# Find out your Japanese name... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 2, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667 "2004-12-02T07:07:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/41 "2004-12-02T15:38:55Z")
My real name becomes 松尾 Matsuo (tail of a pine tree) 雄大 Masahiro (big hero). My SDMB username becomes 石丸 Ishimaru (round stone) 駿 Shun (fast person). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/42 "2004-12-02T15:56:15Z")
I got Yamashita Shun. Very suspicious, since my last name (which I put first) sounds nothing like “Anastasaeon” or “AsecretK” or “Sith,” which also got “Yamashita” as the name. Is this doing anything other than randomly selecting Japanese words from a list? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/43 "2004-12-02T16:29:15Z")
猿渡 Saruwatari (monkey on a crossing bridge) 海斗 Kaito (big dipper of the ocean) “Munch” turns into “中村 Nakamura (center of the village) 誠 Makoto (sincerity)” ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/44 "2004-12-02T16:57:07Z")
浜野 Hamano (seaside field) 千秋 Chiaki (very fine in autumn) Sounds like a tourist advertisment. ---
**Author:** ![SpiceTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@SpiceTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpiceTea)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/45 "2004-12-02T17:27:24Z")
My real name: Saruwatari (monkey on a crossing bridge) Miharu (beautiful clear sky) I love my first name, but I don’t know about being called a monkey! ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/46 "2004-12-02T19:57:43Z")
HAH. I put in my real Japanese last name and it came back the same. First name generates: Morita (forest field) Masahiro (big hero) My Japanese first name doesn’t show up in the list ☹ Actually, punching in any first Japanese name I can think of doesn’t match anything. ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/47 "2004-12-02T20:15:55Z")
藤原 Fujiwara (wisteria fields) 千秋 Chiaki (very fine in autumn) That is my IRL name done there. 猿渡 Saruwatari (monkey on a crossing bridge) 弓美 Yumi (beautiful bow, as in bow and arrow) And that is luluBahrain translated or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Eliphalet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eliphalet/32/9563_2.png) [@Eliphalet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eliphalet)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/48 "2004-12-02T20:27:24Z")
“Real” Name (or at least the one my boss uses to swear at me…) 小島 Kojima (small island) 一真 Kazuma (one reality) or “Small Island of Reality” Cannot argue with that, at least around here. Login Name 原 Hara (wilderness) 菜摘 Natsumi (picks vegetables) or “Lost Vegetable Picker”… Not too sure about that one. Eli ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/49 "2004-12-02T20:30:15Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Thise site is about the meanings in Japanese. I doubt that. The site is about Japanese words randomly plucked from a list. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/50 "2004-12-02T20:54:26Z")
Watanabe (near a crossing) Kazuko (friendly child) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/51 "2004-12-02T21:10:53Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > I suspec this just randomly combines nanes from a list. :dubious: Not random. It performs some numerical calculation on the ASCII values of what you’ve entered to pick from a list. ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/52 "2004-12-02T22:48:56Z")
Sakamoto (book of the hill) Miku (beautiful crimson) Very appropriate, considering I’m a redhead. ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/53 "2004-12-02T23:29:07Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > I suspec this just randomly combines nanes from a list. :dubious: Looks like somebody got a bad name. 😛 A friend of mine got the unflattering name **Saruwatari (monkey on a crossing bridge)**. Yep. He ain’t none too happy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/54 "2004-12-02T23:33:57Z")
Vunder Bob (note the space) yielded “Yokishuni (good fortune country) Masahiri (big hero)” So I’m a sandwich the size of a prosperous nation. ---
**Author:** ![badomen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c2a13f/32.png) [@badomen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badomen)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/55 "2004-12-03T00:03:53Z")
> [@badmana](#): > > HAH. > > I put in my real Japanese last name and it came back the same. > > First name generates: > > Morita (forest field) > Masahiro (big hero) > > My Japanese first name doesn’t show up in the list ☹ > > Actually, punching in any first Japanese name I can think of doesn’t match anything. Weird, my RL last name is Japanese and it doesn’t match - I assume it’s not on the list - it keeps coming back at Taiki. At least the first character in that name is correct (大). ---
**Author:** ![badomen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c2a13f/32.png) [@badomen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badomen)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/56 "2004-12-03T00:05:19Z")
> [@badomen](#): > > Weird, my RL last name is Japanese and it doesn’t match - I assume it’s not on the list - it keeps coming back at Taiki. At least the first character in that name is correct (大). Doh the character didn’t work… darn smilies. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/57 "2004-12-03T01:07:58Z")
Real name: \*\* Hamano \*\* (seaside field) **Kumiko** (eternal beautiful child) Wasn’t Kumiko the girl in The Karate Kid 2? Doper name: **Fujiwara** (wisteria fields) **Miharu** (beautiful clear sky) ---
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/58 "2004-12-03T01:15:34Z")
my Doper name becomes: Matsuo (tail of a pine tree) Aini (loves logic) My real name becomes: Akimoto (autumn book) Miharu (beautiful clear sky) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/59 "2004-12-03T02:30:54Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Not random. It performs some numerical calculation on the ASCII values of what you’ve entered to pick from a list. Yeah, and the meaning they give for some of the names is iffy. “Moto” for instance in Sakamoto doesn’t mean “book”, it means “origin”. Sakamoto translates as “foot of the hill/slope”. Same goes for Akimoto, “autumn origin”. It looks like they’re plucking from a very limited list of surnames. What _would_ be cool and culturally accurate is name generation based on birthdate. Very often the given name will be chosen according to the horoscope. There are fortune tellers who specialise in child-naming, and there are charts for figuring out auspicious names. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667/60 "2004-12-06T18:12:14Z")
> [@YoudNeverGuess](#): > > Hey _my_ real name becomes Monkey on a crossing bridge, beautiful March Child. Do you have Irish heritage? My surname’s pretty Irish… > 猿渡 Saruwatari , 美弥子 Miyako > > YoudNeverGuess becomes > > 吉国 Yoshikuni (good fortune country) 三千代 Michiyo (three thousand generations) > > I think I prefer that one. If only I could live to enjoy my good fortune country for that long… 🙂 I do have a predominating Irish heritage, but the last name I used (since I was 7 years old) is Norwegian. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/find-out-your-japanese-name/277667.md?page=2)