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Thread: What Japanese family names do you find cool ?

  1. #101
    Banned ricecake's Avatar
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    Does anyone here have a list of Japanese surnames pertain to Ainu heritage,my enquiring mind wanting to know ?



    off-topic ...

    My best friend's last name is a rare compound Chinese surname Mu-Rong,it can trace family roots to ancient Mongol Xien-Bei Nomadic clan once roamed northern half of old Manchuria.

  2. #102
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    伴(ban) was the defeated soldier fleeing the enemy of 平(Taira) clan
    it means ppl of Taira (人+平)

  3. #103
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    a fyunny surname is 小鳥遊(takanashi,高梨.)
    there is no hawk(taka、鷹).

  4. #104
    Regular Member Kyoko_desu's Avatar
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    Hey, I was browsing the site I linked for ricecake-san the other day and found these funny family names 百足( むかで) and 鼻毛(はなげ). The first one means a centipede and the second one is nostril hair. Now they are definitely my fav. Japanese family names!

  5. #105
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    Here is one three-character Japanese surname Ikarashi,I find uncommon.

  6. #106
    相変わらず不束者です epigene's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ricecake View Post
    Here is one three-character Japanese surname Ikarashi,I find uncommon.
    If you mean 五十嵐 , it's read "Igarashi."

    My maiden name is an unusual three-character name, but I'm not telling...

  7. #107
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    Quote Originally Posted by epigene View Post
    If you mean 五十嵐 , it's read " Igarashi ".

    My maiden name is an unusual three-character name, but I'm not telling...
    Oh,I see ... thanks for the spelling correction.

    There is one very interesting four-character Japanese surname literally means August 1,written as " 8 month 1 day " in Kanji.The site where I spotted it has no translation,I like to know how it's written in Romanji.
    Last edited by ricecake; Aug 31, 2006 at 06:00.

  8. #108
    相変わらず不束者です epigene's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ricecake View Post
    Oh,I see ... thanks for the spelling correction.
    There is one very interesting four-character Japanese surname literally means August 1,written as " 8 month 1 day " in Kanji.The site where I spotted it has no translation,I like to know how it's written in Romanji.
    There are 3 variations to read 八月一日 which, if not a name, is read "hachigatsu tsuitachi"
    (a) Hassaku
    (b) Hozumi
    (c) Yabumi

    Source: http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~suzakihp/index40.html

  9. #109
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    Quote Originally Posted by epigene View Post

    There are 3 variations to read 八月一日

    (a) Hassaku
    (b) Hozumi
    (c) Yabumi
    Your time is appreciated

    What's the explanation for the spelling variables,different pronounciation in regional Japanese dialects ?

    I can't explain it,all those 3 and 4 character Japanese surnames fascinate me.We have several compound surnames,either belong to our nomadic brethren or have origin of court official ranking in ancient times.

  10. #110
    相変わらず不束者です epigene's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ricecake View Post
    Your time is appreciated
    What's the explanation for the spelling variables,different pronounciation in regional Japanese dialects ?
    I can't explain it,all those 3 and 4 character Japanese surnames fascinate me.We have several compound surnames,either belong to our nomadic brethren or have origin of court official ranking in ancient times.
    I think the reading "Hassaku" comes from 八朔 which is the first day of August in the lunar calendar (I think), which is a special day for festivities praying for a good harvest. It is also the name of a citrus fruit grown in Hiroshima (probably because it ripens around that period?).

    "Hozumi" I have read somewhere that it probably comes from 穂+摘む , meaning "picking ears" of rice, which probably started around lunar Aug. 1.

    "Yazumi" I can only guess is a variation of "Hozumi" because the kanji 八 can be read "ya".

    There are books on the history of Japanese names if you go to Japanese bookstores, but I've never read them. From what I know, some are aristocratic names linked to the Imperial family, some are of samurai origin, and many are names derived from geographical locations and localities, such as names of regions or descriptions like "middle of rice field," "on the sunny side of a certain mountain," etc.

  11. #111
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    Quote Originally Posted by epigene View Post

    There are books on the history of Japanese names if you go to Japanese bookstores,but I've never read them.From what I know,some are aristocratic names linked to the Imperial family,some are of samurai origin, and many are names derived from geographical locations and localities,such as names of regions or descriptions like "middle of rice field," "on the sunny side of a certain mountain," etc.
    Good,I now have you confirmed there are published Japanese books on history of Japanese surnames available on commercial market.There is one Kinokuniya bookstore in the area,I can go there check it out if one in stock.

    My 600-page Chinese language copy on " Chinese common family names " has zero reference to Japanese or cross-reference to Japanese as a source or origin,however ton load of entries for ancient northern Nomadic hordes and Korean plus other Asia continental indigenous peoples on certain Chinese surnames adopted by them or trans-literated or chopped-off version of original multi-syllabic tribal names,etc.

    Once again,thanks for taking the time answered my questions.
    Last edited by ricecake; Sep 3, 2006 at 07:18.

  12. #112
    相変わらず不束者です epigene's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ricecake View Post
    Good,I now have you confirmed there are published Japanese books on history of surnames available on commercial market.
    There is one Kinokuniya bookstore in the area,I can go there check it out if one in stock.
    Once again,thanks for your time answering my questions.
    Well, I meant "Japanese" books--meaning in the Japanese language. I've never seen anything comprehensive written in English.

  13. #113
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    Quote Originally Posted by epigene View Post

    Well, I meant "Japanese" books--meaning in the Japanese language. I've never seen anything comprehensive written in English.
    As long as those Japanese surnames and references are written in Kanji,I should do ok.Well,I will make a trip to Kinokuniya and flip through the pages myself see if I can comprehend it.

    One local bookstore I frequent has good supplier sources in Taiwan,I can have the owner special order it for me if there is a Chinese translated version which I doubt it.

  14. #114
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    i like Murakami...its my husbands last name

  15. #115
    Regular Member yuuto's Avatar
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    about your new husband's name ... is it cool too ??
    “It's better to regret something you did than to regret something you didn't do.”

  16. #116
    天使の翅 RukaNightmare's Avatar
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    is there a surname yagami?? If there is i quite like it!!

    ☆薔薇の末裔☆

  17. #117
    dark_secrester
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    Any surname which is longer than 3 phonetics. Anything shorter than that is a bit rough to the voice.
    Kikuchi and Kobayashi are probably my favourite. I guess Kobayashi is the favourable. My best friend, who is English, has that as her surname (She is English but her family came over sometime in 1950s so they are as English as anyone. I'm just used to hearing the name Kobayashi... Not that we are going out or anything.... )

    quote from above: is there a surname yagami?? If there is i quite like it!!

    There probably is... If there were too many 'miyamoto's you would get confused, but the Japanese don't seem to have a problem, so I guess there is...

  18. #118
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    these are the ones I like. I learned some of them by watching jdorama..

    - Misora
    - Takagi
    - Nakata
    - Yamada
    - Hanafusa

  19. #119
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maciamo View Post
    Like in every languages, there are names that one likes and others not. I haven't thought long about it, but my favourite Japanese surnames include Fujiwara, Murakami, Shimizu, Maruyama and Nakamura. Likewise, those I dislike most include Goto, Kato, Sato, Abe and Kabe (basically the ones with "on" reading; they are shorter and sound too rough).
    What about you ?
    Wow, that sounds harsh. My best friend's last name is "Goto".

  20. #120
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    I love Yamamoto, Sugahara, Sugiyama, Hayashi

  21. #121
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    I must admit I love the family name Shirakawa it belongs to my lost love so I guess it will always be special and after researching Japanese histiry I found that the name was famous in the 12th century

  22. #122
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    I like Natsume, Kurosaki, Kuchiya, Takayanagi, and almost all that is long to pronounce. And I never get tired of saying them even over and over again.

  23. #123
    Junior Member Iyo's Avatar
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    Ever since I've stumbled upon it, I've really liked the surname Kurosaki (黒崎 ) as well. : )

    I have to say Higami is a nice one to. (From someone I know, to join the crowd.) ^_~

  24. #124
    Fan fiction writter C.Gholy's Avatar
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    I like Kiriyama, Souma, Inoue, Narahara, Nakagawa, Hiwartari, Kinomiya yeah there are my ones. You may reconise some of them if you like BR

  25. #125
    Polish and Proud Japolak's Avatar
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    Is Sikora Japanese? It seems Jap to me...

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