Your Opinion on Japanese Names in an English Novel?

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc · Sep 6, 2008

I'm currently writing a book that takes place in Japan, the novel is in English but the names of the characters are Japanese. Here are some of the names:

-Chiyoko (means child of a thousand generations)
-Jiro
-Hajime

Please tell me your honest opinion on the idea of Japanese names in an English novel, and tell me what your guess is in the pronounciation (unless you already know how to prounouce Japanese words).

Thank you ever so much.

Donkey · Sep 6, 2008

Obviously, you're writing for an English speaking readership, so my only advice is to use Japanese names that are easy to read/pronounce. You want to avoid causing the reader to stop reading in order to figure out how a name should be pronounced. Just keep them simple, like Jiro.

Kaytie · Sep 6, 2008

Doesn't bother me a bit. I prefer character names and other details that give authenticity to a story.

Don't worry about explaining too much or trying to teach as you write. Readers will either understand through context or will look up what they don't know, and since there's no way for you to know what past experience your audience brings you'll just bog yourself down in needless details.

Write a great story first! Eventually, as you get to the revision and polish stage, you can figure out what might benefit from a line or two of explanation by getting readers from your target audience.

As to the pronunciation of the names, I have some limited experience with the language. But I wouldn't worry about that, either.

thecraftteens · Sep 6, 2008

I don't have a problem with it.

Actually, my current WIP has two asian characters with ethnic-sounding names. Giving them such names can actually help; just giving a character an ethnic-sounding name can relieve you of having to explain his or her appearance beyond unique features.

FennelGiraffe · Sep 6, 2008

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc said:
-Chiyoko (means child of a thousand generations)
-Jiro
-Hajime

If all the names used are as distinct and easy to tell apart as these three, I think it's great.

Don't worry about whether the reader is mentally pronouncing them correctly. The only time that matters is if the mispronunciation is suggestive of an English word that would give an inappropriate impression. (Or if they're simply unpronounceable by English standards, but I don't think that's much of a problem with Japanese.)

ishtar'sgate · Sep 6, 2008

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc said:
I'm currently writing a book that takes place in Japan, the novel is in English but the names of the characters are Japanese. Here are some of the names:

-Chiyoko (means child of a thousand generations)
-Jiro
-Hajime

Please tell me your honest opinion on the idea of Japanese names in an English novel, and tell me what your guess is in the pronounciation (unless you already know how to prounouce Japanese words).

Thank you ever so much.

I think it's just fine. If your novel is set in Japan I would expect Japanese names. As to pronunciation, that's a bit trickier

I'll give it a shot, though. Chiyoko : Cheeyoko Jiro : Heero
Hajime : Hajeemee?
Linnea

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc · Sep 6, 2008

ishtar'sgate said:
I think it's just fine. If your novel is set in Japan I would expect Japanese names. As to pronunciation, that's a bit trickier
I'll give it a shot, though. Chiyoko : Cheeyoko Jiro : Heero
Hajime : Hajeemee?
Linnea

You were really close! Only for Jiro, it's pronounced Jee-ro. And Hajime, it's Ha-jee-mae.

A big thanks to you and everyone else for their opinions.

Cato · Sep 6, 2008

I really don't get annoyed if it's an obscure name. I had never heard of the name Hermione prior to reading Harry Potter, and to this day I pronounced it "HER-mee-oan". Quite frankly, the reader won't know they're pronouncing it wrong, and they will create their own mental pronunciation that they will use. I don't think using difficult names is that big of a deal. See: Lord of the Rings. I doubt I pronounced 50% of the names in the series correctly, but what difference does it make? It adds to the immersion. Pick names that are suitable, meaningful, and symbolic to the story.

Cato · Sep 6, 2008

Also, it's good that your names are easy to tell apart. I can't count how many times I had to pause and think who was being talked about in The Children of Hurin(Hurin and Turin), or any other Tolkien work.

maestrowork · Sep 6, 2008

If they're Japanese, of course they have Japanese name.

I don't see why there's a problem.

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc · Sep 6, 2008

Cato said:
Also, it's good that your names are easy to tell apart. I can't count how many times I had to pause and think who was being talked about in The Children of Hurin(Hurin and Turin), or any other Tolkien work.

Haha, thank you. I have the same problem with some books, so whenever I write I always try to make the names sound as different as possible!

And all the names are somewhat related to their character by meaning and sound. Hajime means to start or the beginning, and he's the first character you meet.

Thank you for your input!

gypsyscarlett · Sep 6, 2008

Cato said:
I really don't get annoyed if it's an obscure name. I had never heard of the name Hermione prior to reading Harry Potter, and to this day I pronounced it "HER-mee-oan". Quite frankly, the reader won't know they're pronouncing it wrong, and they will create their own mental pronunciation that they will use. I don't think using difficult names is that big of a deal. See: Lord of the Rings. I doubt I pronounced 50% of the names in the series correctly, but what difference does it make? It adds to the immersion. Pick names that are suitable, meaningful, and symbolic to the story.

There's a Hermione in Shakespeare's, A Winter's Tale. I think I read somewhere that's where Rowlings got the name. (not certain, however)

Agree with the above. If the story concerns Japanese people living in Japan... giving them American names would be pretty odd.

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc · Sep 6, 2008

gypsyscarlett said:
There's a Hermione in Shakespeare's, A Winter's Tale. I think I read somewhere that's where Rowlings got the name. (not certain, however)

Agree with the above. If the story concerns Japanese people living in Japan... giving them American names would be pretty odd.

I heard that Rowling got all her names from the graveyard she used to live next to/near.

At least the more obscure names like Dumbledore and Longbottom.

Bufty · Sep 6, 2008

Hiawatha, Genghis Khan, Adolf Schicklegruber, Eisenhower - Rumplestiltskin - Chiyoko Kamuke or whatever -I don't see the problem.

Priene · Sep 6, 2008

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc said:
At least the more obscure names like Dumbledore and Longbottom.

Both Dumbledore and Hagrid are mentioned on the same page in Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge.

ORION · Sep 6, 2008

More to the point is not so much the names but getting the cultural references correct- Names can be gotten off the internet easily-
When I get emails and talk with my japanese translator I see these differences in both speech and thinking that are fascinating and would be critical to give a novel authenticity...

dpaterso · Sep 6, 2008

GLAZE_by_KyrstinMc said:
-Chiyoko (means child of a thousand generations)
-Jiro
-Hajime

Just sayin', my Scottish ear picked up familiar sounds,

Jiro reminded me of Giro (contraction of Girocheque, gov't welfare payment)

Hajime reminded me of "Haw Jimmy!" (greetings, James)

As in, "Haw Jimmy, you got your Giro yet? Ah'm gaspin' fur a pint."

-Derek

blacbird · Sep 6, 2008

I've read a fair number of novels by Japanese authors in English translation. Names have never been a problem, any more than, say, Hispanic names in a novel set in Mexico, or Norwegian names in a novel set in Minnesota.

caw

MadScientistMatt · Sep 6, 2008

Japanese names are usually not too hard for an English speaker to sound out, as at least there's a consistant way to write a Japanese word in Romanji. Sure, you'll have readers who don't know that the i's are pronounced like long e's, and if I hadn't heard Keisuke pronounced by Japanese speakers, I'd pronounce it like something like "Kee-eh-soo-kay." (It's pronounced more like "Keskay.") But I don't think a mispronunciation would ruin the novel.

Back when I worked for Amada, I sometimes read documents that had been written originally in Japanese, had European names that they'd attempted to render into Japanese, then somebody had translated it into English with a computer. It took me a while to figure out that "Torunpu" was an effort to render the German name Trumpf into Japanese.

maestrowork · Sep 6, 2008

dpaterso said:
Just sayin', my Scottish ear picked up familiar sounds,

Jiro reminded me of Giro (contraction of Girocheque, gov't welfare payment)

Hajime reminded me of "Haw Jimmy!" (greetings, James)

As in, "Haw Jimmy, you got your Giro yet? Ah'm gaspin' fur a pint."

-Derek

I have a big problem with a Scottish guy named Jiro Hajime.

Riley · Sep 6, 2008

Wait, so the novel takes place in Japan, but the story is in English? Not difficult at all. Use the Japanese names. In this case, it's appropriate to your setting. You can also use words such as "ginza", "gaijin", etc. when necessary. However, don't overdo it. If you can use an English word and convey the same meaning in an effective way, then do it.

Japanese pronunciation is very similar to Spanish pronunciation, which many people are at least vaguely familiar with, so there shouldn't be too much of a problem. Also, the Japanese language is syllabic. You could read all Japanese words as they're written (for example, "de-shi-ta" instead of "desh'ta". You'll sound weird, but it's doable.)

The names you've presented aren't very difficult at all. They don't have any of the tricky silent "U"s or anything like that. The "R" in "Jiro" is something people will probably mispronounce, but it won't mangle the name.

I come from a Japanese background, but can't speak much of the language. I know how to pronounce these. I think you'll do fine.

blacbird · Sep 6, 2008

maestrowork said:
I have a big problem with a Scottish guy named Jiro Hajime.

How about McHajime?

caw

Stormhawk · Sep 6, 2008

maestrowork said:
If they're Japanese, of course they have Japanese name.

I don't see why there's a problem.

This.

Lady Cat · Sep 6, 2008

I'm trying to picture James Clavel's Shogun without the Japanese names . . . Nope, can't do it.

I think you'll do fine with the Japanese names in your novel.

JoNightshade · Sep 6, 2008

What, you were thinking of calling your Japanese characters Joe-Bob and Billy?

Your Opinion on Japanese Names in an English Novel?

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