Japanese Baby Names

Japanese baby names are written in kanji, which is Chinese lettering with Japanese pronunciation. Japanese baby naming is restricted to the characters available in kanji in order to assure that those literate in Japanese can read all the names. Recently, the government has announced plans to elaborate kanji by 578 kanji, which would greatly increase Japanese baby naming combinations. Restrictions in baby naming also prohibit derogatory names that have the potential to be individually and publicly harmful. Using a space to separate a child's first and last names is also prohibited due to the fact that a space is not an alloted kanji character. The Japanese have a sur name and a first name, without a middle name. Popular baby girl names include Aiko, meaning "beloved one," Gina, meaning "silvery," Kaiya or "forgiveness," Miki, meaning "beautiful tree." Popular baby boy names include Hiroshi, meaning "generous," Jiro or "second male," Kiyoshi or "quiet," and Taro for "first born male."