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Sonoka (そのか)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: so-no-kah [só̞.nò̞.kà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The first element is taken from 園(薗)/苑 (sono) meaning “garden, orchard, park.” It can also be split into two kanji, the second part written as either 乃/之 (no), referring to the possessive particle, or 野 (no) meaning “field.” Most kanji for the first part can be seen in the table below alongside some of the ones used for the second element:

so (そ) ka (か)
素 “plain” 佳 “beautiful, good”
想 “conception, idea, thought” 香/郁/薫/馨 “fragrance”
早 “early” 花/華 “flower”
初 “first, new” 加 “addition”
颯 “sudden, quick” 夏 “summer”
蒼 “blue” 果 “fruit”
奏 “playing music”* 歌 “song”
爽 “fresh”

* also used for the second element

Popularity:
The name started rising in usage in the 1980s, though usage levels at the beginning of the Heisei period (1989-2019) were within the 0.01% range. It rose to over 0.03% in 1994 and 1995, dropping slighty out in 1996 before peaking at around 0.045% in 1997. By 1999, it fell back down below 0.02%, largely remaining within the 0.01% range since then.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Sono (その)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: so-no [só̞.nò̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from 園(薗)/苑 (sono) meaning “garden, orchard, park.” Nowadays, it is more common to be written with 2 kanji, so kanji used including 想 meaning “conception, idea, thought,” 蒼, generally meaning “blue,” 爽 meaning “fresh,” 奏 meaning “playing music,” 颯 meaning “sudden, quick” or 素 meaning “plain.” As for the second element, it is mainly written as 乃 (no), referring to the possessive particle, but it can also be written as 野 (no) meaning “field.”

Popularity:
By the latter half of the Edo period (1603-1868), usage of Sono, which was mainly written phonetically, had grown to be somewhat common with percentage levels, when combining data from Tsunoda and Collazo, at around 0.55%, placing it within the bottom section of the top 50. Like other names of this type, it began to fall down in popularity in the latter half of the Meiji period (1868-1912), becoming rarely used by the 1930s.
Regarding Heisei period (1989-2019) popularity, it was given to around 0.002-3% of girls throughout much of the 1990s, slowing rising to over 0.005% by 2000 before making a more steep rise to over 0.015% by 2004. Since the late 2000s, percentages remain stable at around the 0.02% mark.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Sora (そら)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male, can be female as well
Pronunciation: so-rah [só̞.ɾà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name stems from the word 空 (sora) meaning “sky,” as a name also written as 昊, 宙, 天 and 穹. 大空 and 青空 (also, and more popularly, 蒼空 and 碧空) are also used, normally read as oozora and aozora and meaning “(literally) big sky, heavens, firmament, the blue” and “blue sky” respectively. The first kanji for aozora can also be used as a single kanji.
As far as other 2-kanji combinations go, the single kanji mentioned at the beginning are used as both a first and second element kanji. Other kanji in use for this type of combinations are shown in the table below:

so (そ) ra (ら)
奏 “playing music” 来/來 “arrival”
爽 “fresh” 良 “good”
想 “conception, idea, thought” 咲 “blossom”
颯 “quick, sudden” 楽 “comfort, ease”
壮 “vibrancy, strength, bravery” 桜 “cherry (tree, blossom)”
創 “making, building; start, origin, beginning” 愛 “love, affection”
星 “star”
翔 “fly, soar”
蘭 “orchid”
頼 “request, favour; trust”
礼 “gratitude; manners; gift”
麗 “lovely, beautiful”
大 “large, big”
虎 “tiger”

Image-based kanji combinations are not out of the question for Sora, most of which include:

  • 夏空, the first kanji meaning “summer”
  • 叶空, the first kanji meaning “grant, answer”
  • 希空, the first kanji meaning “rare” or part of 希望 (kibō) meaning “hope, wish, aspiration”
  • 輝空, the first kanji meaning “brightness, brilliance”
  • 幸空, the first kanji meaning “good luck, happiness”
  • 澄空, the first kanji meaning “lucidity, transparency”
  • 星空 – see the table above for 星
  • 美空, the first kanji meaning “beauty”
  • 夢空, the first kanji meaning “dream”
  • 優空, the first kanji meaning “gentle, elegant”

Simply put, the sky really is the limit for this name!

Popularity:
Although in use since at least the early 20th century, the name started to see its first signs of an increase in popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1990, it was given to just over 0.01% of both boys and girls. By the mid-1990s, the increase gets steeper, the percentages increasing to over 0.08% for boys and over 0.04% for girls by 1996, over 0.3% and over 0.12% by 2000 and over 0.84% and over 0.32% by 2007.
By then, Sora began to maintain its position within the boys’ top 20 and the lower half of the girls’ top 100, though over the past few years, the name flip flops out and back in the boys’ top 20, based on data from Baby Calendar, Tamahiyo and Meiji Yasuda Life.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Kotoha (ことは)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female
Pronunciation: ko-to-hah [kó̞.tò̞.hà]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The most popular form of this name is 琴葉, composed of 琴 (koto), referring to the 13-stringed Japanese zither, and 葉 (ha) meaning “leaf.” Other kanji used for this name include:

koto (こと) ha (は)
心 “heart, mind” 羽 “feather”
采 part of 采配 (saihai) “order, command” 花/華 “flower”
詩 “poem” 巴 heraldic comma design
詞 “language; word” 芭 part of 芭蕉 (bashō) “Japanese (fibre) banana”
寿 “congratulations; longevity” 春 “spring”
思 “thought” 遥 “far off, distant”
理 “reason, logic” 波 “wave”
想 “conception, idea, thought”* 晴 “clear, fine”
小 “small” 都 “metropolis” 果 “accomplishment, achievement”
恋 “(romantic) love” 永 “eternity” 映 “shine, glow”
瑚 part of 珊瑚 (sango) “coral” 友 “friend”

* also used as part of a split 1st element

Popularity:
In use since at least the 1980s, the name has seen growth in its popularity in the Heisei period (1989-2019). In 1990, it was given to only over 0.003% of girls, rising gradually to over 0.016% by 1996. The rise steepened in the late 1990s and early 2000s with over 0.15% of girls receiving this name by 2004. The growth slowed down for a while though, according to my preliminary 2014-9 names research and data from Tamahiyo, Meiji Yasuda Life and Baby Calendar, the middle and latter thirds of the 2010s saw Kotoha enter the top 100 for the first time, being used by well over 0.5% of girls over the past few years and ranking within the top 50.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Sōta (そうた)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: so:-tah [só̞ò̞.tà]
Variant transliterations: Sota, Souta, Sohta

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The second element of this name is most commonly written as 太 meaning “plump, thick,” with other ta kanji in use including 大 meaning “large, big,” 汰 meaning “wash, scour” and 多 meaning “many, much.” Second element kanji that are used more recently have ta as part of a reading (be it Sino-Japanese, native or name) and they include:

  • 泰 meaning “quiet, peaceful; great, excessive”
  • 空/天 meaning “sky”
  • 詩 meaning “poem”
  • 龍/竜 meaning “dragon”
  • 達 meaning “reach, arrive, attain”
  • 樹 meaning “tree”

As for the first element, any kanji with the reading sō can be used, most of them including:

  • 颯* meaning “sudden, quick”
  • 蒼 meaning “blue”
  • 壮 meaning “vibrancy, strength, bravery”
  • 創 meaning “making, building; start, origin, beginning”
  • 聡 meaning “wise”
  • 奏 meaning “playing music”
  • 爽 meaning “fresh”
  • 想 meaning “conception, idea, thought”
  • 湊 meaning “harbour, port”
  • 草 meaning “grass”
  • 早 meaning “early”
  • 宗 meaning “sect”
  • 綜 meaning “rule, synthesise”
  • 惣/総 meaning “whole, all”
  • 相 meaning “appearance, look”
  • 崇 meaning “respect”

* 楓, meaning “maple,” is also occasionally used for its similarity to 颯

Popularity:
This name was already in use by the Meiji period (1868-1912), though it was very uncommon at the time, becoming very rare before World War II. It would not start increasing again until the 1970s and 1980s.
By 1990, it was given to over 0.07% of boys, gradually increasing to over 0.25% by 1996 before jumping a tad more steeply to over 0.75% by 2000 and over 1.35% by 2004. Around that time, Sōta was already ranking within the top 10. Since the mid-2010s, Sōta is consistently ranked in 2nd place with an average of over 1.5%, well behind the top ranking boy name Haruto.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

Hakaru (はかる)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Male
Pronunciation: hah-kah–ruu [hà.ká.ɾɯ̟̀ᵝ]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
This name is derived from the verb 計る/量る (hakaru) “to measure, weigh, survey; to conjecture, infer.” Other kanji which relate to the verb include 策 meaning “plan, policy, measure,” 斗, from masu “measuring container, measure,” 議 meaning “discussion; thought, opinion,” 法 meaning “rule, law” and 規 meaning “standard.”

Popularity:
Overall usage of this name is pretty uncommon with calculations from telephone book data placing the overall percentage at nearly 0.006%. The majority of its usage took place in the early 20th century. For a man or baby boy born in the Heisei period (1989-2019), it is a very rarely used name.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.

A random assortment of currently under-used Japanese boy names

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

It’s gotten to a point where I feel that I am running out of good list ideas to publish to this blog, so I thought to myself “Ehh…just randomise some names.” And that’s what this list is about today. I might possibly turn this into a list series in itself in the future.
For a name to qualify on this list, the number one rule is that it needs to be given to between 0.015% and 0.050% of boys from 2014-2018, based on my preliminary research into baby names from that period.
Now, on with the list, starting with:

  1. Ōjirō – this first name on the list combines 3 kanji containings the readings ō, like 桜 meaning “cherry (tree, blossom)” or 旺 meaning “vigorous, prosperous,” shi, like 史 meaning “history,” 士 meaning “warrior; samurai” or 次 meaning “next,” and rō, usually 郎 meaning “son”
  2. Tatsumi – this next name can be written as 巽/辰巳, referring to the south-east direction, though other kanji can be used, like 竜/龍 (tatsu) meaning “dragon,” 実 (mi) meaning “seed; fruit” or 海 (mi) meaning “sea, ocean”
  3. Gento – this next name combines a gen kanji, like 玄 meaning “deep, profound; mystery, occult,” 弦/絃 meaning “(bow)string” or 源 meaning “origin, source,” with a to kanji, such as 音 meaning “sound,” 都 meaning “metropolis,” 兎 meaning “rabbit, hare,” 隼, referring to a peregrine falcon, or 士
  4. Kenshō – for this next name, a ken kanji, like 健 meaning “health” or 拳 meaning “fist,” is combined with a shō kanji, such as 勝 meaning “victory, win,” 将 meaning “commander, general,” 翔 meaning “fly, soar,” 聖 meaning “sacred, holy” or 照 meaning “shine”
  5. Taihei – this name is written with a tai kanji, like 泰 meaning “quiet, peaceful; great, excessive” or 大 meaning “large, big,” with a hei kanji, mostly 平 meaning “even, flat”
  6. Retsu – for this name, 烈 is the main kanji used, meaning “violent, furious; intense, fierce”
  7. Shiyū – this next name on the list combines a shi kanji, like 志 meaning “will, aim, goal,” 士 or 心 meaning “heart, mind,” with a yū kanji, such as 雄 meaning “male,” 勇 meaning “bravery, courage” or 優 meaning “gentle, elegant; excellence, superiority”
  8. Masamune – the main forms of this name are 正宗 and 政宗 – the latter belonging to Date Masamune – made up of 正 meaning “exact, precise,” 政 meaning “rule” and 宗 meaning “principle, aim, central part, pillar,” though other first element kanji, like 誠 meaning “truth, reality” or 優 meaning “excellence, superiority,” can be used
  9. Koo – pronounced like Kō (Kou), this name is mainly written with 2 kanji instead of 1, combining those with readings kō, like 皐, part of 皐月 (satsuki) which refers to the fifth month of the lunar calendar, or 煌 meaning “glitter, sparkle,” and o, such as 央 meaning “middle, centre” or 生 meaning “grow”
  10. Sōei – for this final name on the list, a sō kanji, like 想 meaning “conception, idea, thought” or 将, is combined with an ei kanji, such as 永 meaning “eternity” or 慧 meaning “wisdom”

What do you think? If you would like to add in your thoughts or other suggestions for this list, please share them in the comments below.

Kokoro (こころ)

Posted on by maybeitisdaijirou

Sources Pronunciation guide

(Main) gender: Female, can be male as well
Pronunciation: ko-ko-ro~ko-ko–ro [kó̞.kò̞.ɾò̞]~[kò̞.kó̞.ɾó̞]

Etymology and/or ways to write:
The main form of this name is 心 which means “mind, heart, spirit.” Other single kanji that are used for this name are linked to 心 in some way, including 想 meaning “conception, idea, thought,” 芯 meaning “wick, marrow; core, centre,” 愛 meaning “love, affection” and 優 meaning “gentle, elegant.”
These two particular single kanji, 志 meaning “will, aim, goal” (kokorozashi) and 快 meaning “pleasant, refreshing” (kokoroyoi), have 心 as the first element of their derivation. For the second element, they come from 指し (sashi), nominalised from the verb 指す (sasu) meaning “to point; to identify,” and 良い (yoi) meaning “good, excellent” respectively.
This name can also be written with two kanji, one kanji that can be used alongside 心, 想 or 志 in either the first or second element. The kanji below are either readable as ko(ko)/ro or merely used for image expression:

1st element 2nd element
小 “small” 蕗 “(giant) butterbur”
香 “fragrance” 路 “road, path; way”
瑚 part of 珊瑚 (sango) “coral” 呂 phonetic kanji
湖 “lake” 彩 “colour”
琥 part of 琥珀 (kohaku) “amber”* 琉 part of 琉璃 (ruri) “lapis lazuli”
愛 see above 桜 “cherry (tree, blossom)”
優 see above 萌 “bud, sprout”
茉 part of 茉莉 (matsuri) “Arabian jasmine”
姫/媛 “princess”
海 “sea, ocean”
暖 “warmth”
季 “season”
樹 “tree”
和 “harmony, peace”

The kanji marked with an asterisk is mainly used on boys. Two of the kanji that can be used on either the first or second element are 結 meaning “tie, bond” and 真 meaning “pure, true.”

Popularity:
At the start of the Heisei period (1989-2019), it was a very uncommonly used name, being given to around 0.019% of girls and 0.004% of boys in 1990. The name slowly increased for girls up until 1996 when it jumped to around 0.073%.
The 2000s saw the continuation of Kokoro’s popularity for girls with over 0.45% of girls receiving this name by 2007, placing it within the top 50. Usage started to increase a tad bit for boys at around the same time with around 0.023% of boys receiving this name in the same year. The popularity of Kokoro for girls started to fade a bit in the 2010s – according to my town magazine research, it was given to over 0.25% of girls in 2018.

If you would like to add in your thoughts about this name, please share them in the comments below.