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English translation: Nao, maybe


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18:30 Mar 20, 2009
Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Names (personal, company)
Japanese term or phrase:
This is the first name of a Japanese man (I already looked for the whole name of the person online and it doesn't exist).

One site said possibilities for 直 include Choku, Sunao, Tadashi, or Nao... I really have no idea which one to pick, so I will probably include a note to the client, but is there any common name that uses just this one character?

Thanks.
conejo
United States
Local time: 22:20
English translation:Nao, maybe
Explanation:
I think it is most likely Nao, but this is one of those names that can be read in several different ways. So, you should definitely leave a note, unless you can verify the reading ofr this particular person.

I am sure we will get more and more of "unfamiliar names" iin the near future because naming babies in Japan is now a lawless territory.


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Note added at 19 hrs (2009-03-21 14:25:18 GMT)
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I don't think it can be read as Naoto without a kanji for "hito" at the end. Bbut in any case, stop guessing for this one. You cold get lots of different suggestions, but no one can be sure unless you can identify this particular person.
Selected response from:

Yuki Okada
Local time: 23:20
Grading comment
Thanks everyone, for your help. I just needed some suggestions as to what name was the most likely. I am well aware that the characters for names can really be anything, but in cases when there is only one character in the name, it is hard to search on Google, so that is why I asked it in this forum, so at least I could have an educated guess as to what name is more common out of the possible choices, and then include a note to the client with the translation.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
1 +3Nao, maybe
Yuki Okada
Summary of reference entries provided
Guess work is dangerous.patent_pending

Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Nao, maybe


Explanation:
I think it is most likely Nao, but this is one of those names that can be read in several different ways. So, you should definitely leave a note, unless you can verify the reading ofr this particular person.

I am sure we will get more and more of "unfamiliar names" iin the near future because naming babies in Japan is now a lawless territory.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 hrs (2009-03-21 14:25:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I don't think it can be read as Naoto without a kanji for "hito" at the end. Bbut in any case, stop guessing for this one. You cold get lots of different suggestions, but no one can be sure unless you can identify this particular person.

Yuki Okada
Local time: 23:20
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thanks everyone, for your help. I just needed some suggestions as to what name was the most likely. I am well aware that the characters for names can really be anything, but in cases when there is only one character in the name, it is hard to search on Google, so that is why I asked it in this forum, so at least I could have an educated guess as to what name is more common out of the possible choices, and then include a note to the client with the translation.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yumico Tanaka: Actually the first thing that came to my mind was Tadashi. But I agree with Yuki that naming is a lawless territory. Japan has a law that says you can give your child a name that can be pronounced any way you like.
1 hr
  -> Thanks.

agree  Roger Johnson: Nao is correct (of course, there are always others) and its my cousins name:-)
19 hrs
  -> Thanks.

agree  Fumigator: Naoshi, Nao, Tadashi, Choku, all are possible pronunciation of the 直 as Kanji Kanji can be 当て字 for particular pronunciation parent likes.
22 hrs
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Reference comments


3 hrs peer agreement (net): +2
Reference: Guess work is dangerous.

Reference information:
私の名前は直(すなお)で、初めて会う方には中々素直に呼んでもらえない。ちなみに、なお、ちょく、ただしなどが多く、中にはなおしさんと考えられない呼び方をされた事もある。
http://dream-ing076.mo-blog.jp/nao/2008/09/post_004b.html

亜樹直(あき ただし)
徳永 直 (とくなが すなお)


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Note added at 12時間 (2009-03-21 07:19:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I should have said as follows:

Guess work is dangerous as the asker is well aware.

patent_pending
Japan
Native speaker of: Native in TetumTetum

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  humbird: I know at least one person whose name is 直, and he is すなお, but these names are way too subjective and entirely left to guesswork in a forum like this.
5 hrs
agree  Yumico Tanaka: Absolutely. We should have some guidelines about asking individual names.
16 hrs
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