Housepets! Character Names ... in Japanese!

Macsen · Post by **Macsen** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 12:39 pm

Kuro had some very good ideas for this. Is he still around?

dtlux1 · Post by **dtlux1** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:18 pm

This thread is interesting, but the puush files seem to not be found for me. Wish I could see them...

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 8:04 am

I'm surprised anyone still remembers this. In any case, I've changed the links to the ones in my Dropbox account.

Also, rereading these, I've noticed several mistakes and some kanji characters that doesn't really fit the naming theme. Add that with new characters which I am not aware of (I've stopped reading HP for personal reasons) and several old ones that I have missed, as well as several changes that Rick has made to the characters, notably Bahamut, and I think I need to redo this. Or a V2.0. Anyone interested in that?

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 9:11 am

I'm up for helping with V2.0!

Oh, I also have a suggestion. Maybe Duke's Jap-name should be changed from "Koushaku" to "Bochama". Koushaku doesn't necessarily sound like a proper name, and Bochama is a term used by Japanese butlers which essentially means "Master's Son". Also, on the matter of Fox, I can't find anything saying that the Japanese word for fox is "Ko", that means small. "Kitsune" is Japanese for Fox, but that would get him mixed up with Great Kitsune. So I suggest the name Musuko. You see the given name Fox started out as "Mac a'tSionnaigh", which means "Son of the Fox". And Musuko means Son, sooooo.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 2:41 pm

I have no qualms with either of those renames.

Post by **Obbl** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 8:28 pm

While botchama is certainly used to refer to the master's son, I don't know if it quite makes sense as a name. It comes from bouya, meaning boy, with the honorific ending. It's like, in English, a butler would call the master's son "young master", but you would never name someone that. While I agree that koushaku also doesn't exactly sound like a name, it is at least the correct vocabulary word

狐 (fox)
音：　コ (ko)
訓：　きつね (kitsune)
In particular 白狐 is either shirogitsune or byakko.

Also why would you name someone "son"

Though, kurowolfe, I did just notice that you misspelled King's name as 「てのう」 rather than 「てんおう」.

大ショックだ！

If we're giving suggestions, we could go back to the origins of duke to find that it comes from the Latin for "to lead" and shares origins with the Germanic words for "to pull"、 to come up with something like 引導 (いなみち) (inamichi). Where 引 (hiku) means "to pull" aｎd has its use in "leading" as well, and 導 (michigaku) is leading and guiding.

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 8:32 pm

Okay then, I see my errors with those. But here's one more, and I'll make sense unlike my last two.

I suggest Bino having his name changed from "Fuku" to "Koji". 1, Koji is an actual name. 2, it means "Second Son". 3, it sounds like Shinji(Fido' s Japanese name).

Post by **Obbl** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 8:57 pm

Ah, 小次 (kouji)

I think the initial idea behind all this was to use the etymology of the name to find a name with similar etymology in Japanese, though I do kinda agree on this one since we don't know the origin of Bino, and it likely doesn't have one except Rick's mind

(Plus it really puts the emphasis on Bino being in the shadow of his brother

)

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:12 am

SuperStar wrote:Oh, I also have a suggestion. Maybe Duke's Jap-name should be changed from "Koushaku" to "Bochama". Koushaku doesn't necessarily sound like a proper name, and Bochama is a term used by Japanese butlers which essentially means "Master's Son". Also, on the matter of Fox, I can't find anything saying that the Japanese word for fox is "Ko", that means small. "Kitsune" is Japanese for Fox, but that would get him mixed up with Great Kitsune. So I suggest the name Musuko. You see the given name Fox started out as "Mac a'tSionnaigh", which means "Son of the Fox". And Musuko means Son, sooooo.

I agree on Obbl's comments on these two names. Furthermore, 'musuko' sounds like a girl's name, because of the '-ko' suffix, which almost usually means the name is a girl's. This also brings up a common problem for me in this project: finding a good masculine name with 'ko'. Since there's only one on-yomi for the word fox, and no nanori (name reading), finding a good enough name for Fox and Karishad is head-scratching. In Karishad's case, I kinda regretted giving him the name 'Tenko', because despite the good meaning, it is a very, very feminine name.

I do have a small correction for Fox's name which would come soon, and have multiple meanings that relates to Fox's character from my point of view. So you guys will have to wait and see.

Obbl wrote:Though, kurowolfe, I did just notice that you misspelled King's name as 「てのう」 rather than 「てんおう」. 大ショックだ！

If we're giving suggestions, we could go back to the origins of duke to find that it comes from the Latin for "to lead" and shares origins with the Germanic words for "to pull"、 to come up with something like 引導 (いなみち) (inamichi). Where 引 (hiku) means "to pull" aｎd has its use in "leading" as well, and 導 (michigaku) is leading and guiding.

大変だ！大変だ！ｗｗｗ

I really just noticed King's name mistake! Will fix that. I also like the idea for Duke's name, but Inamichi sounds like a family name and not a given name, imo. I kinda prefer Hikimichi as a reading, though that is not a natural Japanese name. It could work though. Thanks for the suggestion.

For Bino's name, back then when I started this, I have had the idea of giving Fido, Bino and Joey names that have the connotation or '1,2,3' or 'eldest, middle, youngest'. Similar to the Pokemon Oshawott's evolution line Japanese names (Mijumaru, Futachimaru and Daikenki; Mi (3) Fu (2) Dai (1st)). But I couldn't find names that would do this as well as showing the etymology for their names. The name Kouji sounds nice for Bino though, if we disregard the possible Spanish meaning of 'double' entirely.

In any case, there are some things that I would like to ask while we're here:
1) Is Pit's name referring to 'hole' or to 'seed'?
2) Can Bahamut change his form according to his fancy? I might want to include kanji characters that correspond to the concept of 'transformation' like 'henge' or 'henshin' for example. And is his large fish/whale form his default one?
3) Do all the wolf pack members have the last name 'The Wolf'? Or 'Milton'?
4) Here's an example for the V2.0 of the translation page? Any comments on it?

Also, thanks for all the help and input guys~

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:34 am

That has come to really nice! Great job on that!

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:50 am

On the matter of Bahamut, yes Rick has said that he can change into any form he wants, he's just that Omnipotent. Being presumably the ultimate of the Celestials I think Bahamut should simply be called "Daibankan", which means "Great Judge". Or even just simply "Kami-Sama".

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:54 am

It took me a while to realize that the whale Bahamut is the same one who presided in Pete's trial.

Post by **Obbl** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:31 am

kurowolfe wrote: In any case, there are some things that I would like to ask while we're here:
1) Is Pit's name referring to 'hole' or to 'seed'?
2) Can Bahamut change his form according to his fancy? I might want to include kanji characters that correspond to the concept of 'transformation' like 'henge' or 'henshin' for example. And is his large fish/whale form his default one?
3) Do all the wolf pack members have the last name 'The Wolf'? Or 'Milton'?
4) Here's an example for the V2.0 of the translation page? Any comments on it?

Also, thanks for all the help and input guys~

1. Some cursory searching seems it indicate it is the hole.
2. Yes, and I believe so. Rick said something like wanting to go back to the roots of Bahamut (as the whale upon which the world rests).
3. I think it depends on which legal loopholes you're looking at

Milton is certainly how they got into the system, but it appears both Jack and Miles are using "the wolf" as their surname, and Jack used it for his bank account, so that has to be fairly legal.
4. I like the setup.

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 5:18 am

kurowolfe wrote:

Also, thanks for all the help and input guys~

Wow, that's pretty awesome! Nice work!

GameCobra · Post by **GameCobra** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:07 pm

Glad to see this is being updated again. <3

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 10:08 pm

It's probably gonna take a long time to make all of those little profiles though.

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:21 am

Amazee Dayzee wrote:It's probably gonna take a long time to make all of those little profiles though.

Yup, gonna take this slowly. Especially since I now have almost no free time, helping my mum with her small catering business. Either work, eat or sleep =w=

Anyway, posted the new version in the OP. For Peanut, Grape, Tarot, Max, Sabrina and King. Had to redo Tarot and Sabrina.

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 4:13 am

Those new names for Tarot and Sabrina are pretty good! Nice work.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 1:11 am

As for what Tarocchi is, its a variation of a tarot card game that was popular in the 15th century. So I assume it would mean some sort of card game?

Anyway, nice job!

Post by **Obbl** » Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:19 am

Hey, Kuro
The pronunciation guide is a little skewed. Most notably, "top" is probably a good representation for our friends in the British Isles, but especially in American English, it is pronounced more like "tahp" because it's a short o. Perhaps a better word would be "core".
The "up" is similar. The British and Australian pronunciation of it would be about spot on, but the American pronunciation is rather not. Of course, any good American example (like "ah-ha") wouldn't be as good of a British example. Maybe "arm", though it might be difficult getting Americans to let go of the "r" portion of it

If there were room to split it up, that could help, but I don't know...

(Go 'Murica!)

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 1:18 am

Noted and edited, though I'm not sure my choice for the 'a' sound is any better than before. I choose the words based on my own pronunciation, so I'm not really that aware of the more subtler differences between the two main English-speaking regions.

In any case, I've added Fox, Sasha, Bailey, Jessica, Fido and Bino. The names may sound odd, but I assure you they're actual Japanese names, at least in pronunciation. And I've never been so disappointed in a name as I did with Byron before =w=

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 2:28 am

Man, all these names are great! Great work Kuro, great work! I particularly like the name you gave Bailey. It reminds me of a Bible verse.

Man, all these awesome names have got me thinking. I'm gonna put together a list of Japanese Voice Actors for Housepets! and post it on the Voice Actor thread.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 4:05 pm

I love how the new names have came out so far! You have great attention to detail for this! Great job!

dtlux1 · Post by **dtlux1** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 7:23 pm

I like this, it is interesting. I need to get back to learning Japanese, I only know 3 words after a few lessons.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sun Dec 28, 2014 11:35 pm

Someday, I wanna go to Japan but I would need to pay a translator since I don't think I can learn Japanese.

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 6:24 am

Sorry, got real busy and was afk for quite some time. I’ve only managed to do one page for Joey and Squeak, mostly because I redid Squeak’s name to suit her better.

Amazee Dayzee wrote:As for what Tarocchi is, its a variation of a tarot card game that was popular in the 15th century. So I assume it would mean some sort of card game?

Anyway, nice job!

Just noticed your comment on this, sorry

Anyways, yes, it does refer to the card game, but as far as I know, the word 'tarocchi' itself doesn't have a clear meaning, so I've put 'unknown meaning' there.

dtlux1 wrote:I like this, it is interesting. I need to get back to learning Japanese, I only know 3 words after a few lessons.

Learning Japanese can take a while, especially if you're not used to a language that doesn't utilize the Roman alphabet. If you do though, I'd suggest learning from a book or in a class for the formal forms first (the ones that these books and classes would teach to a foreigner), then learn about the Japanese culture from movies, manga, anime or other sources. The Japanese language depends very much on the nuances and levels of formality that you would have to observe and note.

As for me? I learned my Japanese mostly from watching anime for over 7 years and reading more from the Web and Japanese dictionaries for vocabs. So while I can sorta understand spoken Japanese, I can't reply back in a proper way, since I mostly learned colloquial and informal spoken Japanese. And as a foreigner, you would be considered rude and uncultured if you reply with colloquial Japanese, unless you REEEEAAAALLLY know the person you're talking to.

In any case, I have been racking my brain on a good name for Karishad, and I’ve come up with two possible names. Thing is, I can’t really choose between them, because each has their own pros and cons. The names are as follows:

1) Konkon （懇魂）-> ’sociable, kind, hospitable’ + ‘soul, spirit, ghost’
- ‘Konkon’, written only in hiragana as こんこん, is usually used as an onomatopoeic word for the sound for the barking of a fox, the sound of someone coughing, or ‘knock-knock’
- In the same manner, ‘konkon’ could also mean ‘fox’ in children’s language, something similar to ‘foxy’ or ‘Mr. Fox’.

2) Kokana （狐哉）-> ‘fox’ + ‘question mark, alas!, how!’
- 狐哉 , if written in a sentence, could be written as ‘kitsune kana?’ or 『狐かな？』which roughly means ‘I wonder if it’s a fox?’ or ‘Alas, a fox!’
- The Kanji for ‘kana’ is rarely used in normal everyday writing and is usually written only in hiragana in the matter shown above.

Which one of them do you guys think suit Karishad more?

Also, I wanted to ask about the Dropbox links. Are the images easier to read and get to? I myself felt that having to download the file to zoom in on it is kinda... meh. And I forgot I have Imageshack =w=

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 6:48 am

I'd say "Konkon"! It gives off a very playful aura, and the fact that it means "knock knock" makes me think of Knock Knock Jokes and do I even need to explain why that works?

Post by **Obbl** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:50 am

I like konkon as his name, but I was wondering if 「混」 should be considered as the first kanji. It can be used to mean "chaos", which only slightly fits him perfectly.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:32 am

Konkon. He can use Kokana for the name of his first daughter.

Besides I think Kokana sounds a bit feminine.

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 12:36 pm

Ok, Konkon it is then! Though, I'd like to ask Karishad himself if he's okay with it. And I highly doubt he's reading this thread xD

Obbl wrote:I like konkon as his name, but I was wondering if 「混」 should be considered as the first kanji. It can be used to mean "chaos", which only slightly fits him perfectly.

Oh right, I did come across this particular kanji character... Well, it by itself means 'confusion' or 'mix', so I guess it would result in the meaning of 'confusing fox' ... that sounds better

I'll start the next pages soon; I sprained (I dunno if that's the correct English word) my lower backbone, and couldn't sit or stand for a while. Recovered though

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 3:52 pm

Never heard of spraining a lower backbone, but glad you are OK.

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:00 pm

Sprained lower back? That doesn't sound fun, glad you got better.

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:44 pm

Who are the next characters that are gonna get their names translated?

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:13 pm

And after 2 weeks later, I only did two pages =_=;

Amazee Dayzee wrote:Who are the next characters that are gonna get their names translated?

I usually follow the order in the old list, with some changes depending on whether the character has appeared recently (I had to skip the two musician cats because of this). I do know I will be doing Marvin, Tiger, Kevin and Jata next

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:14 am

Will Jata's Japanese name translate to being beaten by an old guy? xD

Post by **D-Rock** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:51 am

When I first saw this thread, I thought, "interesting concept," but didn't look into it. Finally looked into it, and dude, actually delving into the etymology of their names for the translations is really impressive! Haven't read through all of them yet, but one thing really struck me; Zachary is a Hebrew name?! Then I learn it's a derivative of Zechariah. This is surprisingly fun!

Though him being heralded like he is suddenly really fits.

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 7:09 am

Just a note, shouldn't Jata's name remain as Jata since it's foreign?

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 3:26 pm

It is foreign, but not Japanese so that is why he would get a new name.

kurowolfe · Post by **kurowolfe** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 4:38 am

You'd be surprised of the meaning of Jata's name, but I think they suit his character :3

D-Rock wrote:When I first saw this thread, I thought, "interesting concept," but didn't look into it. Finally looked into it, and dude, actually delving into the etymology of their names for the translations is really impressive! Haven't read through all of them yet, but one thing really struck me; Zachary is a Hebrew name?! Then I learn it's a derivative of Zechariah. This is surprisingly fun!

Though him being heralded like he is suddenly really fits.

Well, a lot of common names used in the US, UK and Canada comes from the Hebrew language, as well as Old English. That is one interesting observation indeed

Amazee Dayzee · Post by **Amazee Dayzee** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 3:23 pm

Well then I wait with bated breath for you to post Jata.