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ArchivesRe: Is Yumeko a somewhat normal name in Japan?
in reply to a message by selkieboy
Yumiko, which was popular in the 1960s/70s, is an entirely different name. In Japanese, Yumiko and Yumeko would be considered as different as John and Shawn.
I'm not really qualified to say that Yumeko is or is not a "normal" name. All I can say is that I have never met or heard of anyone whose name incorporates the word Yume (which means "dream"). However, in the last few decades parents have been using all sorts of creative and newly coined names, so it wouldn't surprise me. However, your other suggestions (Yumea, Yumeka, Yumeri) strike me as more contemporary than Yumeko. Modern parents don't use "-ko" names much at all, but those other endings are quite popular among children and young people.
I'm not really qualified to say that Yumeko is or is not a "normal" name. All I can say is that I have never met or heard of anyone whose name incorporates the word Yume (which means "dream"). However, in the last few decades parents have been using all sorts of creative and newly coined names, so it wouldn't surprise me. However, your other suggestions (Yumea, Yumeka, Yumeri) strike me as more contemporary than Yumeko. Modern parents don't use "-ko" names much at all, but those other endings are quite popular among children and young people.
This message was edited 6/15/2024, 6:09 AM
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Replies
Yes, you are correct about Riko and Niko, and Sakurako is another that has been popular recently.
However, it's interesting to note that all of these names break the former "rule" that girl's names ending with -ko must be three syllables: Michiko, Kimiko, Naoko, etc.
Some names like Keiko and Yoko may appear to be two syllables, but in the Japanese sound system, they are actually three. Keiko is Ke + i + ko, and Yoko has a long O: Yo + u + ko.
Riko and Niko having two syllables makes them slightly "edgy" or at least modern-sounding. The same for Sakurako, because four syllables in a girl's name ending with -ko was not formerly done. Yumeko, however, would be standard "-ko name format."
However, it's interesting to note that all of these names break the former "rule" that girl's names ending with -ko must be three syllables: Michiko, Kimiko, Naoko, etc.
Some names like Keiko and Yoko may appear to be two syllables, but in the Japanese sound system, they are actually three. Keiko is Ke + i + ko, and Yoko has a long O: Yo + u + ko.
Riko and Niko having two syllables makes them slightly "edgy" or at least modern-sounding. The same for Sakurako, because four syllables in a girl's name ending with -ko was not formerly done. Yumeko, however, would be standard "-ko name format."
This message was edited 6/17/2024, 3:03 PM
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Thanks for your reply! Yes, that's very interesting, thanks for sharing! Sakurako is really pretty! True, they're definitely a lot less common now.
Momoko and Nanako were still really popular in the 90s and Nanako made the top 10 in 1999, so I suppose it must still have been in the top 100 until at least the 2010s and there must be quite a few younger ones around. Unfortunately, I can't access the top 100 lists from before 2023 anymore.
An i after an e in Japanese usually makes the sound longer. Same with u after o. It's not two syllables, it's one long sound. Youko and Keiko have two syllables, the first syllable is just longer. I think it used to be different many many years ago, but has changed. It was a reform almost 100 years ago, if I remember correctly.
Momoko and Nanako were still really popular in the 90s and Nanako made the top 10 in 1999, so I suppose it must still have been in the top 100 until at least the 2010s and there must be quite a few younger ones around. Unfortunately, I can't access the top 100 lists from before 2023 anymore.
An i after an e in Japanese usually makes the sound longer. Same with u after o. It's not two syllables, it's one long sound. Youko and Keiko have two syllables, the first syllable is just longer. I think it used to be different many many years ago, but has changed. It was a reform almost 100 years ago, if I remember correctly.
This message was edited 6/17/2024, 3:37 PM
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No, long vowels count as two syllables--technically two "mora," which is a linguistic unit of time. A Japanese long vowel takes just twice as long to articulate as a short vowel, and it is perceived by Japanese speakers as two speech units.
The writing system also makes this very clear. Yoko with two morae would be written with two kana よこ; Yoko with long O (Youko) is written with three, ようこ. These aren't like what we call short vowels and long vowels in English (e.g. hat/hate). The quality of the vowel sound doesn't change in Japanese, it's just held longer.
Also, what looks like a single syllable ending with "n" is also two morae. For example, a word such as ringo (apple) is ri-n-go, りんご, three morae.
I can't comment on the usage of names over time, especially when it gets down to a "top 100" rather than just a top 10, as I don't have access to that information. It's also frustrating that lists of popular names often separate them out by kanji spelling, rather than grouping them by pronunciation. There are a zillion different ways to write most names in kanji.
The writing system also makes this very clear. Yoko with two morae would be written with two kana よこ; Yoko with long O (Youko) is written with three, ようこ. These aren't like what we call short vowels and long vowels in English (e.g. hat/hate). The quality of the vowel sound doesn't change in Japanese, it's just held longer.
Also, what looks like a single syllable ending with "n" is also two morae. For example, a word such as ringo (apple) is ri-n-go, りんご, three morae.
I can't comment on the usage of names over time, especially when it gets down to a "top 100" rather than just a top 10, as I don't have access to that information. It's also frustrating that lists of popular names often separate them out by kanji spelling, rather than grouping them by pronunciation. There are a zillion different ways to write most names in kanji.
This message was edited 6/17/2024, 8:29 PM
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