Yeah...so I have an obsession with names...

[Roses Ablaze]

How do you say "of the north" in Japanese and can it be a name? What about the other three directions (south, east, west)?

And is Mamori a name (more importantly, a female name)?

 

[Murgatroyd]

How do you say "of the north" in Japanese and can it be a name? What about the other three directions (south, east, west)?

And is Mamori a name (more importantly, a female name)?

1. Kitano is the simplest way to say "of the north" in Japanese, and there are some surnames with that reading. One way of writing it that would serve your purposes would be 北之.

2. Yes, Mamori is a female given name.

 

[Zhen Lin]

Yes, Kitano is a family name. Usually spelt 北野 - North Field. Mamori is a female personal name, though 守 is far more likely to be read Mamoru out of context.

 

[Roses Ablaze]

Okay, thanks. What about south, east and west?

 

[Murgatroyd]

The corresponding names would be Nishino 西之 (west), Higashino 東之 (east), and Minamino 南之 (south), though only the first of these appears as a surname in the name dictionary I have access to.

 

[Roses Ablaze]

Heh...wasn't there a character from the first season of Pokemon named Minamino?

Anyways, thanks.

 

[Zhen Lin]

Minami by itself might be usable as a female personal name.

I wonder about Azumano.

 

[Roses Ablaze]

Thanks everyone!

But now I have another question. What's a fake Japanese/Otakuese name that an otaku is likely to make up for herself? I originally thought maybe Mihikage (beautiful sunshine*), but I'd actually like a name that has maybe a secondary meaning that may not be desireable for a name, like Mizuko (dead/aborted child, I think, but there appears to really be someone named Mizuko Ito after a google search...). Any other suggestions?

*I looked up sunshine on an online Japanese-English dictionary, which is something that a clueless Otaku is likely to do in order to find a suitable name, so it works...I just want a secondary meaning for comic relief in a story I made up/am making up.

BTW what's Azumano?

 

[Murgatroyd]

BTW what's Azumano?

"Azuma" is another possible reading of the character for "east".

 

[Zhen Lin]

azuma would also have certain connotations - wouldn't it - as opposed to higashi. Is it ever used, for instance, to speak of the east in general terms [in Classical, that is]?

 

[fruitsmoothierevenge]

Couldn't you use the on-youmi of the kanji to make names as well? In that case: Touno, Seino, Hokuno, Nanno (E,W,N,S respectively).

I'm not sure what you could use for a name... gomen about that. ^^;;

 

[Murgatroyd]

azuma would also have certain connotations - wouldn't it - as opposed to higashi. Is it ever used, for instance, to speak of the east in general terms [in Classical, that is]?

My dictionaries indicate that azuma was used to refer to eastern Japan, particularly Kanto, and in the middle ages to refer to Kamakura and/or Edo. As far as I can tell, it was not used for the direction in general.

 

[Zhen Lin]

Couldn't you use the on-youmi of the kanji to make names as well? In that case: Touno, Seino, Hokuno, Nanno (E,W,N,S respectively).

I'm not sure what you could use for a name... gomen about that. ^^;;

The word is on-yomi. And, while possible, typically not done (and, on-yomi are usually paired with other on-yomi - 野 no is kun-yomi) - though there is a very large family of family names that are on-yomi - 佐藤 Satō, 伊藤 Itō, 斎藤 Saitō, 武藤 Mutō, and so on. That said, there was once a pair of twins at my school whose family name was 海津 Kaizu - on-yomi + kun-yomi.

 

[fruitsmoothierevenge]

] - 野 no is kun-yomi

oh, OK.

 

[Roses Ablaze]

Okay, now I've got another one. Do the names Kinji and Ginji have anything to do with gold and silver, respectively? If not, what are two "dual" names that could be given to twins? Dual as in things that oppose or are associated with each other like light and darkness, gold and silver, salt and pepper, etc. (though I should hope that there aren't any names out there that mean "salt" and "pepper." If there are, some parent needs to be shot)

 

[Murgatroyd]

Okay, now I've got another one. Do the names Kinji and Ginji have anything to do with gold and silver, respectively?

According to my usual online name dictionary (WWWJDIC, using the enamdict file), Ginji generally does have to do with silver, while Kinji can have to do with gold if the right kanji are used.