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ArchivesUntranslated Japanese name in family tree?
I was going through my family tree (I had to hire a translator since the older records were written in Japanese since thats where my family is from) when I discovered a name that had been forgotten by the translator I assume.
the name looks like this 散咲子 and it was the name of some great-great aunt, I tried looking it up on this website to no avail.
the name looks like this 散咲子 and it was the name of some great-great aunt, I tried looking it up on this website to no avail.
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Late to the convo but...
I do agree with the consensus that the reading of your great-great aunt's name is most likely Chisako.
I could not find any chi/sa+咲子 on Japanese passenger lists on FamilySearch, so I had to make do with googling chi/sa+咲子 combinations. Regarding sa+, there are no results that include readings (and very few results that include just the kanji), so in itself, I would rule out any Sa#ko readings for 散咲子. As for chi+, the search results I found reveal Chisako is the only reading that shows up at all.
I do agree with the consensus that the reading of your great-great aunt's name is most likely Chisako.
I could not find any chi/sa+咲子 on Japanese passenger lists on FamilySearch, so I had to make do with googling chi/sa+咲子 combinations. Regarding sa+, there are no results that include readings (and very few results that include just the kanji), so in itself, I would rule out any Sa#ko readings for 散咲子. As for chi+, the search results I found reveal Chisako is the only reading that shows up at all.
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Just FYI, my source has 20 girl's names including 散, in three of which it is pronounced SA/ZA, one SAN, and the remainder CHI(RU). So while I certainly agree that Chisako is the most likely reading, I wouldn't say that Sa- is completely ruled out.
These are the three SA names:
散雪 Sayuki
座散乱木 Kisaragi
花散里 Kazari
There are 53 names listed in my source with the -咲子 -SAKO combination; too many to paste here, but samples are:
亜咲子 Asako
喜咲子 Kisako
瑳咲子 Sasako
知咲子 Chisako
久咲子 Hisako
芙咲子 Fusako
真咲子 Masako
実咲子 Misako
梨咲子 Risako
The reading -EKO showed up in, e.g. 安咲子, Aeko. With the pronunciation -KI it was mainly found as the final syllable, as in 朝咲 Asaki.
These are the three SA names:
散雪 Sayuki
座散乱木 Kisaragi
花散里 Kazari
There are 53 names listed in my source with the -咲子 -SAKO combination; too many to paste here, but samples are:
亜咲子 Asako
喜咲子 Kisako
瑳咲子 Sasako
知咲子 Chisako
久咲子 Hisako
芙咲子 Fusako
真咲子 Masako
実咲子 Misako
梨咲子 Risako
The reading -EKO showed up in, e.g. 安咲子, Aeko. With the pronunciation -KI it was mainly found as the final syllable, as in 朝咲 Asaki.
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I agree with everything ClaudiaS said though I don't know any Japanese at all. Personally, I'm leaning towards Chisako.
I've always been fascinated in Japanese names and kanji- names interest me and the idea that a name can have so many different meanings depending on what kanji is used sets my heart on fire :) Over the years of looking up names I've come across some sites that deal in Japanese names and kanji and which have turned out to be very useful and reliable.
Wiktionary- it's a great site I use often and contains all sorts of information. You can paste in the kanji (though it only works for one kanji at a time). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page
Red Finch Japanese dictionary- this site is very handy. You can see three tabs (Meaning/Reading/Kanji). The first one (Meaning) you just type in an English word and it'll show you various kanji for the word in Japanese; Reading looks up the romaji reading for a kanji; and Kanji looks up the meaning of a word in English; it only works for one kanji at a time, not a whole name. If you're looking up a name or kanji, make sure you're on the kanji tab otherwise it won't work.
http://redfinchjapanese.com/?action=kanji_dictionary
tangorin.com- another handy site for looking up Japanese names. Unlike the other two you can post an entire name and not only does it give you the meaning of the name in kanji but also how it's written in hiragana. Another nifty thing about it is that you can write the Japanese name in English (like, say, Sanako or Yuki) and it gives you a list of names that can be written in various ways in kanji. However, when I pasted the name 散咲子 all I got were the kanji meanings. It may be that this name with these particular kanji together may have been unusual but I don't know.
https://tangorin.com/names
Beyond Sakura and Hiroshi- this is a name site devoted to Japanese names. The person who runs the site seems very knowledgeable with Japanese names and kanji so he may be able to give you some more information about the name.
https://beyondsakuraandhiroshi.wordpress.com
I've always been fascinated in Japanese names and kanji- names interest me and the idea that a name can have so many different meanings depending on what kanji is used sets my heart on fire :) Over the years of looking up names I've come across some sites that deal in Japanese names and kanji and which have turned out to be very useful and reliable.
Wiktionary- it's a great site I use often and contains all sorts of information. You can paste in the kanji (though it only works for one kanji at a time). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page
Red Finch Japanese dictionary- this site is very handy. You can see three tabs (Meaning/Reading/Kanji). The first one (Meaning) you just type in an English word and it'll show you various kanji for the word in Japanese; Reading looks up the romaji reading for a kanji; and Kanji looks up the meaning of a word in English; it only works for one kanji at a time, not a whole name. If you're looking up a name or kanji, make sure you're on the kanji tab otherwise it won't work.
http://redfinchjapanese.com/?action=kanji_dictionary
tangorin.com- another handy site for looking up Japanese names. Unlike the other two you can post an entire name and not only does it give you the meaning of the name in kanji but also how it's written in hiragana. Another nifty thing about it is that you can write the Japanese name in English (like, say, Sanako or Yuki) and it gives you a list of names that can be written in various ways in kanji. However, when I pasted the name 散咲子 all I got were the kanji meanings. It may be that this name with these particular kanji together may have been unusual but I don't know.
https://tangorin.com/names
Beyond Sakura and Hiroshi- this is a name site devoted to Japanese names. The person who runs the site seems very knowledgeable with Japanese names and kanji so he may be able to give you some more information about the name.
https://beyondsakuraandhiroshi.wordpress.com
This message was edited 5/2/2020, 12:40 AM
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Im so very thankful to everyone here for their input!, I emailed the translator and copied and pasted your comments (I hope you don't mind) and the translator was very apologetic for missing it and concluded that my relative was most likely named Chisako! with the kanji translating to something like "scattered flower child" Im over the moon that I was able to find it out and it speaks volumes to the quality of this sites userbase!
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I'm glad you found a resolution! Chisako sounds like a nice name
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No problem :) And I don't mind. I hope you find the links useful for future reference. Out of curiosity what other names did you find in your family register, if it isn't too personal (you can PM me if you want). I'm just curious to know what sort of names were used back than, especially from different backgrounds.
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This message was edited 5/2/2020, 1:00 AM
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I'm not able to read Japanese without aid and I'm not a professional researcher, but that seems to translate to "Sansaki" which comes up in a few search results, most notably the name of a shrine.
Please somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but;
散 "san"
咲 "saki"
and 子 means "zi" or "ci" meaning "child"
So... "little Sansaki" possibly?
Edit: I think you should contact the researcher you hired and ask them because it was missed
Please somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but;
散 "san"
咲 "saki"
and 子 means "zi" or "ci" meaning "child"
So... "little Sansaki" possibly?
Edit: I think you should contact the researcher you hired and ask them because it was missed
This message was edited 5/1/2020, 12:59 PM
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Reading Japanese names is a difficult task because there are very often multiple legitimate readings of the same kanji.
散 in a girl's name can be CHI, CHIRU, SA, SAN.
咲 in names can be SA, SAKI, KI, E.
子 is a common feminine suffix pronounced KO.
I'm not finding the specific combination 散咲子 in a very extensive list of Japanese girl's names, but possibilities would include Chisako, Chieko, Sakiko, Sasako, and Saeko. (Sansakiko is highly unlikely; traditional Japanese girl's names are almost never so long). Unfortunately, unless you find more information about this individual, it's impossible to say exactly how her first name was pronounced.
My guess is that the translator didn't know either!
散 in a girl's name can be CHI, CHIRU, SA, SAN.
咲 in names can be SA, SAKI, KI, E.
子 is a common feminine suffix pronounced KO.
I'm not finding the specific combination 散咲子 in a very extensive list of Japanese girl's names, but possibilities would include Chisako, Chieko, Sakiko, Sasako, and Saeko. (Sansakiko is highly unlikely; traditional Japanese girl's names are almost never so long). Unfortunately, unless you find more information about this individual, it's impossible to say exactly how her first name was pronounced.
My guess is that the translator didn't know either!
This message was edited 5/1/2020, 1:17 PM
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Yes, this is what has been tripping me up massively when trying to learn the language lmao, thank you for the correction and information!
Perhaps, if OP is inclined to find one, there's a Japanese-specific board who will be willing to help with pronunciation, maybe translation and other such background information
Perhaps, if OP is inclined to find one, there's a Japanese-specific board who will be willing to help with pronunciation, maybe translation and other such background information
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