Post by Oomori Aya on Nov 12, 2003 20:52:13 GMT -5
Okay, due to the fact everyone asks, I've attempted to make a helper for last names. Keep in mind that this is in absolutely no way comprehensive, it's just an idea to help people. There's not alot, but this still took about two hours to do...so please don't bother me for more, just look up names in credits of anime and stuff.
Some things to remember:
1. In almost every single case, Japanese last names are from NATURE. Back in the day, when Japanese were allowed to be given last names--they just took things they saw or places they lived and added it to their names.
2. Verbs and adjectives do NOT make good lastnames.
3. I have listed the KANJI for the last names, how you decide the meaning is up to you. For example, Yoshimoto is Good + Origin, so obviously you can translate that Origin of Good, or the Root of Good, or Good Origin, or whatever.
4. Obviously, you can take some of these compounds and mix them together...I didn't make suffix/prefix lists like I did with the boy name list because sometimes spelling changes, for example hara becomes bara in some compounds. So if you have a name you created using this list, just ask to make sure it works.
5. Also, these are the COMMON meanings of last names, if you know Japanese, you can be clever. For example, Yuuki is usually "Joining castles" but in FY, Yuuki is written meaning "Night Castle." So you may see a last name you know meaning something than you saw in anime.
Common Last Names & Kanji
Adachi = Peace + Group
Akihara = Autumn + Field
Akiyama = Autumn + Mountain
Amano = Heaven + Field
* Arai = New + Well (for water)
Araki = Rough/Turbulent + Tree
Arisawa = Existing + Marsh
Arishima = Existing + Island
* Arita = Existing + Field
Asada = Shallow + Field
Asakawa = Shallow + River
Asano = Shallow + Field
Aono = Blue + Field
* Aoyagi = Blue + Willow
Aoyama = Blue + Mountain
Arisawa = Existing + Marsh
* Ayukawa = Smelt (the fish) + River
* Ayusawa = Smelt (the fish) + Marsh/Swamp
Chiba = Thousand + Leaves
Doi = Earth/Soil + Well (for water)
Fukami = Deep + Look/See/Watch (deep vision?)
Fukasawa = Deep + Marsh
Fukuda = Good Fortune + Field
Fukuyama = Good Fortune + Mountain
Fukuzawa = Good Fortune + Marsh
Fujii = Wisteria + Well (for water)
Fujikawa = Wisteria + River
Fujiwara = Wisteria + Field
Furuta = Old + Field
Furuya = Old + Valley
Furuyama = Old + Mountain
Fuyukawa = Winter + River
Fuyutsuki = Winter + Moon
Hamasaki = Beach + Penninsula
* Hasegawa = Long + Valley + River
Hashida = Bridge + Field
Hashimoto = Bridge + Root/Origin/Bottom
Hashino = Bridge + Field
* Hatori = Feather + Bird
Hayami = Fast + Water
Hayashibara = Woods + Field
Hidaka = Sun + High/Tall
Higashihara = East + Field
Hikami = Ice + Above
Hikawa = Ice + River
Hinano = Chick (baby chicken) + Field
* Hirabayashi = Flat + Woods
Hirai = Flat + Well (for water)
Hiramatsu = Flat + Plain
Hirosue = Wide + End
Hisakawa = Long + River
Horie = Moat + Bay
Horikawa = Moat + River
Honda = Origin/Root + Field
* Ichikawa = City + River
Ihara = Well (for water) + Field
Inaba = Rice plant + Leaf
Inoue = Well (for water) + of + Above (Above the well)
Imai = Now + Well (for water)
Irie = Into/Put into/Enter + Bay
* Irino = Entering + Field
* Ishibashi = Stone + Bridge
Ishida = Stone + Field
Ishikawa = Stone + River
Ishino = Stone + Field
* Itabashi = Wooden board + Bridge
Iwai = Rock + Well (for well)
Iwanaga = Rock + Eternal
Iwao = Rock + Man
Iwata = Rock + Plain
* Iwasa = Rock + Help
Kadowaki = Door + Side of (by the door)
* Kai = Add + Well (drinking well)
Kakinuma = Persimmon + Swamp
* Kameyama = Turtle + Mountain
Kamiya = God + Valley
* Kamiyama = God + Mountain
Kanemaru = Golden + Circle
Kanna = God + (meaningless sound that ONCE meant 'where')
Kawada = River + Field
Kawagoe = River + Over
Kawaguchi = River + Mouth
Kawai = River + Well (for well)
Kawajima = River + Island
Kawamura = River + Village
Kawasaki = River + Penninsula
Kawashima = River + Island
Kawasumi = River + Edge/Corner
Kawayama = River + Mountain
Kikuchi = Chrysanthemum + Land/Earth, Chrysanthemum + Pond
Kimura = Tree + Village
Kobayashi = Small + Woods
* Kohyuga = Small + Day/Sun + Facing
Kojima = Small + Island
* Kokanezawa = Small + Metal/Gold + Marsh/Swamp
Komatsu = Small + Pine
Konishi = Small + West
Kosugi = Small + Cedar
Koyama = Small + Mountain
Koyanagi = Small + Willow
Kozakura = Small + Cherry Blossom
Kubozuka = Hollow/Dent + Grave/Monument (note: People aren't buried in these, they're like monuments to gods)
* Kurosawa = Black + Swamp/Marsh
Kusachi = Grass + Earth/Land
Kusanagi = Grass + Slashing
Kinomoto = Tree + Origin, Tree + of + Origin
Kitahara = North + Field
Kiyomizu = Pure + Water
Maeda = Before/In Front of + Field
Makiguchi = Roll (rolled thing, like a scroll) + Mouth
Manaka = True + Center
Matsue = Pine + Bay
Matsui = Pine + Well (for water)
Matsumoto = Pine + Origin/Root/Bottom
Midorikawa = Green + River
Miki = Three + Tree
Mito = Three + Door
Mitsuishi = Three + Stone
Mitsuya = Three + (tsu in katakana) + Arrow (Three Arrows)
Miyagi = Shrine + Castle
Miyamoto = Shrine + Origin/Bottom
Miyamura = Shrine + Village
Miyanishi = Shrine + West
Miyata = Shrine + Field
Miyazaki = Shrine + Penninsula
Miyazawa = Shrine + Marsh
Mizuno = Water + Field
Mizutani = Water + Valley
Moribashi = Forest + Bridge
Moriguchi = Forest + Mouth
Morikawa = Forest + River
Morimura = Forest + Village
* Morisaki = Forest + Penninsula
* Morishige = Forest + Stack
Morita = Forest + Field
Moriya = Forest + Valley
Moriyama = Forest + Mountain
Mukai = Facing + Well (water well)
Nagai = Eternal + Well (for water, again)
Nagasaki = Long + Penninsula
Nagasawa = Long + Marsh
Nagashima = Long + Island
Nakagawa = Center + River
Nakahara = Center + Field
Nakai = Center + Well (water well)
Nakajima = Center + Island
Nakamura = Center + Village
Nakanishi = Center + West
Nakao = Center + Tail
Nakata = Center + Field
Nakayama = Center + Mountain
* Nakazato = Center + Mile/Village
Nakazawa = Center + Marsh
Namiki = a row of trees (its already a word)
Nanbara = South + Field
Nehashi = Root (of a tree or plant) + Bridge
Neya = Root (of a tree or plant) + Valley
Niiyama = New + Mountain
Nishiguchi = West + Mouth
Nishihara = West + Field
Nishimura = West + Village
* Ninutsani = West + Valley
* Nishiya = West + Valley
Noda = Field + Field (two different kanji)
Nogami = Field + Above
Nozawa = Field + Marsh
Oda = Small + Field
Ogata = Small + Towards
Ogawa = Small + River
Oikawa = Reaching + River
* Okamoto = Hill + Origin
* Okayasu = Hill + Peace
Okita = Offshore + Field
* Okuda = Deep + Field
Onizuka = Demon + Grave/Monument (note: People aren't buried in these, they're like monuments to gods)
Onodera = Small + Field + Temple
Ono = Small + Field
Onosaka = Small + Field + Slope
Otani = Small + Valley
* Ootsu = Big + Tide
Ooi = Big + Well
Ooishi = Big + Stone
Ookawa = Big + River
Oomori = Big + Forest
Oosawa = Big + Marsh
Ootani = Big + Valley
Ootsuka = Demon + Grave/Monument (note: People aren't buried in these, they're like monuments to gods)
* Saitou = All + Wisteria
Sakaguchi = Slope + Mouth
Sakamoto = Slope + Origin/Root/Bottom
Sakurai = Cherry Blossom + Well (for water)
* Sasaki = Help + Help + Tree
Sawai = Marsh + Well (for water)
Seki = Check-point (in feudal times) or dam
* Shiba = Firewood + Field
Shibahara = Firewood + Field
Shimada = Island + Field
Shimakata = Island + Towards
Shimamoto = Island + Origin
Shimatani = Island + Valley
Shimazu = Island + Tide
Shimizu = Quiet + Water
Shintani = New + Valley
Shiozawa = Salt + Marsh
Shiratori = White + Bird (Swan)
Sugihara = Cedar + Field
* Sugiyama = Cedar + Mountain
Suzuki = Bell + Tree
Tachibana = A mandarin orange tree
Tachiki = Standing + Tree
Taguchi = Field + Mouth
Takada = Tall + Field
Takagi = Tall + Tree
Takahashi = Tall + Bridge
Takano = Tall + (kanji used for 'no'--meaning "Of") (Of the heights?)
* Takaragawa = Treasure + River
Takase = High/Tall + Tide
Takato = Tall/High + Door
Takayama = Tall/High + Mountain
* Take = Martial
Takeda = (1) Bamboo + Field; (2) Military + Field
* Takewaki = Bamboo + Side (of the body)
Takigawa = Waterfall + River
Takizawa = Waterfall + Marsh
* Tamagaki = Jewel + Hedge
Tamagawa = Jewel + River
Tamura = Field + Village
Tanaka = Field + Center
* Tanikawa = Valley + River
Tazaki = Field + Penninsula
Teratani = Temple + Valley
Tokunaga = Virtue + Eternal
Tominaga = Wealth + Eternal
Tomizawa = Wealth + Marsh
* Tomono = Friend + Field
Touda = East + Field
Toyama = Door + Mountain
Tooyama = Far + Mountain
Tsuchiya = Earth + House
* Tsutsui = Tube + Well
* Tsutsumi = Bank/Embankment
Tsuruno = Crane + Field
Ueda = Above/Up + Field
Uehara = Above/Up + Field
* Ueno = Above/Up + Field
Umezu = Plum + Field
Wakamoto = Young + Origin/Root/Bottom
* Wakazono = Young + Garden
* Yagi = Eight + Tree
* Yado = Eight + Door
Yaida = Arrow + Well (for water) + Field
Yajima = Arrow + Island
Yamada = Mountain + Field
Yamadera = Mountain + Temple
Yamaguchi = Mountain + Mouth
Yamakawa = Mountain + River
Yamamoto = Mountain + Origin/Bottom/Root
Yamazaki = Mountain + Penninsula
* Yanagi = Willow
* Yasui = Peace + Well
* Yasuo = Peace + Tail
Yokogawa = To the Side/Horizontal to + River
Yokoyama = To the Side/Horizontal to + Mountain
Yonemoto = Rice + Origin/Root/Bottom
Yoshida = Good + Field
Yoshimoto = Good + Origin/Bottom/Root
Yuuki = Joining + Castles
See, Japanese last names are VERY simple. So stop with the 'Violent Death god of doom' stuff =P