Gender Masculine
Usage Folklore, Japanese Mythology
Scripts 寿限無(Japanese Kanji) じゅげむ(Japanese Hiragana)
Meaning & History
Means "limitless life", from Japanese 寿 (ju) meaning "age; years", 限 (ge) meaning "limit" and 無 (mu) meaning "none". This is only the initial part of a ridiculously long name in a humorous rakugo story of a couple who could not decide on a name for their infant son, which resulted in the father being suggested several names by a Buddhist priest. However, he was unable to decide and therefore gave his son all of the names.The full name in the story is 寿限無、寿限無、五劫の擦り切れ、海砂利水魚の、水行末・雲来末・風来末、食う寝るところに住むところ、薮ら柑子のブラ柑子、パイポ・パイポ・パイポのシューリンガン、シューリンガンのグーリンダイ、グーリンダイのポンポコピーのポンポコナーの、長久命の長助 (Jugemu, Jugemu, Gokō no Surikire, Kaijari Suigyo no, Suigyōmatsu, Unraimatsu, Fūraimatsu, Kū Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro, Yaburakōji no Burakōji, Paipo, Paipo, Paipo no Shūringan, Shūringan no Gūrindai, Gūrindai no Pompokopī no Pompokonā no, Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke) meaning "limitless life, limitless life, 21,600,000,000 years frictioning (on a rock), the sea's gravel and the water's fish, where water eventually ends, where clouds originate, where wind originates, a place to eat and sleep and a place to live, the hanging ardisia japonica, Paipo (a made-up kingdom set in Ancient China), Paipo, Shūringan (the king) of Paipo, Gūrindai (the queen) of Shūringan, Pompokopī (the daughter) of Gūrindai, Pompokonā (the sister) of Pompokopī, a long-lasting life and blessed for a long time".