[Facts] to ruralruna: Does Akane mean Scarlet or Deep red?
in reply to a message by RuralRuna
The name Akane means "deep red, dye from the rubia plant, meaning that she presumably was named after her hair color and eye color.
Replies
Native Japanese don't have red hair, and they certainly don't have red eyes. However, Japanese respond very positively to the color red. It is a lucky color, the color of youth and of celebration, and traditionally was thought to keep evil spirits away, so temple gates are often painted red. In fact, the word for baby is "aka-chan," which basically means "little red one."