning. By all means, give yourself a Japanese name. There are lots of names out there and like everything else in Japanese, there are tons of possiblities. The link below may help a bit (I already have JishoDenshi directed to the name dictionary). Just type in a name to find out other names and the various Kanji used.  Then you can go to “Kanji details” to see the meaning. Sometimes there are pages and pages of the same name. Don’t get overwhelmed~!

http://jisho.org/words?jap=&eng=&dict=enamdic

I don't know if you really need a key... ah, well:

f = the name is only for females
m = the name is only for males
m & f = the name is suitable for either gender

AI   愛, 藍   f (愛 “love, affection” or 藍 “indigo”)

AIMI   愛美   f (愛 (ai) “love, affection” and 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

AINA   愛菜   f (愛 (ai) “love, affection” and 菜 (na) “vegetables, greens”)

AIRI   愛莉, 愛梨   f (愛 (ai) “love, affection”; 莉 (ri) “jasmine” or 梨 (ri) “pear”.

AKANE   茜   f (Means “deep red” in Japanese)

AKEMI   明美   f (明 (ake) “bright” and 美 (mi) “beautiful”.)

AKI   晶, 明, 秋    f (晶 “sparkle”, 明 “bright” or 秋”autumn”)

AKIRA   昭, 明, 亮   m & f  (昭 “bright”, 明 “bright” or 亮 “clear”)

AMI   亜美  f (亜 (a) “second, Asia” and 美 (mi)”beautiful”)

AOI   葵, 碧  f & m (葵 “hollyhock, althea” or 碧”blue”)

ARATA   新   m   Means “fresh, new” in Japanese.

ASUKA   明日香   f   (明日 (asu) “tomorrow” and 香 (ka) “smell, perfume”)

AYA   彩, 綾   f  (彩 “colour” or 綾 “design”)

AYAKA   彩花, 彩華   f   (彩 (aya) “colour” combined with 花 (ka) “flower” or 華 (ka) “petal”)

AYAME   菖蒲  f   Means “iris” in Japanese.

AYANE   彩音, 綾音, 絢音   f   (彩 (aya) “colour”, 綾 (aya) “design” or 絢 (aya) “kimono design” combined with 音 (ne) “sound”)

AYANO   彩乃, 綾乃   f   (彩 (aya) “colour” or 綾 (aya) “design” combined with 乃 (no), a possessive particle)

AYUMU   歩夢   m   (歩 (ayu) “walk” and 夢 (mu) “dream, vision”)

CHIKA   千佳, 智佳, 千花, 智花, 散花   f   (千 (chi) “thousand”, 智 (chi) “wisdom, intellect” or 散 (chi) “scatter” combined with 佳 (ka) “good, fine” or 花 (ka) “flower”)

CHINATSU   千夏   f   (千 (chi) “thousand” and 夏 (natsu) “summer”)

CHIYO   千代, 千世   f   (千 (chi) “thousand” combined with 代 (yo) “generations” or 世 (yo) “world”)

CHO;   CHOU   蝶  f   Means “butterfly” in Japanese.

DAICHI   大地, 大智   m   (大 (dai) “large, great” combined with 地 (chi) “earth, land” or 智 (chi) “wisdom, intellect”)

DAIKI   大輝, 大樹, 大貴   m   (大 (dai) “large, great” combined with 輝 (ki) “radiance”, 樹 (ki) “tree” or 貴 (ki) “valuable, noble”)

DAISUKE   大輔   m   (大 (dai) “large, great” and 輔 (suke) “help”)

EMI   恵美, 絵美  f   (恵 (e) “blessing, favour” or 絵 (e) “picture” combined with 美 (mi)”beautiful”)

HANA    花, 華  f   (花 or 華which both mean “flower”)

HARU   陽, 春, 晴  m   (陽 “sun, sunlight”, 春 “spring” or 晴”clear up”)

HARUKA   遥, 春花, 晴香   f   (遥 “far off, distant)

HARUKI   晴輝, 陽生   m   (晴 (haru) “clear up” or 陽 (haru) “sun, sunlight” combined with 輝 (ki) “radiance, shine” or 生 (ki) “life”)

HARUNA   晴菜, 遥菜, 春菜   f   (晴 (haru) “clear up”, 遥 (haru) “far off, distant” or 春 (haru) “spring” combined with 菜 (na) “vegetables, greens”)

HARUTO   陽斗, 遥斗, 陽翔, 晴斗   m   (陽 (haru) “sun, sunlight”, 遥 (haru) “distant” or 晴 (haru) “clear up” combined with 斗 (to), which refers to the constellation Ursa Major, or 翔 (to) “soar, fly”)
HAYATE   颯  m   Means “smooth” in Japanese.

HAYATO   隼人   m   (隼 (haya) “falcon” and 人 (to) “person”)

HIBIKI   響   m   Means “echo, sound” in Japanese.

HIDEAKI   英明   m   英 (hide) “excellent” and 明 (aki) “bright”)

HIDEKI   秀樹, 英樹   m  (秀 (hide) “esteem, excellence” or 英 (hide) “excellent” combined with 樹 (ki) “tree”)

HIDEYOSHI   秀良, 秀吉   m   (秀 (hide) “esteem, excellence” combined with 良 (yoshi) “good” or 吉 (yoshi) “good luck”)

HIKARI   光  f   Means “light” in Japanese.

HIKARU   光, 輝   m & f   (光 “light” or 輝 “radiance”)

HINA   陽菜, 日菜   f   (陽 (hi) “sun, sunlight” or 日 (hi) “day, sun” combined with 菜 (na) “vegetables, greens”)

HINATA   向日葵, 陽向   f & m   (向日葵 “sunflower” or 陽向 “facing the sun”)

HIRAKU   拓   m   Means “expand, open, pioneer” in Japanese.

HIROSHI   寛, 浩  m   (寛 “tolerant, generous” or 浩”prosperous”)

HIROTO   大翔, 博斗   m   (大 (hiro) “large, great” or 博 (hiro) “command, esteem” combined with 翔 (to) “soar, fly” or 斗 (to), which refers to the constellation Ursa Major)

HITOMI   瞳, 智美   f   ( 瞳 “pupil of the eye” — given to girls with gorgeous eyes)

HONOKA   和花   f   (和 (hono) “harmony” (using an obscure nanori reading) and 花 (ka) “flower”)
HOSHI   星   f   Means “star” in Japanese.

HOTAKA   穂高   m   (穂 (ho) “grain” and 高 (taka) “tall”)

HOTARU   蛍  f   Means “firefly” in Japanese.

ISAMU   勇  m   Means “courage, bravery” in Japanese.

ITSUKI   樹   m  Means “tree” in Japanese.

IZUMI   泉   f   Means “fountain, spring” in Japanese.

KAEDE   楓   f & m   Means “maple” in Japanese.

KAITO   海斗, 海翔   m   (海 (kai) “sea, ocean” combined with 斗 (to), which refers to the constellation Ursa Major, or 翔 (to) “soar, fly”)

KANON   花音   f   (花 (ka) “flower” and 音 (non) “sound”)

KAORI (かおり 香, 香織  f   (香”smell, perfume, fragrance”)

KAORU   薫  f & m   Means “fragrance” in Japanese.

KASUMI   霞, 花澄  f   From Japanese 霞 “mist”

KATASHI   堅   m   Means “firm, hard” in Japanese.

KATSU   勝   m   Means “victory” in Japanese.

KAZUE   和枝, 一恵, 一枝   f   (和 (kazu) “harmony” or 一 (kazu) “one” combined with 枝 (e) “branch” or 恵 (e) “blessing, favour”)

KAZUKI   一輝, 和希  m   (一 (kazu) “one” or 和 (kazu) “harmony” combined with 輝 (ki) “radiance, shine” or 希 (ki) “hope”)

KEN  健   m  Means “healthy, strong” in Japanese.

KEN’ICHI   健一, 研一   m   (健 (ken) “healthy, strong” or 研 (ken) “study” combined with 一 (ichi) “one”)

KENJI   研二   m   (研 (ken) “study” and 二 (ji) “two”)

KENSHIN   謙信   m   (謙 (ken) “modest” and 信 (shin) “truth”)

KENTA   健太   m   (健 (ken) “healthy, strong” and 太 (ta) “thick, big”)

KIKU   菊   f   Means “chrysanthemum” in Japanese.

KIYOSHI   淳  m   Means “pure” in Japanese.

KOHAKU   琥珀   f & m   Means “amber” in Japanese.

KOKORO  (こころ) 心  f   Means “heart, spirit” in Japanese.

KOTONE   琴音   f   (琴 (koto) “harp, lute” and 音 (ne) “sound”)

KOUKI   光希, 幸輝   m   (光 (kou) “light” or 幸 (kou) “happiness” combined with 希 (ki) “hope” or 輝 (ki) “radiance, shine”)

KOUTA   康太   m   (康 (kou) “peace” and 太 (ta) “thick, big”)

KYO; KYOU   協, 京, 郷, 杏  m & f   (協 “cooperation”, 協 “capital”, 郷 “village” or 杏”apricot”)

MAI  舞, 麻衣, 真愛  f   (舞 “dance” or 麻衣 “linen robe”… 真 (ma) “real, true” combined with 愛 (ai) “love, affection”)

MAKOTO   誠  m & f   Means “sincerity” in Japanese.

MAMI   真美, 麻美   f   (真 (ma) “real, true” or 麻 (ma) “flax” combined with 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

MANAMI   愛美, 愛海   f   (愛 (mana) “love, affection” combined with 美 (mi) “beautiful” or 海 (mi) “sea, ocean”)

MAO   真央, 真緒, 舞桜   f   (真 (ma) “real, true” or 舞 (ma) “dance” combined with 央 (o) “center”, 緒 (o) “thread” or 桜 (ou) “cherry blossom”)

MASAMI   成美   f   (成 (masa) “become” and 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

MASARU   勝   m   Means “victory” in Japanese.

MASUYO   益世   f   益 (masu) “benefit” and 世 (yo) “world”.

MAYU   真優, 満夕   f   (真 (ma) “true” or 満 (ma) “full” combined with 優 (yu) “gentleness, superiority” or 夕 (yu) “evening”)

MEGUMI  (めぐみ) 恵  f   Means “blessing” in Japanese.

MEI   芽依, 芽生, 芽衣   f   (芽 (me) “bud, sprout” combined with 依 (i) “reliant”, 生 (i) “life” or 衣 (i) “clothing, garment”)

MICHI   道  m & f   Means “path” in Japanese.

MIDORI   緑  f   Means “green” in Japanese.

MIKA   美香, 美加   f   (美 (mi) “beautiful” combined with 香 (ka) “smell, perfume” or 加 (ka) “increase”)

MIKI   美紀   f   (美 (mi) “beautiful” and 紀 (ki) “chronicle”)

MIKU   美空, 美久, 未来   f   (美 (mi) “beautiful” combined with 空 (ku) “sky” or 久 (ku) “long time”)

MINORU   実  m   Means “truth” in Japanese.

MIO   美桜, 美緒   f   ( 美 (mi) “beautiful” combined with 桜 (ou) “cherry blossom” or 緒 (o) “thread”)

MISAKI   美咲   f   (美 (mi) “beautiful” and 咲 (saki) “blossom”)

MIU   美羽   f   (美 (mi) “beautiful” and 羽 (u) “feather”)

MIYU   美優, 美結, 実優, 美夕   f   (美 (mi) “beautiful” or 実 (mi) “truth” combined with 優 (yu) “gentleness, superiority” or 結 (yu) “tie, bind” or 夕 (yu) “evening”)

MIZUKI   美月, 瑞希   f   (美 (mi) “beautiful” and 月 (zuki) “moon”)

MOE   萌   f   Means “bud, sprout” in Japanese.

MOMOKA   百花, 桃花, 桃香   f   (百 (momo) “hundred” or 桃 (momo) “peach tree” combined with 花 (ka) “flower” or 香 (ka) “smell, perfume”)

NAOKI   直樹  m (直 (nao) “honest, straight” and 樹 (ki) “tree”)

NANA   菜々, 奈々   f   (菜 (na) “vegetables, greens” or 奈 (na), a phonetic character)

NANAMI   七海   f   (七 (nana) “seven” and 海 (mi) “sea”

NAOMI   直美   f   (直 (nao) “honest, straight” and 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

NATSUKI   菜月, 夏希   f   (菜 (na) “vegetables, greens” and 月 (tsuki) “moon”. 夏 (natsu) “summer” and 希 (ki) “hope”)

NATSUMI   夏美, 菜摘   f   (夏 (natsu) “summer” and 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

NOA    乃愛   f   (乃 (no), a possessive particle, and 愛 (a) “love, affection”)

NOBORU   翔   m   Means “rise, ascend” in Japanese.

NOBU   延   m   Means “prolong, stretch” in Japanese.

NOBURU   伸   m   Means “expand” in Japanese.

NOBUYUKI   信幸   m   (信 (nobu) “truth” and 幸 (yuki) “happiness”)

NORI   儀   m   Means “rule, ceremony” in Japanese.

OSAMU   修   m   Means “discipline, study” in Japanese.

RAN   蘭   f   Means “orchid” in Japanese.

REI   鈴, 麗   f   From Japanese 鈴 “bell” or 麗 “lovely”.

REN   蓮, 恋  m & f   (蓮 “lotus” or 恋 “romance, love”.

RIKU   陸   m   Means “land” in Japanese.

RIKUTO   陸斗, 陸人   m  (陸 (riku) “land” combined with 斗 (to), which refers to the constellation Ursa Major, or 人 (to) “person”)

RIN   凛  f   Means “dignified, severe, cold” in Japanese.

RINA    莉奈, 里菜   f   (莉 (ri) “jasmine” or 里 (ri) “village” combined with 奈 (na), a phonetic character, or 菜 (na) “vegetables, greens”)

RIO   莉央, 莉緒, 里桜   f   (莉 (ri) “jasmine” or 里 (ri) “village” combined with 央 (o) “center”, 緒 (o) “thread” or 桜 (ou) “cherry blossom”)

RYO; RYOU   涼, 遼, 諒   m   (涼 “cool, refreshing”, 遼 “distant” or 諒 “reality”)

RYOICHI; RYOUICHI   良一, 亮一   m   (良 (ryou) “good” or 亮 (ryou) “clear” combined with 一 (ichi) “one”)

RYOTA; RYOUTA   涼太, 亮太, 良太   m   (涼 (ryou) “cool, refreshing”, 亮 (ryou) “clear” or 良 (ryou) “good” combined with 太 (ta) “thick, big”)

RYUU   龍, 竜   m   (龍 or 竜 which both mean “dragon”)

RYUUNOSUKE   龍之介, 隆之介   m  (龍 (ryuu) “dragon” or 隆 (ryuu) “noble, prosperous” combined with 之 (no) “of” and 介 (suke) “forerunner, herald”)

SAKI   咲希  f   (咲 (sa) “blossom” and 希 (ki)”hope”)

SAKURA   桜, 咲良   f   (桜 “cherry blossom”, though it is often written さくら using the hiragana writing system.)

SATOMI   里美, 聡美  f   (里 (sato) “village” or 聡 (sato) “wise” combined with 美 (mi)”beautiful”)

SAYURI   小百合   f   (小 (sa) “small” and 百合 (yuri) “lily”)

SHIN   真   m  Means “real, true” in Japanese.

SHINJU   真珠   f   Means “pearl” in Japanese.

SHINOBU   忍   f & m  Means “endurance” in Japanese.

SHIORI   栞   f   Means “bookmark” in Japanese.

SHIZUKA   静夏, 静香   f   (静 (shizu) “quiet” combined with 夏 (ka) “summer” or 香 (ka) “smell, perfume”)

SHO; SHOU   翔  m   Means “soar, fly” In Japanese.

SHOUTA   翔太   m   (翔 (shou) “soar, fly” and 太 (ta) “thick, big”)

SHUN   駿, 俊   f & m   (駿 “fast” or 俊 “talented”)

SORA   空, 昊   f & m  (空 or 昊 – both mean “sky”)

SOUTA   颯太   m   (颯 (sou) “suddenly, smoothly” and 太 (ta) “thick, big”)

SUSUMU   進   m   Means “advance, proceed” in Japanese.

SUZU   鈴  f   Means “bell” in Japanese.

SUZUME   雀  f   Means “sparrow” in Japanese.

TAICHI   太一   m   (太 (ta) “thick, big” and 一 (ichi) “one”)

TAIKI   大輝   m   (大 (tai) “large, great” and 輝 (ki) “radiance, shine”)

TAKAHIRO   貴大, 孝浩   m  (貴 (taka) “valuable, noble” or 孝 (taka) “filial piety” combined with 大 (hiro) “large, great” or 浩 (hiro) “prosperous”)

TAKARA   宝  f   Means “treasure” in Japanese.

TAKASHI   孝, 隆, 崇   m   (孝 “filial piety”, 隆 “noble, prosperous” or 崇 “reverence”)

TAKESHI   武  m   Means “military, warrior” in Japanese.

TAKUMA   拓真   m   (拓 (taku) “expand, open, pioneer” and 真 (ma) “real, true”)

TAKUMI   匠, 巧, 拓海, 拓実  m   (匠 “artisan” or 巧 “skilled”… 拓 (taku) “expand, open, pioneer” combined with 海 (mi) “sea, ocean” or 実 (mi) “truth”

TAKEHIKO   武彦, 竹彦   m   (武 (take) “military” or 竹 (take) “bamboo” combined with 彦 (hiko) “boy, prince”)

TOMOMI   朋美   f  (朋 (tomo) “friend” and 美 (mi) “beautiful”)

TSUBAKI   椿   f   Means “camellia flower” in Japanese.

TSUBAME   燕   f   Means “swallow (bird)” in Japanese.

TSUBASA   翼   m & f   Means “wing” in Japanese.

WAKANA   和奏   f   (和 (wa) “harmony” and 奏 (kana) “play music, complete”)

YASU   安, 康, 坦  f & m   (安 “peaceful”, 康 “peace” or 坦 “level”.)

YORI   頼  m   Means “trust” in Japanese.

YOSHI   吉, 義, 良   m & f   (吉 “good luck”, 義 “righteous”, or 良 “good”)

YOUTA   陽太   m   (陽 (you) “sun, sunlight” and 太 (ta) “thick, big”)

YUA   結愛   f   (結 (yu) “tie, bind” and 愛 (a) “love, affection”)

YUI   結衣, 優衣, 結   f   (結 (yu) “tie, bind” or 優 (yu) “gentleness, superiority” combined with 衣 (i) “clothing, garment”)

YUINA   結菜   f   (結 (yui) “tie, bind” and 菜 (na) “vegetables, greens”)

YUKI   幸, 雪, 由貴, 由紀  f & m   (幸 “happiness” or 雪”snow”)

YUMI   弓, 由美, 友美, 弓美  f   (弓 “archery bow”. 由 (yu) “reason”, 友 (yu) “friend” or a nanori reading of 弓 (yu) “archery bow” combined with 美 (mi)”beautiful”)

YURI   百合  f   Means “lily” in Japanese.

YUU   優, 悠   m & f   (優 “gentleness, superiority” or 悠 “distant, leisurely”)

YUUDAI   雄大   m  ( 雄 (yuu) “hero, manly” and 大 (dai) “large, great”)

YUUKA   優花  f   (優 (yuu) “gentleness, superiority” and 花 (ka) “flower”)

YUUKI   優希, 悠希, 優輝, 悠生  m & f   (優 (yuu) “gentleness, superiority” or 悠 (yuu) “distant, leisurely” combined with 希 (ki) “hope”, 輝 (ki) “radiance” or 生 (ki) “life”)

YUUMA   悠真, 優真   m   (悠 (yuu) “distant, leisurely” or 優 (yuu) “gentleness, superiority” combined with 真 (ma) “real, true”)

YUUNA   優菜, 優奈, 柚菜   f   (優 (yuu) “gentleness, superiority” or 柚 (yuu) “citron” combined with 菜 (na) “vegetables, greens” or 奈 (na), a phonetic character)

YUUTA   優太, 悠太, 勇太   m   (優 (yuu) “gentleness, superiority”, 悠 (yuu) “distant, leisurely” or 勇 (yuu) “brave” combined with 太 (ta) “thick, big”)

YUUTO   優斗, 悠斗, 悠人, 悠翔, 優翔   m   (優 (yuu) “gentleness, superiority” or 悠 (yuu) “distant, leisurely” combined with 斗 (to), which refers to the constellation Ursa Major, or 人 (to) “person” or 翔 (to) “soar, fly”)

YUZUKI   優月   f   (優 (yu) “gentleness, superiority” and 月 (zuki) “moon”)

http://hachidorida.wordpress.com/2011/11/03/japanese-names/

Useful Words & Phrases

Let’s expand our conversational skills, shall we?  Hopefully the greetings and farewells did not give you much trouble. By now, I expect that you know the Hiragana or that you are at least willing to refer to the chart. (http://hachidorida.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/the-kana-hiragana-and-katakana/)  If you’re that lazy, then there is no helping you!

I will give you a few useful Japanese phrases.  I will loosely group them based on their function and situation but I don’t think bold titles for every single group is necessary. You are smart~! You can figure it out.
To begin, two well-known phrases (or at least ones I hear many new students of Japanese use right away):

• お元気ですか? [おげんきですか?]  How are you? (lit. Are [you] healthy?)
• 元気です. [げんきです.] I’m fine. (lit. I’m healthy.)

And if you’re feeling adventurous:
おかげさまで元気です~! [おかげさまでげんきです~!] I’m fine, thank you~!

• すみません Pardon me. Excuse me. Sorry. (Can be used for many situations.)
• ごめん Sorry. (An apology for minor infractions.)
• ごめんなさい I’m sorry. (A more sincere apology than ごめん.)
• ちょっと 待ってください. [ちょっとまってください] Wait a moment, please.
• ありがとう. Thank you.
• ありがとうございます. Thank you very much. (more formal)
• どういたしまして. You’re welcome.
• はい Yes.
• いいえ. No

• おなかがすい I’m hungry.
• いただきます. I humbly receive. (Expression of gratitude before meals.)
• ごちそうさまでした. Thank you for this feast. (Said after meals.)
• のどがかわいた I’m thirsty.

• おめでとう! Congratulations!
• お誕生日おめでとう! [おたんじょうびおめでとう!] Happy birthday!
• お誕生日おめでとうございます! [おたんじょうびおめでとうございます!] Happy birthday! (more formal)
• 明けましておめでとう! [あけましておめでとう!] Happy New Year!
• 明けましておめでとうございます! あけましておめでとうございます! Happy New Year! (more formal)
• 良いお年を! [よいおとしを!] Have a good year! (Happy New Year!)
• 良い一日を! [よいいちにちを!] Have a nice day!
• 元気でね! [げんきでね!] Good luck! (For the future.)

http://hachidorida.wordpress.com/useful-words-phrases/

Greetings and Farewells

Greetings and farewells are a good place to start because they are used in daily life. You can consider them an introduction to Japanese; they are something you can begin practicing right away. I did not include any Kanji, but most of these phrases are usually written in Kana alone anyway. I’ve included the phrases in Romanji for those who may not know the Kana yet and offered explanations about why and when they are used.  Some of theses are considered casual, polite or formal. Casual phrases are considered rude when used in formal situations (such as when you are speaking to someone who is not familiar, someone who is older, someone who is more powerful or during ceremonies, etc.).  Formal phrases are too stiff for relaxed, casual conversations with close friends and family.  Polite forms are good most of the time, unless the situation calls for more rigid  formality. Some of the phrases below are not exactly considered formal or informal but are simply significant in Japanese culture.

Introductions are naturally formal. (For one thing, you obviously don’t know the person personally.) These first two greetings are used when meeting a person for the first time.  After that, you don’t have to worry about saying them again (to that particular person). Of course, when you meet a new person you will have to use it then!

• はじめまして   (hajimemashite) — Nice to meet you. (Used only when meeting someone for the first time)
• よろしくおねがいします (yoroshiku onegaishimas) — Please treat me kindly. (Used only when introducing oneself for the first time)

Below are some greetings that are used in daily life.  You’ll notice that for some of the phrases, は (normally pronounced ‘ha’) is pronounced ‘wa’.  This is because these phrases are shortened forms of originally longer expressions.

• おはよう (ohayou) — Mornin’. (casual; usually used until 11am)
• おはようございます (ohayou gozaimas) Good morning. (polite; usually used until 11am)
• こんにちは (konnichiwa) — Hello. Good afternoon.
• こんばんは (konbanwa) — Good evening.
• おひさしぶりです — (ohisashiburi des) It’s been a long time. (this is the polite form; casual ひさびさ (hisabisa) is like “Long time no see.”)
• ただいま (tadaima) — (similar to ”Im back.”; used when returning home)
• おかえりなさい (okaerinasai) — Welcome home.

Keep in mind that not all of these farewells match every situation.

• さようなら (sayounara) — Good bye. (formal; used when one is leaving for a long period of time)
• バイバイ (baibai) — Bye. (casual)
• じゃね / またね！( ja ne/mata ne!) — See you! Later! (casual)
• またあいましょう！(mata aimashou!) See you later! Let’s meet again! (polite)
• おやすみ (oyasumi) — G’night. (casual)
• おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai) — Good night. (polite)
• いってきます (ittekimas) — I’m going and coming back. (used when leaving home)
• おだいじに (odaiji ni) — Take care of yourself.
• いってらっしゃい (itterasshai) – Go and come back. (said to someone who is leaving home)

http://hachidorida.wordpress.com/greetings-farewells/

For Hachidori

A note about HACHIDORI: This is not my most up-to-date blog. For the most recent posts and information you should look here:

  http://hachidorida.wordpress.com/

It's still HACHIDORI~! I just happen to use it more. =)

Welcome~!

NOTE: This is not my most up-to-date blog. For the most recent posts and information you should look here: http://hachidorida.wordpress.com/.

Hi, hi~! =)

Many think that Japanese is near impossible to learn.  The truth is, being able to master any language takes great amounts of study, practice and dedication.  The most important of these is dedication because you won’t bother to study and practice if you dont have a strong will to learn the language.  Leave all of your excuses behind! There’s always that little red button at the top of the screen that says you can quit whenever you want…

Don’t you dare click it!

It is not impossible to learn Japanese.  There are millions of new things to learn and I know starting can be daunting.  Knowing how to approach it may help ease your worries and so, we will start with the basics.  Once you know the basic elements of Japanese, you can develop a system of studying. When you begin to recognize the patterns of Japanese writing and speech, you will explode into a world of understanding and studying won’t feel like such a chore.

The first thing I can assume about you is that you are interested in the country of Japan itself or its culture. Maybe you hope that learning a new language will enhance you career or aid you in life. Maybe you just watch entirely too much anime or read tons of different manga and want to enjoy them in their natural language. Original Japanese works of art, popular music, and literature can be yours to explore. Maybe you’d like to travel to Japan one day, journeying through such magnificent cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Why depend on someone else to translate for you?  Go get lost in Japan by yourself!

Whatever the case, I welcome you because it is for all of these reasons that I am studying Japanese too. I try to dip into every facet of Japanese culture while learning all the Japanese I can.

So are you ready? Come learn Japanese with me. =D