Since my child will be born soon, I thought I'd write down my thoughts on how to name a baby.
I think everyone has probably thought about what name they would give their child at some point.
These days, we're seeing a lot of names that were quite unusual a generation ago, such as "sparkly names" or, conversely, "old-fashioned names."
These are just my own thoughts, but I'd like to write about some things to consider when naming something.
Issues of ease of pronunciation and intelligibility
You can get a sense of how easy it is to pronounce and understand by actually combining it with your last name and saying it aloud.
One thing to be mindful of regarding ease of pronunciation is that if the last sound of your surname is a vowel, and the first sound of your given name is the same vowel, it can be quite difficult to pronounce.
(Examples: Fujii Ikue, Inoue Eisuke, etc.)
If the actual final sound is "o," as in "Sato," then as long as it doesn't clash with that vowel, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Having a full name that's difficult to hear during phone calls or conversations can often put you at a disadvantage in various aspects of life.
According to the TV show "Honmadekka TV," it has been found that people with easy-to-pronounce and easy-to-hear names tend to have a higher-than-average level of happiness.
So, what makes a name easy to pronounce?
Two-syllable names like "Ai," "Mai," "Ryo," and "Ken" are easy to hear and pronounce, making them prime examples of easy-to-call names.
Consideration from infancy to old age
Newborns and young children are all adorable, no matter what kind they are.
But are those sparkly, cute names given to middle-aged and elderly people truly appropriate for their names?
A name is something that stays with you for life, so I think it should be a name that feels right for that person at every stage of their life.
Furthermore, it is generally said that having a "sparkly" or unusual name is a disadvantage when it comes to finding a job.
Common sense dictates that parents who give their children such names are likely to lack imagination and the ability to think ahead.
Parents who make lifelong decisions based on momentary emotional outbursts are seen as such.
It's unfortunate for the child who is given that name, but it's also understandable that children of such parents might be viewed in a similar light.
Apparently, many HR managers at companies actually think that way.
I wonder if I'll get a weird nickname.
This is also important: having a name that can be pronounced in an unusual way can lead to being given a strange nickname, which can result in bullying.
However, in reality, children are sometimes given nicknames based on ideas that their parents would never have imagined.
There's no point in overthinking this, so all I can say is, let's avoid names that can be pronounced in obviously strange ways.
Kanji problems
You should avoid using kanji that cannot be read using their usual pronunciation, kanji that are phonetic equivalents, or kanji that are not commonly used.
Converting to kanji is troublesome, and conveying kanji over the phone is also time-consuming and frustrating for the other person.
Also, kanji characters that have multiple readings might be a little troublesome.
This is related to the number of strokes in a name, so it's an area that many people are very particular about.
However, name analysis is not a science.
The auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of a name varies depending on the school of thought, and there is no name that will produce excellent results in every school.
While it may be important to be superstitious, ultimately it's nothing more than parental self-satisfaction.
If you're still determined to stick with the name, why not try searching on Facebook or other platforms to see how other children with the same name are growing up?
You might wake up.
Matching real people
Be careful when you look up the name you actually gave your child together with their last name, if it's the same as a real-life celebrity.
The worst-case scenario is when someone shares the same name as a person who committed a major crime in the past.
No one would feel very good about that.
Conversely, being the same age as an extremely handsome celebrity can also be a disadvantage, potentially leading to a self-deprecating personality.
However, using the same name as a well-liked person can also have the effect of making that person more likeable, so it's a tricky situation.
You can probably avoid this by doing a quick internet search on the completed name.