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Japan Naming Customs: Difference between revisions
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*Many people adopted '''historical names, others simply made names up, chose names through divination, or had a Shinto or Buddhist priest choose a surname for them'''. This explains, in part, the large number of surnames in Japan, as well as their great diversity of spelling and pronunciation, and makes tracing ancestry past a certain point extremely difficult in Japan. | *Many people adopted '''historical names, others simply made names up, chose names through divination, or had a Shinto or Buddhist priest choose a surname for them'''. This explains, in part, the large number of surnames in Japan, as well as their great diversity of spelling and pronunciation, and makes tracing ancestry past a certain point extremely difficult in Japan. | ||
==Given Names== | ==Given Names== | ||
*During the period when typical parents had several children, it was a common practice to '''name sons by numbers suffixed with rō (郎, "son")''. The first son would be known as "Ichirō", the second as "Jirō", and so on. | *During the period when typical parents had several children, it was a common practice to '''name sons by numbers suffixed with rō (郎, "son")'''. The first son would be known as "Ichirō", the second as "Jirō", and so on. | ||
*Girls were often named with ko (子, "child") at the end of the given name; this should not be confused with the less common male suffix hiko (彦). Both practices have become less common, although many children still have names along these lines. | *Girls were often named with ko (子, "child") at the end of the given name; this should not be confused with the less common male suffix hiko (彦). Both practices have become less common, although many children still have names along these lines. | ||
*Many ethnic minorities, mostly Korean and Chinese, living in Japan adopt Japanese names. The roots of this custom go back to the colonial-era policy of sōshi-kaimei, which forced Koreans to change their names to Japanese names. Nowadays, ethnic minorities, mostly Korean, who immigrated to Japan after WWII, take on Japanese names, sometimes called pass names, to ease communication and, more importantly, to avoid discrimination. | *Many '''ethnic minorities, mostly Korean and Chinese, living in Japan adopt Japanese names'''. The roots of this custom go back to the colonial-era policy of sōshi-kaimei, which forced Koreans to change their names to Japanese names. Nowadays, ethnic minorities, mostly Korean, who immigrated to Japan after WWII, take on Japanese names, sometimes called pass names, to ease communication and, more importantly, to avoid discrimination. | ||
*Japan's Christians traditionally have '''Christian names in addition to their native Japanese names'''. These Christian names are written using katakana, and are adapted to Japanese phonology from their Portuguese or Latin forms rather than being borrowed from English. Peter, for example, is Petoro (ペトロ), John is Yohane (ヨハネ), Jacob is Yakobu (ヤコブ), Martin is Maruchino (マルチノ), Dominic is Dominiko (ドミニコ), and so on.[20] For most purposes in real life, the Christian names aren't used; for example, Taro Aso has a Christian name, Francis (フランシスコ Furanshisuko), which is not nearly as well-known. | *Japan's Christians traditionally have '''Christian names in addition to their native Japanese names'''. These Christian names are written using katakana, and are adapted to Japanese phonology from their Portuguese or Latin forms rather than being borrowed from English. Peter, for example, is Petoro (ペトロ), John is Yohane (ヨハネ), Jacob is Yakobu (ヤコブ), Martin is Maruchino (マルチノ), Dominic is Dominiko (ドミニコ), and so on.[20] For most purposes in real life, the Christian names aren't used; for example, Taro Aso has a Christian name, Francis (フランシスコ Furanshisuko), which is not nearly as well-known. | ||