People who enjoy the study of names (onomatology) must have found something very interesting in finding out the etymology or origin of names.  They are called “onomastics” and for whatever reason they do that, it must be really something they enjoy doing.  For them, it can be for leisure, a hobby or a career.  Finding the meaning of names may not interest a lot of people.  However, there may be some who may awaken their desire to learn for name meanings by starting to translate some Japanese names that have become popular through movies and television.  You many never know how enjoyable it is until you try some.

As a way to start, you may need to choose an online site that displays Japanese names and meanings for boys or for girls. Each gender has special name attachments that describe them appropriately. Japanese given names are much more dissimilar in the way it is pronounced. It is also varied in character usage.  Japanese names for boys often end in “-ro” because it means “son” in English.  It may also contain the syllables “ichi” meaning first. If you coin the syllables together as “Ichiro” you will have an English translation of “first son”. These are called birth order names.  The name “Taro” may also mean first or generic term for “boy”, Jiro for second, Saburo for third, Shiro for fourth and so on. These names are seen as suffixes but they have been placed as far out of style nowadays.

Modern day Japanese names are also attached to some famous Japan made equipments, gadgets and products for home use, construction and office works. Examples of these names include Daichi, Daiki, Jun, Kaito, Takihiro, Takumi, Takuya, Tatsuya, Kasuki, Ren and others. The moment you start translating Japanese names into English, you will better understand the person’s background and will also help you understand Japan’s culture better.