Speaking and pronunciation
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Speaking and pronunciation · Page 2
Japanese Names That Mean Strength and Courage: Yūki, Tsuyoshi, Shiho
Japanese names that mean courage usually contain 勇, as in 勇気 (Yūki) or 勇 (Isamu), and names that mean strength use kanji such as 剛, 毅 or 力, as in 剛 (Tsuyoshi) or 力 (Chikara). Most of them are boys' names; girls' names usually express strength more softly, through kanji like 志 (will) and 凛 (dignified).
10 min readJapanese Names That Mean Dragon: Ryū, Tatsuya, Ryūnosuke and More
Japanese names that mean dragon use the kanji 龍 or its simpler form 竜, read ryū or tatsu, as in 龍之介 (Ryūnosuke) or 竜也 (Tatsuya). A third kanji, 辰, is the dragon of the zodiac and appears in names such as 辰樹 (Tatsuki). Almost all real dragon names are boys' names.
10 min readJapanese Names That Mean Wind: Fūta, Kazane, Sōma and Suzuka
Japanese names that mean wind usually contain 風, read fū or kaze, as in 風太 (Fūta, boy) or 風音 (Kazane, girl). Others use breezy kanji such as 颯 (a brisk wind) in 颯真 (Sōma) or describe a cool breeze, as in 涼風 (Suzuka). Wind names suggest freedom, freshness and a light, easy spirit.
10 min readJapanese Names That Mean Peace and Kindness: Kazuha, Nene, Yūta
Japanese names that mean peace usually contain 和 (harmony), as in 和葉 (Kazuha) or 和真 (Kazuma), or calm kanji such as 寧, 静, 安 and 泰. Names that mean kindness often use 優 (gentle), as in 優太 (Yūta), or 寛 (generous), as in 寛 (Hiroshi). They wish for a child who lives in harmony with others.
10 min readJapanese Names That Mean Beautiful: Mirei, Reina, Aya and Miyabi
Japanese names that mean beautiful most often use 美 (mi), as in 美玲 (Mirei) or 直美 (Naomi), but other kanji describe different kinds of beauty: 麗 (graceful loveliness) in 麗奈 (Reina), 彩 (vivid colour) in 彩 (Aya), and 雅 (courtly elegance) in 雅 (Miyabi). Most are girls' names, but boys' names use beauty kanji too.
10 min readJapanese Names That Mean Dark or Shadow: Real Names and Fiction
The Japanese words for shadow and darkness are 影 (kage) and 闇 (yami), but real parents almost never use them in a child's name. Real names with a dark image use gentler kanji such as 玄 (Gen, deep black) or 黎 (Rei, the dark before dawn), while names like Kagemaru or Oboro belong mostly to fiction and games.
10 min readJapanese Names That Mean Nature and Forest: Taiki, Juri, Sui and More
Japanese names that mean forest are rarer than you might expect: 森 (mori) is mostly a surname. Instead, parents choose tree and plant kanji such as 樹 in 大樹 (Taiki, big tree) and 樹里 (Juri), 林 in 林太郎 (Rintarō), or green kanji such as 翠 (Sui) and 緑 (Midori). Land names like 大地 (Daichi) complete the nature family.
10 min readJapanese Names That Mean Blessing and Gift: Sachi, Yūsuke, Kei
Japanese names that mean blessing often use kanji with the radical 礻, linked to the gods, such as 祐 (divine help) in 祐介 (Yūsuke) or 祥 (good omen) in 祥子 (Shōko). Names of happiness and good fortune use 幸, as in 幸 (Sachi), and names of celebration use 慶, as in 慶 (Kei). The gift idea is often expressed by treasure kanji such as 珠, as in 珠希 (Tamaki).
11 min readKirakira Names: Japan's Sparkly Name Readings and Why They Are Debated
A kirakira name (キラキラネーム, literally a sparkly name) is a Japanese given name whose kanji are ordinary but whose reading is unusual: 心愛 read Kokoa, 月 read Runa or 騎士 read Naito. People debate them because they show love and individuality, but they are hard for teachers, doctors and employers to read.
13 min readNanori: The Kanji Readings Used Only in Japanese Names
Nanori (名乗り) are kanji readings used mainly in personal names, outside the usual on'yomi and kun'yomi you learn at school. They are why 和也 is Kazuya, 博之 is Hiroyuki and 智子 is Tomoko, and learning the twenty or so common ones makes most Japanese names readable.
10 min readHow Japanese Baby Names Are Chosen: Sound, Kanji and Stroke Counts
Japanese parents usually choose a baby name by balancing four things: the sound (hibiki), the meaning of the kanji, how the name looks written out, and often the stroke count, checked with a fortune method called seimei handan. The name must use kanji approved for names or kana, and it goes on the birth registration, normally within 14 days.
11 min readOld-Fashioned Japanese Names: -ko, -e, -rō, -bē and Retro Revivals
Old-fashioned Japanese names include women's names ending in -ko (子) or -e (江, 枝), short kana names like Hana or Ume, and men's names ending in -rō (郎), -kichi (吉), -zō (蔵) or the Edo-era -bē (兵衛). Many sound retro today, and some, such as names ending in -nosuke or short classic girls' names, are coming back.
10 min readPractical guides
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