Japanese Names

A Japanese name will have of a family name or surname, and given name. 99.9% names will be written in Kanji, and bear clear meaning.

The most common name I have heard till now is Suzuki. Other popular surnames in Japan include Sato (佐藤), Kato (加藤), and Takahashi (高橋). Surnames vary from place to place.

The meaning of Suzuki is bell tree. I was hearing about the bell tree for the first time and became curious about it. I asked Tabe-san. His explanation cleared my doubt. Given down is the bell tree.

Many Japanese family names derive from features of the rural landscape and nature. For example, Ishikawa (石川) means "stony brook", Kawa 川 means River. Yamamoto (山本) means the base of the mountain, and Inoue (井上) means above the well. There are many examples, but my brain stored only a few till now. I am purposely avoiding the name of my colleagues. I have taken special permission from Tabe-san before mentioning his name in this blog.

If you feel that any of the information given above are not true, please put your comments in this blog by posting. I like to have your comments on this blog.