Before I left Japan, Kazuma created a Japanese name for me. This is one of his hobbies.

As you maybe know, in Japanese, the way a word or name sounds is not the same as it looks. Kanji (the characters mostly borrowed from Chinese and often used in names) are complicated and full of relationships and meanings.

Here are some names Kazuma has done before:

So to start the process, Kazuma asked me about my name in English. What does it mean? Why did my parents give me this name? And what about my last, or family name?

Of course this information also mixed with his sense of me as a person. I felt it was such an honor to receive a name at the end of my trip. Like a parting gift. But it also made sense. Since it's easier to know someone after hanging out, and maybe you can give them a more accurate name this way, like a reflection. (On the other hand, parents' naming their unborn children is more like an oracle...)

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私の名前は、逸美優桂です。
My name is Itsumi Yuka.

逸美優桂
Itsumi Yuka

From what I understand, this first kanji () comes from the word meaning German. But it means hiding or secret. (My last name is German in origin.)

The second kanji () means beauty. It also is used to describe the arts...

The third kanji () means excellence. But it looks like it can also mean gentleness and actress.

The fourth and final kanji () means "holy tree." It's one of the kanjis used to mean Laurel tree. It can also be used to describe a "beautiful forest" and a "poet laureate". But it is also used in combination with another (馬) to mean the knight piece (桂馬) in Shogi, the Japanese version of chess. Kazuma knows I loved horses growing up. Kazuma also likes horses, as his name literally means "one horse." Apparently this character in Japanese is also sometimes known as the "Laurel horse," or "fragrant chariot."

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So together, maybe the name means "hiding secret beautiful excellent laurel"... I feel very lucky to receive this name!

One friend who knows Japanese said my last name, Itsumi, is very strange, but very nice... "the most beautiful Laurel."

He also mentioned the way 逸美優桂 "Itsumi Yuka" sounds is very nice. It's funny because my mom originally chose my first name, Laurel, mostly because of the sound as well...

2019/08/19 17:09
my japanese name
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