The word "子" is commonly found at the end of Japanese women's names. It is said that this "子" is the name that the aristocratic society in ancient times preferred to give to women. After the Meiji Restoration, it became popular among ordinary people; after the Showa era, more than half of the women in Japan were "sons" of someone.
Why did this custom arise? Because the Five Elements of Yin and Yang were prevalent in the Heian Period (794-1192), women were said to be "yin", and "yin" was also the "acupoint", which was the fourth-dimensional underworld and the source world of creation of all things. The direction of this "Yin" is "Zi". In terms of the concept of time, "Zi" is the end of a day and the beginning of a day. All new things are created from this fourth-dimensional world, and the central existence of "child" is woman.
Some Chinese people think that calling a compatriot by the nickname "Zi" on the Internet is a disgusting and Japan-loving mentality. In fact, there is no need to be so cautious. Looking at the statistics, in the ranking of Japanese women's names, in the late Meiji and early Taisho years (1912), the first place was "Chiyo" (Chiyo), and it gave way to "Masako" after the following year. , "Sizuko", "Ayako", "Sachiko", "Hisako", "Kazuko" and other "sub" clans.
These "sub" clans continued until the end of the Showa era. Starting from Showa 55 (1980), the top ten on the list were "Misaki", "Megumi", " One-letter names such as "爱" (ai), "彩" (aya), "武" (mai), "hitomi" (hitomi), "kaede" (kaede), "cute" (moe), etc. Among them, "Ai" has been on the throne for eight years, and "Misaki" has been on the throne for six years.
The top ten in the 1998 rankings are "Moe", "Misaki", "Yuka" (yuka), "Mai", "Ayano" (ayano), "Aoi" (aoi), "Nanami", "Reina", "Asuka", "Mirai".
What about 2006? It seems that there has not been much change. The top ten are "hina" (pronounced the same as "hin", which means the Emperor Princess doll decorated during the Women's Festival), "miu", and "Misaki" ”, “SAKURA” (hiragana for “Sakura”), Ai, Aoi, Nanami, Mao, Yui, and the tenth places are “manami” and “an” respectively. ), "Yuna", "Yuna".
Perhaps some Chinese people will wonder why they chose such a tacky name? These names must be pronounced with Japanese pronunciation in order to understand the generous meaning of the words and the implicit expectations of parents.
Because I know the changes in Japanese women's names, I always smile secretly when I occasionally see comments from people mentioning the Internet nickname "So-and-so" and their admiration for Japan. Sages such as Confucius, Zhuangzi, Laozi, etc. may also shake their heads underground and sigh: They only know one but not the other. Alas, children are really unteachable. (The above paragraph is just a small play on words using the word "子", and there is no intention to offend the ancient sages)
As for my own name "Meiya", it is pronounced "miya", but Most Japanese people often cannot pronounce the correct pronunciation at first sight; the surname "Moro" is pronounced "moro". This surname is also very rare in Japan and is often called "sigero". Sometimes when I say my last name "moro" on the phone, the other person usually thinks of it as "moro". "Moro" and "moro" have the same pronunciation, and the former is more common.
It is said that when I was born in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, my father (a Japanese) was overseas. He originally wanted to name me "miyako", and the Chinese characters are "Miyako" or "京子". category, but my mother (Taiwanese) thought that this was not good. Using this kind of name would immediately expose our true identity as Japanese children, so I asked an intellectual who worked at the school and he suggested removing "子". But I left the Japanese pronunciation of "miya", so my name in Chinese characters became "Miya".
Does this name sound good? I think it sounds very good, whether I read it in Chinese or Japanese, it sounds good.
There is a noun in Japanese: "kotodama", which means that language or words have incredible spiritual power.
Therefore, compared to the languages ??of other ethnic groups, Japanese is very ambiguous. Japanese people are usually vague when speaking. They do not say "YES" or "NO" directly like other ethnic groups, but always go around a bit. circle to express your opinion. Japan is an island country on the eastern frontier. Except for the Warring States Period and the Meiji Restoration, it has been in a state of peace for many years (to put it bluntly, it is a otaku that no one cares about), so even if Japanese people speak "vaguely" to each other, they can communicate.
Also, the Yamato people usually believe that "those who curse others must curse themselves; those who wish others must wish themselves", which is the "verbal karma" in Buddhist terms, and the name is "curse". A kind of person who doesn't like his own name is equivalent to denying his own life.
This concept can be traced back to Volume 13, No. 3254 of the Man'yoshu, Japan's oldest extant collection of Japanese songs: The Kingdom of Yamato is also the country of the spirit, and the gods will help. I wish you return soon.
This is a farewell song, which means: the words you speak must have divine power. If I wish you a safe return, God will also bless you for a safe return.
Precisely because the Japanese believe that the "word spirit" is very powerful, they do not dare to speak directly, nor do they dare to say "YES" or "NO" casually on the spot, let alone make agreements with others quickly. anything.