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Re: Ren - Lotus
Thank you for replying. Here are the names/definitions that were offered:Aren (ah-ren) - apricot; sky/heavenEren (ay-ren) - fate/bond/family ties; party/banquet; blossomKairen (like Hawaiian kai) - oceanKaren - (kah-ren) flower/blossom/petal; summer; song; fragrant/incenceKoren - this is a complete word that means "crimson lotus", instead of a combination that's only used in people's namesSharen - silk/gauzeJoren - castleSeren (seh-ren) - opportunitySeiren (say-ren) - star/constellationMaren - truth, genuineMeiren (may-ren) - bright/brightness (in terms of light), also clarity/clear (in terms of both weather and vision/acumen)I do not have any Japanese background, nor does my fiance. However, "Lotus" is a fitting honor name for my mothers, as it is a water flower which their middle names (Sue and Lynn) can be combined to mean. I researched forever to find a word meaning lotus which would make a good middle name, and Ren is simply lovely. I want to be sure I use it correctly. Also, I like the idea of adding to it to make my daughter's mn even more meaningful. Thank you again for the information!
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OK, yes, I see what s/he was doing with the meanings. The meanings given look accurate to me and refer to the part of the name that is NOT Ren. For example:Kairen = kai "ocean" + ren "lotus"So you would need to tack "lotus" on to what is listed here to get the full meaning. Ren by itself is a fine middle name, and a longer name would be nice too. Looking through my master list of Japanese girl's names, I did find one example of Suren 素蓮, "plain, unadorned; plain white silk" + "lotus." That looks almost like a combination of Sue and Lynn. Let me know if I can help any more!

This message was edited 5/11/2014, 7:53 PM

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Thank you again! If I could pick your brain for just another moment... You listed some other names that were quite pretty; would you be able to point me in the direction of a reputable online resource where I could research the meanings of various combinations? I really want to give this little girl a sweet, peaceful, and yet strong name, as her sister's names are all strong, but on the fiery/passionate side. I have no idea whet to even begin looking!
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Unfortunately there is no reliable online resource for Japanese names that is user-friendly for an English speaker. One problem is that the number of potential names, and their potential meanings, is so vast that it's completely impractical to list them all. Most lists that you will find in English give only the most common names with their one or two most common meanings. The online dictionary ENAMDICT is excellent for looking up kanji spellings of Japanese names, but it doesn't give definitions of the kanji in English. You would need to look up each kanji separately, and that's quite laborious. If you would like to take a look, the link is http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1E . Select "Japanese names (ENAMDICT)" from the drop-down box labeled "Dictionary." You then type a name, such as Karen, in the Keyword box and will get a list of kanji spellings. From there, you can copy the characters and look them up in the Kanji Lookup section. But as I said, it's laborious, and there are about 100 spellings given for this one name alone. From the point of view of an English-speaker looking for a name with a particular meaning, it's much easier to ask a Japanese-speaker to suggest names that might incorporate that meaning. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful! If a particular name that you've seen or heard appeals to you and you'd like to know its meanings, or if there are particular meanings that you'd like to incorporate together, I might be able to help with that. Or maybe someone else here knows of a resource better than the one I've mentioned.
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Well that was a mental workout! The link you provided will have me up for days; I really do love to research! I will ask what common meanings you associate with Miren and Renna, and whether Rene or Renee are names - if so, would you please provide common meanings? And then I will try and leave you be, :-). I appreciate all your help!
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I think a common trait of people who frequent this board is that they enjoy research! I love to talk about Japanese names, and rarely get the chance.Yes, I do find Rene as a Japanese girl's name, although none of the examples include the meaning "lotus." No reason why you could not use that character in the name, however. Here are some meanings of Rene: 伶音 actor + sound
玲音 clear, sweet (sound) + sound
礼音 manners, etiquette + sound
礼子 manners, etiquette + child
礼寧 manners, etiquette + peaceful, tranquil
麗音 beautiful + sound
恋 love
恋音 love + sound
澪音 waterway, channel + sound I would not know if one of these is more common than another. I think Rene is a rare name in Japan and most likely borrowed from English/French. Miren is also comparatively rare; Renna appears to be considerably more common. Some meanings of Ren are: lotus; love; actor; wise; clear, sweet (sound); manners, etiquette; bell; beautiful. Meanings of Na: name; summer; vegetables; south; pear; as well as a character 奈 very commonly used in names which no longer has a distinct meaning but is used for its phonetic value--it is the "Na" of the city of Nara. Meanings of Mi: beauty 美 (one of the most common characters used in modern Japanese girl's names); reality, truth; 8th zodiac sign (the year of the sheep, 2015); charming, bewitching. You can mix and match any of these as you choose, just as Japanese parents do!
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Awesome! I am so glad I found this forum... you have helped me tremendously! Now I just need to start seriously working on the first name so I can finalize the middle name. Fun fun! Thank you again!
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Irrelevant observation.
Just adding that 奈 is
5948 22856 *nɑ̀i noi6 nai4 NAI4 NAY NA nại NA DAI KARANASHI but, how; bear, stand, endure
even though its use in a name might not use any of the meanings. Also Nara has been spelt in many ways in the past, and there are even theories that the name may have been non-Japanese loan.
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Very interesting. The theory that Nara is a non-Japanese loan seems reasonable because, unlike the vast majority of place-names, its kanji are apparently phonetic and have no clear meaning. Certainly 奈 is used by modern parents for its phonetic value only, though it is far from the only kanji used this way. Other examples would be 亜 "a" and 伊 "i."
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