Hi!

さて、日本にはキラキラネームというものがありますが

So, in Japan there are names called "Kirakira" names.

キラキラ

Sparkly names.

キラキラは輝いている様子ですが

Yeah, kirakira means sparkly, or shiny, and those names

キラキラネームはとてもユニークです。

are very, very unique and- -"Unique"

実際、子供に名付ける人はほぼおらず、

Yeah, no one actually uses these names to name their own child

読めないものも多いです。

and often time it's very hard to read or many of them are impossible to read.

でも、名付ける親はいるんでしょ？

What do you mean, no one actually uses them? Some people do use them, right?

まあ、ごく少数だろうけど

I mean, some, a few, maybe one or two people.

Junは言葉を選んでますが、正直、酷い名前ばかりです。

Jun is too polite so say it, but these are bad Japanese baby names.

うん、そうだね、認めるよ。

Yeah, I admit it, they're really bad so...

アメリカにも酷い名前リストとかあるけど

Have you ever, you know those lists we have in America of the worst baby names

誰がこんな名前を付けるんだっていう感じですが

and you're like, "How, how did someone name their child this?"

日本にもあるそうです

Well, that is not unique to Western culture.

そこで、今日はキラキラネームについてです。

They do that here in Japan as well.

日本には漢字があり、それぞれ読み方があります。

So today, we're going to give you some examples of those really bad Japanese names a.k.a. Kirakira names.

ただ、キラキラネームの中には正しい漢字の読み方でないものもあります。

So the thing about Japanese names is that they have a kanji and then, of course, a reading.

ですから、日本人でも読み方がサッパリわからないものもあります。

Many kanji have several readings but the thing about kirakira names is

例えば

the readings that they're given aren't

上の漢字は光、

necessarily real readings of that kanji, so Japanese

二つ目は天や空間を意味します。

people have no idea how to pronounce these names,

そして、読みは

and in fact it's impossible for Japanese people to guess how these names are pronounced base on the kanji.

ピカチューです。

So, for example:

え、ちょ、ホントに？

So, the top kanji means "Light" and the second kanji means "Universe" or "Space"

うん、ピカチュー。

and this person's name is:

この子が可哀そうよ

"Pikachu"

全くだよ

R: Wait, wait, really? -Yeah, it's Pikachu.

本当に悲しくなる

R: That's how you pronounce it? -Yeah.

学校とか、大変じゃない

Nooo, that poor kid! -I know right?

年を重ねて、例えば上司の名前がピカチューとか…

I'm so sorry, Pikachu. No! Oh my god, can you imagine that kid in school?

この名前の読みは漢字そのままなのですが

"Pikachu-kun!"

意味が

That's so bad.

マリファナです。

I mean, like, imagine when you are like 20, or 30, or 40, and then you're boss' name is Pikachu.

本当に？

This one is not really, like, kirakira name. Um, the reading is literally "Tai Ma".

男の子だそうです。

That's how we read this kanji

Nooo…

but this kanji with this word literally means "Marijuana".

親は何を考えてたんだろう

R: Wait, really? -Yeah.

「こら、マリファナ！野菜も食べなさい！」

It's a name for a boy.

「今日は気分が良さそうだね」

R: Oh, no! -I don't know what the parents were thinking!

次は

"Hey little Marijuana! Come eat your vegetables!"

これ見た時、サッパリ読み方が分かりませんでした。

You seem pretty high today!

こっちが

Up next on the baby name list!

じばにゃん

When I saw these two names, I literally had no idea how to read them.

子供向けの人気アニメ（ゲーム）キャラです。

So apparently, this one is "Jibanyan" from the popular anime for kids, and this one,

妖怪ウォッチね

R: Yo-Kai Watch -Yeah, Yo-Kai Watch, right. And this one is

こっちが

"Mewtwo", from Pokemon again.

ミュウツーだそうです。

Nooo! Why are parents doing this to their kids?!

Nooooo!!

How can you do that?!

何考えてるの？？

I mean, I couldn't believe that these names actually exist.

理解できない

Wait, this is pronounced "Mewtwo"?

実在する名前だって事が信じられなかった

Apparently so, yeah.

読みがミュウツーなの？

You can't even write "two".

らしいよ

I don't-No. -Like, with katakana maybe, but..

ツーって読めないじゃない。

I think cause this means "number 2" -Ah, number 2.

カタカナ表記ならともかく

In English. -Yeah.

もしかしたら、この漢数字の２を「ツー」と無理やり読むのかも。

So maybe that's how they make it read. I don't know.

信じられませんが、実際に名付けた親がいるそうです。

They said these exist so I think they actually do exist. -This is no longer funny to me.

楽しくなくなってきたわ

All right, Jun, what's next?

次は何？

"Hamtaro" -Ok, I'm done. I'm done. I'm done.

もういいわ

So, it's a name from the... was it anime, I guess?

これも

The animation. The hamster animation for kids. Hamtaro.

アニメだったかな

But when I was in school I had a friend whose name was "Kotaro". Kotaro-kun.

ハムスター主人公の名前です。

It's a boy. And this part looks really similar to katakana "Ham",

学生時代に公太郎って名前の友達がいたんですが

so I just started calling him Hamtaro and he kind of went "Funny, funny".

この部分がハムに見えるから

So, his nickname was Hamtaro.

ハム太郎って冗談で呼んだら、

Yeah but, ok, that's a cute nickname for a friend,

本人も笑ってましたが

like from one friend to another friend,

でも、それは可愛いニックネームで

but then you don't name your child Hamtaro!

普通、ハム太郎とは命名しません。

Yeah, that's insane.

うん

And next!

この言葉の意味はメインキャラクターなのですが、

This kanji, this word, literally means "Main Character".

読みはヒーローだそうです。

Um, "Shujinko", but his name is "Hero".

ヒーローって読めるの？

What? -Yeah, Hero.

無理

R: Nooo. Can you read this kanji like that? Hero. -Impossible

ヒーローにあたる漢字は英雄。

There is a word for hero, which is "Eiyuu", but they don't even use that kanji to make it read like hero.

英雄（ひでお）って名前の友達はいたけど。

They just named their son Main Character like the hero.

主人公と書いてヒーローと読むのね？

But you can't read it like that even. -Isn't he going to grow up to be super Chuunibyou or something?

読めないけどね。

I mean, I think the kid's going to be really realistic and hate their parents so bad and become probably really smart and, like...

中二病とかバカにされそう

Can you change your name in Japan?

この子は絶対に現実的で、賢い大人になるよ（息子に主人公と名付けないような）

Um, so, in the Meiji period, like a long time ago, they made two rules which are:

日本で名前は変えられるの？

You can have only one name, and you cannot change your name.

明治に2つの原則ができたんだけど、

But later they edited the rule, and if you bring it to a Family Court then you can change your name.

内容は「名前は1つで、改名禁止」

Ok. -Somehow

でも後に

But, if you are under 15 years old then you have to bring it

家庭裁判所の許可を得て届ければ可能になりました。

to a Family Court with a legal representative, which normally are your parents

ただし、15歳未満の場合は

and if your parents are lacking in common sense like these [with names], they probably wouldn't let you

法定代理人が代理をします。

change your name, so you have to wait until you are turning 15 years old.

そして大抵の場合、法定代理人は自分の親です。

So Pikachu-san doesn't have to be Pikachu-san forever. -Yeah

もし、その親の常識がズレている場合は

By the way, what's your favourite name that maybe you want to use for your kid if you have one in the future?

改名に賛成しないかもしれません。

I really like old Japanese masculine names. -Uh-huh

その場合は15歳まで待たなくてはいけません。

I don't know why but they sound like really, really cool.

つまり、ピカチューさんは改名ができる（かも）しれないのね？

Uh-huh. -My favourite Japanese boy name is "Isamu"

ところで、自分の子供に付けたい名前とかあるの？

Ahh, right-right-right, it was Isamu, wasn't it?

私は日本の古風で男らしい名前が好きなので

Yeah, like the name was Isamu and the kanji means "courage", which is really cool.

男の子なら勇が良いです。

Or "brave" -Or 'brave", yeah. Yeah, Isamu.

ああ、言ってたね。

Yeah, and it's like, it's a normal Japanese name. It's not kirakira.

勇の意味は勇ましいです。

Yeah, not at all. It's very traditional.

とても気に入っています。

Yeah, it's very old. Does it sound old to Japanese people? Like does it sound bad?

恐れないって意味もあるね

No. No, I don't think it sounds bad, at all. -Ok, really? Mm-hm.

一般的な名前です。

Are there like old Japanese names that sound bad?

うん、とても日本人らしい名前。

Because a lot of really old names in America are like that,

勇って、古風で悪い印象を受ける？

so if you have kid, for example, you probably aren't going to name your child, like, Barbara anymore.

いや、全然。

I mean, like, we can also tell that if your name sounds kinda old

そう。

because that's what they used to use back then, -Uh-huh

古臭くて、悪い響きのする名前はある？

but like, they don't necessarily have to have a bad meaning or connotation, so... -Uh-huh

アメリカだと古い名前はあまり印象が良くないの。

So it doesn't sound bad. -It sounds old.

例えば、最近バーバラと名付ける人は少ないわ。

Yeah. -They sound old, but personally I don't think it's a problem. Yeah. -Yeah

名前によっては古風なものもあるけど

Ok, so I'm also going to go over some Western names to make this fair

必ず悪い印象を受けるということはないよ。

so you guys can see what kind of names we also have. -I am very excited and I'm very sad at the same time.

悪い響きはしないのね？

I was able to find a list.

古風な名前だなと感じるかな。

Like an actual list of the new baby names in 2015 in England and Wales.

古風な名前は古っぽいけど、悪いとは思わないよ。

So this isn't America but this one I was actually able to find a list -England? Ok.

では、次は西洋圏の名前です。

where they wrote down I think every single new name

興味があるけど、なんか悲しいな。

as long as at least 3 babies were named in that year, so...

英国圏のベビーネーム表 (2015)というのを見つけたので、

In 2015, in England and Wales, there are...

アメリカではないですが、

There are three boys named:

その年の新しい名前を網羅しています。

"C".

2015年、イングランド＆ウェールズでは3人の男の子の名前が

C? -The letter C.

C、でした。

Four boys named the letter "T"

アルファベットのC

Four boys named the letter "J"

4人がT

And there were eleven boys named the letter "A"

4人がJ

This is, you can't name a child a single letter. Do you understand how hard it is going to be for them to fill up online forms?

そして、11人がAでした。

That's going to be so confusing. For that child's future. -Ahh.

アルファベット1文字で命名ってナニ？

2015 in England and Wales there were nine boys named "Nimrod",

オンラインの記入とか超大変になりますよ

a which is a biblical character,

色々と苦労すると思います。

and that's cool and all, if it weren't for the fact that

そして、9人の男の子が

Nimrod became slang for "Idiot" in North America.

ニムロド

そう なの? (Is that so?) -Yeah.

旧約聖書の登場人物の名前ですが、

But that's like common sense, people know that?

アメリカではバカ（スラング）です。

In North America, yeah. This is... It's kind of an older slang. -Uh-huh.

アメリカでは皆それを連想するの？

I don't think many people these days still use nimrod to make fun of someone

古いスラングだから、あまり使われてないけど、

but if you hear the word "nimrod" you think "slang for idiot."

聞いたらバカ（スラング）を連想する。

That's what they think.

そうなんだ。

That's what you call, yeah, and I feel like if you want to reclaim

聖書から引用してニムロドを使いたいなら、子供じゃなくて自分のを改名したほうが良いです。

the biblical name Nimrod, that's cool, but maybe rename

アメリカなら絶対に学校でバカにされる。

yourself Nimrod. Don't subject your child to like twelve years of schooling being named Nimrod.

でも、これは英国なんだよね？

That poor child!

そうだけど、アメリカに来た時とか

At least this is in England, right? -Oh my gosh!

英国でもこのスラングを知ってる人がいるかも。

Yeah. -Not in America.

英国人視聴者の皆さん、このスラング知っていますか？

Yeah, I mean what if they move to America? -Well, I mean,

ここからは、英国以外のも含みます。

And I don't know, maybe some British people also know the slang of it being stupid.

これは女の子の名前ですが、

Is this common slang in the UK? -In the UK?

フェラニー

Do you guys recognize this as slang for idiot, or is this just North America?

重罪、という意味です。

This is jumping now to just random lists of names I found,

頭文字がFだよね。

so maybe these are in America, I'm not really sure,

響きは素敵だけど、

but apparently, a new-ish name they're naming baby girls these days is:

そこから一般的に連想される意味を考えたほうがいいです。

Phelony!

この他にも、アメリカのリストで見た名前の1つが

Felony, which is the worst type of crime you can be charged with in America.

クラミジアです。

With the letter F? Felony? -Yes, with the letter F.

響きは可愛いけど、性器感染症を連想します。

I mean, it sounds pretty as a word by itself,

本当に、クラミジアさん達には同情します。

but you have to understand the connotations of, like, the actual words

アメリカではここ数年で300人以上の子供が

that are pronounced the same way.

Abcdeと命名されています。

Like there's not just this but another name that I've been seeing

独創的な名前もいいですが、

for years and years and years in America on these lists is the name Chlamydia.

アルファベットの最初の5文字はないでしょう。

which sounds like a pretty girl name

日本なら、あいうえお君かな？

but it's the name of a sexually transmitted disease. -Ughh!

ヒデェ

So, so I feel really bad for any Chlamydias.

名前はユニークであるべきだし

Apparently in America there are now over, or as of a couple years ago, there are over 300 children named:

他人と区別するために名付けるので、

"Abcde". The first 5 letter of the alphabet, pronounced "Ob-siddy",

新しい名前を付ける事には賛成しますし、

which I mean, if you want to create a name that's cool,

クールだと思います。

but maybe don't, like, give your child a novelty name

新しい名前を馬鹿にする人もいますが、

and just write down the first five letters of the alphabet. That's weird!

例えばHeven (天国)の逆さでNevehとか。

That would be like naming your child in Japanese "a-i-u-e-o". -Yeah, that's horrible.

全然悪いとは思いません。

I feel like with names, names are supposed to be unique because

今ある名前も、結局は誰かが考えた名前で、

that's how you differentiate yourself from everyone else,

新たに名前を考えるのは問題ないと思います。

so I have no problem with people creating new names.

ただ、子供が苦労するような名前は避けるべきだと思います。

I think that's cool to have like, unique new names.

冗談みたいな名前も。

A lot of people these days they make fun of newer names

子供がかわいそうです。

like, Nevaeh. I'm not sure how to pronounce it.

どうやら、キラキラネームは日本だけではなく、

Heaven spelled backwards. Like that's a common name these days.

世界中にキラキラ名付け親がいるようです。

I don't have any problems with that because... -I think it's cool.

ご視聴ありがとうございました。

All of our names didn't exist at one point.

リクエスト、ありがとうございました。

They all had to be created at some point,

では。

so I don't think there's anything wrong with creating new names.

I just think you shouldn't name your child something that they're going to be made fun of for, -Yeah.

or something that's like, a joke.

Like that's just kind of cruel to your child.

So, apparently this is just a world wide thing.

This is not unique to America and England and Australia and Canada.

Japan also has it.

Anyway, thank you guys for watching!

Thank you for your request too!

See ya later!

Bye! -Bye!