daily-hyosatsu

[daily-hyosatsu]

Double trouble! And another wet name today! That's 27 days in a row, babey!

荻 is a type of reed or rush (Amur silvergrass or Miscanthus sacchariflorus, if that means anything to you). It’s read おぎ or テキ.

田 means rice paddy/field. It’s read た or デン.

浜, as you may have seen on a snack recently, means beach, seashore, or seacoast. It’s read はま or ヒン.

本 means book, main, origin, true, or real/genuine. It’s also used to count long things. It’s read もと or ホン.

Put them together and you get the surname 荻田, usually read Ogita but possibly Okita or Okida, and 浜本, always read Hamamoto.

Now, you may be wondering, is this one of those reversible nameplates that works vertically or horizontally? NOPE. While 田本 Tamoto is a surname, 荻浜 Oginohama is a place name and nothing else. Oh well!

[daily-hyosatsu]

Today, a place name! And it's a wet one too! This apartment building is named GRAND EGGS 桜上水 【さくらじょうすい】. Sakura Jōsui is a neighborhood in Tokyo, and Grand Eggs is.…….. anyone's guess.

桜 means cherry tree, cherry blossom, or cherry. It’s read さくら, オウ, or ヨウ. It's made up of the tree radical 木 next to a woman 女 wearing the tsu-crown ⺍ (named because it looks like ツ).

上 means up, above, or raise. See here for readings broken down by meaning.

水 means water. It's read みず or スイ.

Also, vocab! Outside of names, 上水 【じょうすい】 means tap water or water supply. In the interest of symmetry, you should also know that 下水 【げすい】 means sewage, drainage, or ditch. You can also add 道 【-どう】 road/path to either: 上水道 means waterworks and 下水道 means sewer system.

Also, outside of names and civil engineering, 下水 can also be read したみず, in which case it can mean water flowing underneath (♫♫♫) or one's true feelings. OR it can also refer to the water radical at the bottom of a character—for example, on the bottom right in 緑 green. The bottom water radical sometimes looks like 水 but sometimes more like 氺. I’m not totally clear on the specifics tbh, but I can promise you that life will be easier if you recognize both!

[daily-hyosatsu]

More wet names! 西澤 is usually read Nishzawa, rarely Nishisawa, very rarely Nisihzuwa or Saizawa. 斉藤 is usually read Saitō, rarely Saidō. We've actually covered 斉藤 Saitō before, so let's just focus on the wet name today.

西 means west. It’s read にし, セイ, サイ, or ス.

澤 is a variant of 沢, meaning swamp/marsh, blessing/grace, or brilliant/glossy. Both characters are read さわ, うるお.い, うるお.す, つや, or タ.

[daily-hyosatsu]

Have we really done 24 straight days of wet names without a single 江 in sight? Let's rectify that! The surname 江田 is usually read Eda, like it is here, but you might also see Kōda, Gōda, Eta, or Enoda.

江 means creek, inlet, or bay. It’s read え or コウ. It’s the source of katakana エ, and it's also the E in Edo 江戸.

田 means rice paddy/field. It’s read た or デン.

[daily-hyosatsu]

What a fantastic typeface! Can you read this one? I know you can, I have faith in you!

The name is 長谷川 Hasegawa! Which is the 33rd most common surname in Japan.

The crazy thing about this typeface is that I knew that it said Hasegawa, but I didn't know *why* it said Hasegawa. I could read it but I couldn't parse it. Before my dog pulled me away, I was stood there in front of it for a minute just trying to remember what was the middle character of this name I've been seeing almost daily for almost 16 years (in fact, the surname of a woman I dated for over a year! And who ended things by ghosting me! On a remote island with a population of >9500!!).

Even walking home, I was still just scratching my head, going, "What comes between 長 and 川 in Hasegawa? Wait, am I wrong and is 長 actually the second character?" But no. Could not *technically* read it, definitely could not write it in that moment, complete and total hole in my memory, but somehow still knew what it said. Language, huh?

Anyway! Neat reminder that we can recognize words as a unit even when we can’t read every ‘letter.’ So, without further ado, here’s what you came here for:

長 means long, or leader/superior/senior. It’s read なが.い, おさ, or チョウ.

谷 means valley. It’s read たに, きわ.まる, or コク.

川 means river. It's read かわ or セン.

[daily-hyosatsu]

Double trouble today! And good news—the 22-day streak of wet names is still going!

The surname 照沼 is usually read Terunuma, like it is here (or as far as I can tell with this AWFUL all-caps English font), but it can also be Terinuma, Teranuma, or Shōnuma.

照 means illuminate, shine, or compare. It can also mean bashful or blushing. It's read て.る, て.らす, て.れる, or ショウ.

沼 means marsh, swamp, bog, wetland, pond, or lake. It's read ぬま or ショウ. The latter reading comes from the right radical, 召, which is also why 照 is read ショウ. See? It's useful to learn radicals.

The second surname, 今道, is usually read Imamichi, like it is here, but it may also be Kondō.

今 means now. By extension, it also means the most recent/this (as in “this week,” or “the current ~”). It's read いま, コン, or キン.

道, improbably, seems to be new to this blog! It means road, path, or journey—both literally and figuratively. It can also mean teachings or moral. It's commonly read みち, ドウ, or トウ, but can also be read いう.

Aaaand this post is already long, but it's fun to discover that you know vocabulary that you don't even know you know, so here you go:

照り焼き　　　　 teriyaki

天照大（御）神 Amaterasu Ō(mi)kami (the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology)

武士道 Bushidō (the samurai moral code)

道場 dōjō (martial arts training hall)

道教 【どうきょう】 Taosim/Daoism

[daily-hyosatsu]

Today, something very rare and interesting! And it's wet too!

瀨 is an archaic variant of 瀬, which we just covered the other day. It's read せ or ライ. It means rapids, current, torrent, shallows, or shoal.

The left radical is 氵water, and the left is a character meaning trust/rely on, or request: 頼 (standard) or 赖 (archaic). Its left radical is 束 bind. The right can be broken down in a variety of ways:

For me, it's clearest to remember that the standard character 頼 uses 頁 page while the archaic character uses 負 lose/bear a burden, or a 貝 shell with a 刀 sword on top. However, you could also look at 貝 shell as 目 eye on top of 八 eight (or little legs!), in which case standard is topped with a 一 one and archaic with a 刀 sword. Whatever's easiest for you.

Anyway! 野 should be more familiar. It's read の, ヤ, or ショ. It means field, wilderness, or open country.

Put them together and you get 瀨野, a surname that, according to my usual sources, DOES NOT EXIST! Wow. In three years of updating this blog, I'm not sure this has ever happened before. Myoji Yurai says that it has documented 99.54% of Japanese surnames, but I guess I didn't think I'd ever encounter one of the rare 0.46%! Exciting.

However, both sources do have listings for the standard 瀬野 Seno or possibly Seya, which belongs to about 6,400 people. So there you go!

[daily-hyosatsu]

Today, we are continuing with a new hyper-specific trend: wet bird names! The surname 鵜殿 is read Udono, with a possibility for Utono, Uden, or Udo. It belongs to about 1600 people.

鵜 means cormorant. It can be read う, テイ, or ダイ.

When I saw this nameplate on a walk, I looked at the radicals and wondered, "What bird 鳥 is like a little brother 弟?" and then almost immediately recognized that as a thought I'd before, and I knew it had to be a cormorant! I'm not sure why arbitrarily deciding that a cormorant is like a younger brother can make that information stick...... but it did! For me, anyway.

What makes a cormorant like a younger brother? I took a minute to think about it, and the one thing I really know about cormorants is that basically every single time I have seen one, it has never been flying, it has never been swimming—it has only ever been standing in the river, going like this [x]

Just perched there for ages, still as a statue, soggy as hell. Wings out like it's preparing to take flight, but nope, never actually moving! Just standing there, dripping dry. Apparently this is because their plumage gets waterlogged much easier than other waterfowl, so they need longer to dry, but if that's not younger brother behavior, I don't know what is.

So! A cormorant is like a younger brother. Fight me. Next kanji.

殿 is kind of stately. It can mean hall, mansion, palace, or temple. It can also mean lord or Mr./Ms. It shows up as a polite suffix in writing (especially in business letters and official letters), in which case it's read どの. It can also be read との, デン, or テン.

Aaaaand the longer I look at this, I'm starting to realize that 鵜殿 is a totally normal way to address a formal letter to an anthropomorphic cormorant. Okay. Wow. I'm gonna be thinking about this all day.

[daily-hyosatsu]

Tokyo had already hit 27C and 80% humidity by 7am today, so let's take this sweat day and do another wet day!

翠 was totally new to me, and that's exciting because it's something I love: kingfisher! It can also mean green. It's read かわせみ (which is what the bird is called), みどり (green), or スイ.

It's made up of 羽 feather on top of 卒, meaning graduate (or end, or die, or soldier). To further break it down, 卒 is a 亠 lid over two 人 people standing on 十 the number ten. Hmm. Not sure how to mnemonic that for you.

川 should be much more familiar, though! It means river, and it's read かわ or セン.

Put them together and you get the surname 翠川 Midorikawa, with the possibility of Sotsugawa, Hikawa, or Suikawa. Conspicuously absent is the reading Kawasemigawa.

[daily-hyosatsu]

I fear that Tokyo has left rainy season and entered pavement-sauna-from-7am season, but I don't want to believe it so I'm gonna keep sharing wet names! Let's start with the kanji today.

阿 is usually seen in proper nouns and usually read ア. It can also be read おもね.る, くま, or オ. Its original meaning is nook or recess, and the verb 阿る means to flatter, cater to, curry favor with, or fawn on.

久 is read ひさ.しい, キ��ウ, or ク. It means long time (ago/since), first time in a long time, or old story.

津 is the wet one! It’s read つ or シン, and it means port, harbor, or ferry.

Put them all together and you get the surname 阿久津, read Akutsu or sometimes Akuzu. Also, you can combine almost any two of these characters and get a surname! 阿久 is Aku; 久津 is Kuzu, Hisatsu, or Hisazu; 阿津 is Azu or Atsu; and 津久is Tsuku or Tsuhisa. It's only 久阿 and 津阿 that don't work. Neat.

[daily-hyosatsu]

Little bit of cowboy-style branding on a pastry today! And it allows us to continue our wet names streak for rainy season!

浜 means beach, seashore, or seacoast. It’s read はま or ヒン. The left radical is 氵water, and the right is 兵 soldier. You can remember it because the line of the tide along a coast is kind of like an army advancing or retreating. And you can remember 兵 soldier because it's technically made up of 斤 axe, 一 one, and 八 eight, but actually it looks like an axe on legs wearing a belt.

田 means rice paddy/field. It’s read た or デン.

山 means mountain. It’s read やま, サン, or セン.

Put 'em all together and you get 浜田山 Hamadayama! Which is a place name, not a human name, though both 浜田 Hamada (rarely Hamata) and 田山 Tayama are human surnames.

[daily-hyosatsu]

Double trouble today again, and good news: they are both ILLEGIBLE! Up for a challenge?

The first name is 河合, which I could've sworn we'd covered before, but I guess not. It's almost always read Kawai, like the piano company. In rare cases, it might also be Kawa'ai, Ka'ai, Kawagō, or Kawae.

河 means river, and is read かわ or カ. That's right—it's another wet name, babey!

合 means to fit, suit, or join. It’s read あ (e.g. あ.う, あ.い, あ.わす, あ.わせる), or あい, ゴウ, ガッ, or カッ. It's commonly seen in compound verbs; more on that here.

The second name is 中村 Nakamura, the 8th most common name in Japan.

中 means in, inside, middle, mean, or center. Its readings are なか, うち, あた.る, and チュウ.

村 means village or town. It can be read むら or ソン.

[daily-hyosatsu]

Double trouble today, and good news: they are both UNUSUAL!

The first name is 關川, read Sekikawa or Sekigawa. It belongs to about 10 people. However, 關 is an uncommon variant of 関, and the surname 関川 belongs to about 11,900.

關 and 関 both mean connection, gateway (as in border crossing), barrier, or involve/concerning. Both can be read せき, かか.わる, からくり, かんぬき, or カン. For 関, also remember -ぜき.

川 means river. It’s read かわ or セン. That's right—that makes this another wet name, folks! Day 15!

The second name is 早矢仕, usually read Hayashi, with some(?) possibility of Hayaji, Soyaji, or Sōyashi. But if you've met a Hayashi before, it was probably actually a 林; there are about 532,000 of them and only 1,400 of these guys.

早 means early or fast. It’s read はや (e.g. はや.い, はや.まる, はや.める), or さ, ソウ, or サッ.

矢 means arrow or dart. It’s read や or シ.

仕 means to do, serve, or attend. It also can refer to a job or an official capacity. It's read つか.える, シ, or ジ.

[daily-hyosatsu]

A restaurant name today, not a human name, but at least it's a wet one! This place is called 黒船屋 Kurofune-ya.

First, the term 黒船 【くろふね】 usually refers to Western ships that visited during Japan's isolationist period, especially Perry's ships. It can also refer to a foreign disruptor (of the Japanese market). However, its literal meaning is just black ship.

黒, meaning black, is read くろ, くろ.ずむ, くろ.い, or コク. The radicals are 里 village and 灬 fire.

I want to give you a mnemonic like if you burn the village, it turns black, but that's true of everything, and burning a human settlement specifically makes me sad, so...... choose your own mnemonic.

船, meaning ship, is read ふね, ふな, or セン. The radicals are 舟 boat, 八 eight, and 口 mouth.

Trying to mnemonic, I'm now picturing a kraken with a mouth big enough to eat eight boats. Or maybe using all eight tentacles to guide the boat toward its mouth. Or one boat with each tentacle? The possibilities are endless, guys.

Finally, 屋 means roof or house. It also means shop or seller/dealer, and often functions as a suffix for businesses or occupations. It can also refer to personality traits. More on all that here. It's read や or オク. The radicals are 尸 flag (or corpse) and 至 arrive/attain. Because the place where you successfully place your flag becomes your house or shop.

[daily-hyosatsu]

A little review today! Normally I'd put it behind a cut for a suspenseful quiz, but this name includes an interesting radical, so it stays in the main post!

The surname 河鍋 is read Kawanabe. It only belongs to about 370 people, but it uses two useful kanji! And, even more importantly, it continues our streak of wet names.

河 means river, and it’s read かわ or カ.

Here, the water radical 氵 hints at the meaning, and 可, which means possible or able, provides the on-yomi カ.

鍋 means pot, pan, kettle, or hotpot. It’s read なべ or カ.

Again, the left radical 金 metal/money informs the meaning. The right radical, which provides the カ reading, is 咼. It means crooked mouth, evil, or dishonest. You don't see it often as a kanji, but as a radical, it provides the same on-yomi for common characters like 過 exceed/overdo and 渦 whirlpool, as well as less common ones like 禍 calamity/misfortune and 蝸 snail. I don't think I've ever suffered due to my inability to recognize the kanji for snail, but now that I know to visualize it as crooked/whirlpool bug, maybe I never will!

[daily-hyosatsu]

Another rainy day, another wet name! The surname 芹澤 is usually read Serizawa, sometimes Serisawa. It belongs to about 5,100 people.

芹 is an herb, called seri or Japanese parsley. It’s read せり or キン. The on-yomi comes from the 斤 axe radical, and you probably recognize the 艹 grass radical.

澤 is the wet one! It's a variant of 沢, meaning swamp/marsh, blessing/grace, or brilliant/glossy. Both characters are read さわ, うるお.い, うるお.す, つや, or タ.

Also, if you switch to the standard character, 芹沢 is still a surname, still read Serizawa or Serisawa, but it's now about twice as common, belonging to 13,500 people.

[daily-hyosatsu]

Took the weekend off (Happy Pride!!) but it is WET outside today, so let’s pretend our streak never ended! Today’s wet surname is 由井, usually read Yui, possibly Yoshii.

由 means reason or wherefore. It's read よし, よ.る, ユ, ユウ, or ユイ.

井 is the wet one! It usually means well (like water), but it can also mean town or community. It's read い, セイ, or ショウ.