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ArchivesRe: I claim Naomi isn't Japanese
in reply to a message by Cass
It was first used in the Bible. Course it could be different in Japan :)
Would you think that the name "Nana" would be like 'Banana' instead of 'apple'?
Would you think that the name "Nana" would be like 'Banana' instead of 'apple'?
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Well if you pronounce it nay-O-mee, you're right!
English Naomi is etymologically different to Japanese Naomi.
Not only that they are also pronounced differently.
English Naomi: nay-O-mee
Japanese Naomi: na-oh-mi (as in 'na' at the end of banana, 'oh' as in of and 'mi' as in me but 'ee' is cut short).
But don't take your lack of knowledge to heart. In Japan they thought I had to be part Japanese because Naomi IS Japanese.
My 45 PPs - names in profile
English Naomi is etymologically different to Japanese Naomi.
Not only that they are also pronounced differently.
English Naomi: nay-O-mee
Japanese Naomi: na-oh-mi (as in 'na' at the end of banana, 'oh' as in of and 'mi' as in me but 'ee' is cut short).
But don't take your lack of knowledge to heart. In Japan they thought I had to be part Japanese because Naomi IS Japanese.
My 45 PPs - names in profile
This message was edited 10/15/2005, 12:33 AM
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Up to a point I understand that this might be counter-intuitive. If a name is Hebrew, how can it be Japanese?
But if you think about it: In what kind of funny world would a name be "reserved" for all times by the first people that comes up with it? E.g. in the following way: Around the year 1000 AD the Japanese ask the world "We would like to coin a Japanese name called Naomi. Is this ok?" and then the Hebrew-speaking folks object and say "No, you can't, we have the exclusive rights to this name since 1000 BC"...
Anyway, of course there is a Japanese name Naomi, in a certain way even around a dozen such names because there are several kanji combinations in use for writing the Japanese Naomi, each with a different meaning.
The most frequent writing that I could find is:
直美
with the following two kanji:
直 straightaway; honesty; frankness; fix; repair
http://www.unicode.org/cgi-bin/GetUnihanData.pl?codepoint=76f4
美 beauty; beautiful
http://www.unicode.org/cgi-bin/GetUnihanData.pl?codepoint=7f8e
And the Japanese themselves seem to know quite well that the Hebrew Naomi and their Naomi are two different things because they don't use kanji to write the name of Naomi Campbell, but katakana:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ナオミ・キャンベル;
Rene www.AboutNames.ch
But if you think about it: In what kind of funny world would a name be "reserved" for all times by the first people that comes up with it? E.g. in the following way: Around the year 1000 AD the Japanese ask the world "We would like to coin a Japanese name called Naomi. Is this ok?" and then the Hebrew-speaking folks object and say "No, you can't, we have the exclusive rights to this name since 1000 BC"...
Anyway, of course there is a Japanese name Naomi, in a certain way even around a dozen such names because there are several kanji combinations in use for writing the Japanese Naomi, each with a different meaning.
The most frequent writing that I could find is:
直美
with the following two kanji:
直 straightaway; honesty; frankness; fix; repair
http://www.unicode.org/cgi-bin/GetUnihanData.pl?codepoint=76f4
美 beauty; beautiful
http://www.unicode.org/cgi-bin/GetUnihanData.pl?codepoint=7f8e
And the Japanese themselves seem to know quite well that the Hebrew Naomi and their Naomi are two different things because they don't use kanji to write the name of Naomi Campbell, but katakana:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ナオミ・キャンベル;
Rene www.AboutNames.ch
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Look it up. It is.
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