Good Characters, Inc. Blog

All Japan is smiling at the birth of the first male in the imperial family in over 40 years. But what will he be called? Names are very important in Japan, especially for a child who will one day be emperor. By royal ordinance the Emperor himself chooses the name of his direct successor, but this little prince is the child of the Emperor’s second son. So his parents are allowed to select a name.

For more than 11 centuries, since 858, the children of Japanese royals have been identified by the last character in their names. With few exceptions, boys in the imperial family have hito as the last part of their names and girls generally have ko. Hito means “highest moral standard” and ko means “noblewoman.” Following the tradition, the new prince’s father, Akishino, has the given name of Fumihito; his older brother (who has no son) is Naruhito. Their father is Akihito and his father was Hirohito. And in the same tradition, the new prince’s mother is Kiko and his sisters are Mako and Kako.

The Japanese will learn the name of their future emperor at the special naming ceremony, by custom held one week after the baby’s birth.

Links:

• CNN: Baby name challenge for Japan royals
• Naming the Prince (Chinese)
• Why Most Japanese Females’ Names End with the “ko” Character? (Chinese)
• How Japanese Name Their Children (Chinese)