names

Everyone in Japan will be Mr. or Mrs. Sato by 2531, according to study

We are legion. We are Sato.

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What’s it like living with an unusual name in Japan? We talk with a super-rare Mr. Heianzan

This Okinawan singer has a last name so rare, only 1 every 90,000 people in Japan have it! 

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Meow’s that? 2022’s ranking of the top cat names in Japan

For the third year in a row, this particular name takes the top spot for all felines, male or female.

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Top 10 Japanese baby names of 2020 revealed

If you’re looking for inspiration for your little bundle of joy, maybe this will give you some ideas.

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Meow’s this? 2020’s ranking of the top cat names and breeds in Japan

The most popular cat breed in Japan has clinched the title for the twelfth consecutive year. 

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Japanese teen wins right to change name from “His Lordship the Prince” to something less flowery

After years of embarrassment, Oji-sama Akaike finally has a new name.

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The most popular Japanese baby names of the past 30 years, from Sakura to Shota

Meanings show hope for bold boys, beautiful girls in list of the most popular names of the Heisei era.

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“Cherry blossoms of the heart” — The 10 most popular Japanese names for girls in 2017-2018

Baby name suggestion website compiles list of its users favorite names for they’re considering for their daughters.

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Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan

Some people didn’t have to win a beauty pageant to be called “Miss Kyoto.”

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Japan’s top 10 cat names for 2017

Having trouble thinking of a name for your new kitty? Here are Japanese feline fans’ favorite choices.

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The 10 most attractive Japanese women’s names, as chosen by dating app users

Some ask what’s in a name, but women with these monikers proved to be more popular than any others on one well-known dating app.

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Japan’s 25 most popular cat names

Need a name for your new kitty? Here are 25 suggestions from Japan.

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The more you know Mario: The unusual Japanese names of Nintendo’s Super Mario characters

If, like me, you grew up playing Super Mario Bros. on the NES, then you’re no doubt super excited for the launch of Super Mario Maker this coming September. Exclusive to Wii U, the game allows players to build their own worlds, using every block, enemy and power-up (plus a few new ones) from a whole host of Super Mario games, then share them with players all around the world.

For those of us who never quite gave up on our childhood dream of making games for Nintendo especially, Super Mario Maker is shaping up to be the ultimate celebration of 30 years of Mario, and the thought of throwing all your favourite bad guys into bizarre platforming situations has us positively giddy with excitement.

With that in mind, today we’ve decided to take a quick look at some of the characters we know and love from the Mario franchise. To spice things up, though, we’re going to be introducing you to their original Japanese names and explaining a little about the meanings behind them. Think you know Mario? Let’s find out!

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Most popular pet names in Japan for 2014 suggest owners obsessed with food

Earlier this week, we looked at popular baby names making the rounds this year in Japan and now we’ve discovered some data on what Japanese named their pets in 2014. The little guy above may be right to look concerned because almost every name on the list is food-related

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Looking for baby names? The most popular ones in Japan this year are…

You may think choosing a name for your kid is hard, but in the West, we have it easy. All we have to choose is the name. Here in Japan, parents-to-be also have to choose what characters they want to write it with, a decision that has to take into account the relative auspiciousness of the number of strokes it takes to write, how well-known a particular reading is, and even if the government will accept the name they finally settle on!

Like trends for particular names, there are trends in the use of particular kanji or Chinese characters, too. Insurer Meiji Yasuda has just published the most common names this year and the kanji used for them, so read on to see what the hippest babies are sporting.

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Someone in Japan just paid $150 for these Coke bottles with celebrity names on their labels

The award-winning “Share a Coke” campaign launched in Japan last year with bottles that invited consumers to share a memorable song, connected with a particular year, with a friend. Now, name-printed bottles – a part of the campaign that’s already launched in different countries around the world – have made their way to Japan. In grocery stores around the country, you can happily root to the back of the chiller cabinet looking for a Coke with you or your friend’s name on it (if you have a Japanese name, that is!).

And it seems some bright sparks have hit on a brilliant money-spinning idea off the back of this: collect the names of all the members of a pop group, and sell them on online auctions. A set of Coke bottles with the names of all five girls from idol group Momoiro Clover Z, printed complete with -Z suffixes, has sold on Yahoo Auctions for 15,000 yen (US $150).

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Japanese woman celebrates 100th birthday, boggles netizens’ minds with unusual name

Turning 100 years old is indeed a great achievement. Not only can we appreciate and look up to those who seem to follow the correct path to a ripe old age, but it’s always a shining example of how far we have come as a people to extend our lives so much over the years.

And so, it’s with great honor and reverence that we here at RocketNews24 would like to wish a happy belated birthday to Ms… erm… Mxy…zptlk Sugahara!

Apparently we weren’t alone in not being able to read this woman’s name. Netizens came out in droves shrugging their shoulders and figuring a cockroach got into the printing press. A chosen few however, scolded their peers for not being cultured enough to decipher it.

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“Family name researcher” discovers the most common full name in Japan

What’s in a name? In Japan, those with a strong understanding of kanji, those pesky Chinese characters that are always tripping up language learners, can immediately understand the significance of anyone’s appellation.

Although the most common surname in Japan is “Sato,” it turns out that there’s a far more popular name combination that doesn’t include our quirkiest reporter‘s last name. Let’s take a look at the most common given and family names in Japan and the meanings behind them.

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Japan’s five most common family names

If you’re ever looking for the Japanese equivalent to “John Smith,” the go-to name is decidedly “Tarou Yamada.” And yet, if you look at today’s population, neither of those names top the popularity charts! Yamada, though simple to write and stereotypically Japanese, isn’t even in the top five for family names!

Now that we mentioned it, we’re sure you’re all curious to know now, so here’s a list of the five most common family names in Japan, as announcement by the Meiji Life Insurance Company.

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What’s in a name? The 10 most common surnames in Japan (and their meanings)

It’s a little-known fact that until the Meiji era (1868-1912), the ordinary men and women of Japan did not have surnames. Rather, those names were reserved for people in positions of power, nobility, or those of noted artistic ability.

There are an estimated 100,000 family names in Japan — much more than in many Western countries, and vastly more than in neighbouring Korea and China — however what’s curious is that of these surnames 10 are incredibly common, with millions of people sharing the exact same moniker. If you’re on your way to Japan or learning the language, knowing how to read and pronounce at least a few of these will almost certainly get you out of a jam at some point or other, so allow us to introduce Japan’s 10 most common surnames, their meanings, and a few fun facts on top, just because we’re nice like that and we like your face.

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