[Sunday Culture] "My name is Pikachu"... Written in Hanja but pronounced in English, the 'Kirakira Name'

Japan's craze for English names
Using Chinese characters with foreign pronunciations like 'Marin' and 'Love'
Moves to introduce regulations amid name proliferation

They say that children's names also reflect the times. It is said that preferred names vary by era. These days, it feels like names containing 'Yul' are being used quite frequently.

Sometimes, English names like 'Sera' are given outright. Although the names are recorded in Hanja on the resident registration, the pronunciation gives a foreign name impression. Japan also has such names, called "Kira Kira Names," which combine Hiragana and Hanja to make children's names pronounced in an English style.

The dictionary definition of Kira Kira Names is "names that use customized characters by reading the Hanja used in the name differently from usual."

For example, the Hanja meaning "sea" (海, Umi) is written on the resident registration, but the child's name is pronounced as "Marine" instead of "Umi." The Hanja '愛,' meaning love and pronounced "Ai," is recorded on the resident registration, but the name is given as "Love."

There is even an example where a Hanja character not normally used for names was used to name a child "Pikachu."

Other examples of Kira Kira Names include registering the character for "man" (男) but reading it as "Atom," or registering "紅葉" (Koyo), meaning maple leaves, but pronouncing it as "Maple."

This exploits the leniency of Japan's family registry law. The law defines the characters allowed for names as Hanja, Hiragana, and Katakana. Among these, the allowed Hanja are limited to 2,999 characters. While the law regulates which Hanja can be used in names, it does not regulate how they are read, so parents register the Hanja and freely change the pronunciation to an English-style name.

Since Japan experienced a low birthrate trend early on, the trend of wanting to give children unique names has been popular since the 1990s. Originally, names were created by naming specialists who combined Hanja based on stroke count and fortune, but with the development of the internet, parents could directly search for and choose names. As a result, many analyses suggest that parents began to seek unique and distinctive names rather than names based on traditional name studies.

However, this has led to criticism that many names have become incomprehensible, disregarding the original meanings of the Hanja. In response, in February of this year, Japan's Legislative Council proposed a regulation stating that "names should be generally accepted," putting restrictions on Kira Kira Names.

In Japan, opinions are divided between those who argue "naming is freedom and an expression of individuality" and those who question "whether parents should be allowed to name their children this way." As a result, there is much debate surrounding Kira Kira Names.

In any case, a child's name is the first gift from the parents. It would be wonderful if the parents' feelings embedded in the name are well conveyed to the child.