Japanese language question

sumnom

This is not even coin related but I hope you can help me out. I need to figure out how to read a man's given name. The first character is koo as in koodoo (filial piety). The second is san, as in ichi, ni, san. How should I read this name? I have checked out O'Neil's name book but I cannot find this combination of characters. What do y'all think?

satootoko

Do you have a Japanese word processer that will allow you to enter the name in Kanji and either post it here or PM/e-mail it to me? The Beautiful Bride couldn't come up with anything based on your post, but said she might be able to help if she saw the actual Kanji.

sumnom

I thought koodoo (ko-u do-u) would be a common enough word but I guess not. How about Koshi (again, long o), meaning a filial son, the son how is loyal and obedient to his parents? Would she know koshi no ko?

GoldCoinLover

<< <i>This is not even coin related but I hope you can help me out. I need to figure out how to read a man's given name. The first character is koo as in koodoo (filial piety). The second is san, as in ichi, ni, san. How should I read this name? I have checked out O'Neil's name book but I cannot find this combination of characters. What do y'all think? >>




I've learned quite a bit about japanese since I'm going to tokyo in a few years. I'm not sure of the actual character for koo, (since there are many, many, kanji, or japanese inherited chinese characters, which some look almost exactly similiar), are you sure its koo instead of ku?

So if his name is Koo San. That means Mr. Koo . Koo is the last name, and san after it simply means "Mr". There is this website you can go to, it will probably help you out alot: http://www.kanjisite.com/ . It lists all the kanji .

Strangely enough, suzuki is apparently a popular last name in japan. In america when you think suzuki you automatically think of motor vehicles. NEVER refer yourself by your last name. Its considered impolite.

If your last name in japan is Suzuki. That means you'd be Suzuki San.

sumnom

The man in question is a Mr. Tagawa. The issue is his given name. I wrote "koo" to indicate "ko" with a long o sound since I do not know how to type a macron here on the forum.

The ko (long o) is the character meaning "filial piety" and the "san" is the number three. While I know the onyomi for these characters, there are so many different kunyomi, which are more commonly used in names, that I do not know which ones would be correct.

sumnom

The Kanji site is not so useful. There is no way to find characters by radical. If there is, I missed it.

sumnom

Shiroh, you once used an on line character dictionary. Where is that? Maybe I can post a link to the character in question.

sumnom

Here is a link to a search I did on an on-line Korean dictionary:

ko (u) do (u)

The whole page in is in Korean except for on little highlighted but in Chinese. The first character is the filial piety character.

sumnom

And for you kanji sharks out there:

dai kanwa jiten ni nai kanji

It is a rather short list but it is interesting anyway.

sumnom

Isn't annoying when the same person keeps replying to the same thread repeatedly?

toyonakataro

I'm not sure whitch koo in kanji you are referring to, but we read san as zou.
I guess his name is kou-zou(whitch is very popular), but I'm not 100% sure.
You should ask Satootokos' beautiful bride.

Stork

When I read this last night I thought for sure I'd be able to tell you something once I got to work, but my usual translation helper isn't here today (I try not to bug anyone I don't know well). I'll ask her if she has any ideas on Monday if you are still looking.


Cathy

sumnom

Oooooh, I'll bet it's Kozo. That is a common name. I have met a few Kozos myself.

I thought everyone would be familiar with the Ko as "filial piety" but I guess not. I suppose none of you care about your parents, eh?

I will look up Kozo in my name dictionary and see if it comes up. I had tried to look up the characters but found nothing. It also has a section where you can look names up from the romanization. I will give that a whirl. I am not at home now but in a bit I will be.

sumnom

Here is a link to an online kanji dictionary for ko(u):

I hope this link works

sumnom

Well, the name dictionary nixed the Kozo proposal but who knows, dictionaries are fallible.

toyonakataro

Sumnom-after seeing the kanji for ko(your last link worked), now I'm pretty sure it reads kouzou(kozo).
I couldn't get the image of ko in kanji from the word "filial piety".....I'm not good at English

sumnom

Even thought my name says "no," I am inclined to agree with you. Let's call it Kozo, unless someone finds definitive reason to believe otherwise.

satootoko

After considerable cogitation and dictionary reference, the Beautiful Bride has suggested that the name be read "Takamitsu". "Taka" is an alternative reading for the Kanji we have been discussing as "Kou", and of course "mitsu" as in hitotsu, futatsu, mitsu, is an alternative reading for "san". She didn't think much of "Kouzou" as a name, and thinks "Takamitsu" is more likely than the closely related "Takami", which sounds more like a family name.

I suppose the most definitive answer would come from asking Tagawa-san how to pronounce his name, but I guess if that were feasible you wouldn't have posted the question. Is this a name you have come across in some research project?

GoldCoinLover

<< <i>After considerable cogitation and dictionary reference, the Beautiful Bride has suggested that the name be read "Takamitsu". "Taka" is an alternative reading for the Kanji we have been discussing as "Kou", and of course "mitsu" as in hitotsu, futatsu, mitsu, is an alternative reading for "san". She didn't think much of "Kouzou" as a name, and thinks "Takamitsu" is more likely than the closely related "Takami", which sounds more like a family name.

I suppose the most definitive answer would come from asking Tagawa-san how to pronounce his name, but I guess if that were feasible you wouldn't have posted the question. Is this a name you have come across in some research project? >>



The "san" is confusing since if your calling someone by their last name (Like Mr.) you'd say their last name then san after their last name. But san also means 3 ...

cacheman

This could really have been dealt with on the Open Forum...

Stork

I asked my work friend and she wasn't sure--could you post a picture of the kanji in question? Or rather, pm it might be better.


Cathy

sumnom

Cacheman,

It went nowhere on the Open Forum. Plus, this were the Japanese language people are. I hope this is isn't too annoying for you to look at.


For the rest of youse:


I'll beat this dead horse just a little bit more.

The question is about a male given name.

This is the first character of his given name.

This is the second character of his given name.

Mr. Tagawa is the author of an article I just read. The article was published in 1953 or so it is quite possible that he is no longer among the living. Anyhow, I don't know the guy.

Thank you Satootoko for your better half's assessment. I will take her take as authoritative.

And sorry if this was an annoying thread.

shirohniichan

For some reason I don't understand, I can't pull up the kanji site you listed. I think Taro would understand "filial piety" better if you called it "oya koukou."

I don't know any Takamitsus or Kouzous that spell their names that way, but I would go with Kouzou. I know someone named "Shouzou" whose last character is the number three. It makes sense for an older man.

BigAlan

This could really have been dealt with on the Open Forum...


...and expect a straight answer?

XpipedreamR

Can't you just say, "Hey, Mr. Japanese dude"?

Stork

I printed up the characters and this is what my friend said (also that a kanji symbol can have more than one pronunciation and you can't always tell which one it's going to be...she works as a receptionist here and says that sometimes she is only about 70% sure about what to call one of the Japanese patients when reading their names).


1. The first is either kou or taka.

2. The second can be san (three), but when used as a name is zou. Definitely not as intended as when addressing a person, such as Satootoko-san (i.e. as in Mr. , Mrs. or Ms.). In fact, we have a friend named Taka, and we call him Taka-san, but would not write it in such a fashion, that is, if I had a clue how to write in any of the three Japanese scripts.

3. She thinks the name should be pronounced Kouzou (k, long o, z, long o). Taka-zou is not a name she has ever heard, but she does recognize Kouzou as a name.


Hopefully this is slightly useful.



Cathy

sumnom

Aw Jeez, so it's either Kozo or Takamitsu. I'll tell you all if I ever come up with the 100% correct answer.

shirohniichan

It's "Kouzou" (not "kozou" as in "Kitakaze Kozou no Santarou"). I'm willing to bet $50 of your money on it.