27 June 2011

Japanese girl names


photos by Toyokazu

one of our close family friends is having a baby and she just found out it's going to be a girl! and since she is half Japanese herself, she wanted her baby girl to have a Japanese name as well as an American name. so she kindly asked me to help her pick out a cute Japanese girl name for her future daughter (since she knows i love Japan, haha)

and so, i extend the help to all you! my wonderful blog friends! please help us think of some Japanese names for her new baby girl! :-D

33 comments:

zoe dawn jane said...

i like ayumi a lot. i had a friend in okinawa whose name was munemi & i thought that was really pretty. apparently its not actually a name tho but i don't know if that matters. would they want a soft sounding name or kind of a harsh name with kis & kas?

your posts almost always make me miss japan & yearn for the ocean. wish my family had moved to hawaii.

Prudence said...

oh oh oh!!!! my top 10
Izanami
Kamiko
Rie
Shizuko
Akemi
Setsuko
Kiku
Yoshie
Chieko
Etsuko

shellie said...

harumi its my best friends middle name....she says it means beautiful spring.

Sun said...

Ringo?
I like how it sounds, it's simple and could be sound not too japanese too. Easy and simple like an apple.

or maybe Nijiko ;-) or anything related with ocean or wind :-D

Anonymous said...

I like Hana or Hanako. It's simple, feminine and wouldn't be hard to pronounce for Americans.

-Kim

kitchu said...

I adore Suki and its meaning, though realize it might be over used. I also like Ren, Haru, and Kyoko. Best of luck helping with this important choice :)

Make it Easy said...

thanks everyone so far!!!
these are great!!!
keep them coming!!!

to anonymous (kim):
what a coincidence!!
because my friend's first choice so far is HANAKO!!
:-D

good call!

Claudia said...

Oh I couldn't even pick, I think all Japanese names are pretty!

Thank you for your comment, Aron!! I'm not Japanese, though I do admire the culture so much. I'm Canadian-born Hong Kong Chinese!

I found the same okonomiyaki mix pack that my aunt used and made some myself yesterday - it is so good! Do you ever make it yourself? I'd like to try from scratch, but I really, really hate that gooey yam stuff, haha. I don't even know if I'd like to touch it! Luckily in the mix it comes as a powder, hehe.

Oh, you should come! Well, maybe I shouldn't say that. I love Toronto and I think it's a great city to live in, but there aren't exactly any world-class tourist-type attractions. I wouldn't recommend someone make a point of coming here, but if you go to Montreal or New York, you should definitely swing by, I'd be happy to show you my favourite spots!

It's funny you should say we're friendly because I always thought that was a cliche, but whenever I go out of Canada, I notice it immediately. Not to say that other people are rude or mean, but Canadians really do take it to an extreme sometimes :P

Speaking of your job, we're getting a J Crew in Toronto in August!! I am so super excited! Must start scraping my pennies together!

That one caught my eye too! I might buy one of the passes to see a few films. I'll let you know how they are!

thwany said...

i'm not too familiar with japanese names but these girls are adorable.

Alita said...

i like Wen. its realy nice for girls.
hugs!

Jen said...

Erina, Naomi, and Hana (or Hannah or Hanako) slip easily between Japanese and English.

Sakura, Mayumi, Midori, Momoka, Sayaka. Tampopo means dandelion - I don't know if it's used as a name or not, but it's cute and yields cute nicknames.

When I was teaching in Japan, my favorite kindergarten student was Momoka (peach), so I'm biased!!

Anonymous said...

JUNKO. A pure child. ;)

Lula said...

I absolutely love Keiko. It's such a beautiful sounding name.

Hanna Åberg said...

Mayuko

Yoli said...

My favorite is Aiko! Good luck!

Emily H said...

I like the name Suki (or sooki as the name is in the US) It works in both english and japanese. "beloved" in japanese, "lily" in english : )

Kate said...

I went to school with a Japanese girl whose name was Aya. I always thought it was the prettiest name!

Anonymous said...

I like the names Misuzu(means "beautiful sound"--like the wind through the trees), Shinobu, Chise and Naomi (works in both Japanese and English).

Rina said...

しゃしんはとってもかわいい!!
Japanese girl names are so beautiful ne.
My Japanese teacher had a baby last year, and she was looking for a Japanese name that could also be American.
She really liked the name マリナ.
Her name is マリナ-シェリー
I think it's really pretty.
マリナは名前、リナはニックネームわ~

Odessa said...

i love the names midori, aya, and hana. i just love japanese names in general. :)

p.s. your new header is precious. loooooove, love, love.

Anonymous said...

sano

momo said...

I nearly became ichigo (strawberry) instead of momo ( peach). How incredibly interesting parents I have! No kanji either.

I like yuzu, hatsu, yume, ume ( last three are very old-fationed one that I like)

I wonder if our son will pick Japanese name for his own kids?
(his middle name is makoto, true person)

bespokehome said...

I have always loved the name Suki. It sounds hip and is nice to say.

Hannako would be a good option, likely to be shortened to Hanna as a nickname in English schools.

Anika is pretty - it means Grace. As a nickname it may get shortened to Annie.

Most of all I think it depends on the surname and how the name balances as a whole.

My name is Naomi and I have been told it is Japanese, Russian and Hebrew at various points in my life. I myself am a New Zealander.

Hanne said...

I see my favorite names are mentioned already but they are: Aya, Hana, Naomi, Erina and Rie. When my daughter was born I was considering Aya and Erina since they also are international names and could easily be used in Norway as well. But there are so many beautiful names.

Anonymous said...

Nikomi

am i too late?
really hope not!

best wishes

Louise

Anonymous said...

hello again ^^

a few more names of personalities i have met with a kindred spirit :)


Momoko
Saraya

but i like best is Nikomi

maybe one day I will get to use :)

Louise

Bonjour Johanna said...

Picture number 4 is so so great! I love it!

For the name, Niwa and Mamiko are my favorite ones.

Bonjour Johanna said...

Picture number 4 is so so great! I love it!

For the name, Niwa and Mamiko are my favorite ones.

Hanna said...

I love Mari and Mei. I have two daughters called Miwa and Midori. I'm half japanese too and my parents called me Hanna because it's easy to pronounce in german as well.

Lara said...

I see my favorite names are mentioned already but they are: Aya, Hana, Naomi, Erina and Rie. When my daughter was born I was considering Aya and Erina since they also are international names and could easily be used in Norway as well. But there are so many beautiful names.

Little Dumpling said...

I think the names Koemi& Chiyo, are great names. Especially because Koemi because it means little laugh and it's so gentle sounding.

thegreataman said...

Hey, http://www.babynology.com/japanese_babynames.html is an amazing website that has a lot of latest name ideas. I am sure you would love this!

Aisha Menon said...

I see my most loved names are specified as of now however they are: Aya, Hana, Naomi, Erina and Rie. At the point when my little girl was conceived I was thinking about Aya and Erina since they additionally are worldwide names and could without much of a stretch be utilized as a part of Norway also. Be that as it may, there are such a significant number of delightful names.
Cute Nicknames