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Paper short abstract

This paper addresses the issue of gender-neutral names in the context of Japanese naming practices and, based on an analysis of 15,058 names of children born 2008–2022, it offers a closer look at the phonological and graphic forms of names that have been recently used for both sexes.

Paper long abstract

Despite Japan’s anchoring in its traditions, recent developments in the selection of given names are quite dynamic. Contemporary Japanese names bear witness to the growing emphasis on individuality and uniqueness (Kobayashi 2009, Makino 2012) and also show changes in relation to gender (Satō 2007, Barešová 2020). They are characterized by a great variety of sound and structure patterns, often with a discordant character-sound relationship, and increasingly lacking gender-distinctive features.

Names used for both sexes are by no means a new phenomenon in Japan. However, unlike in the past, now even some of the most popular names are bestowed upon children of both sexes. The top 100 baby boy and baby girl names of 2021 (based on 115,687 names) published by the parenting platform Baby Calendar featured 13 names that ranked in both lists. The 2022 ranking includes even 19 such names. While these names are gender-neutral in their phonological form, they may still be gender-specific in their graphic form. In public discourse, especially on parenting websites, such names are often referred to as “gender-neutral names for boys” and “gender-neutral names for girls”. In addition, there are recently popular names that are gender-neutral only in their graphic form, and also names that are truly genderless.

This paper addresses the issue of gender-neutral names in the context of Japanese naming practices and offers some insight into the origin and nature of names that have been recently used for both sexes. It is based on a linguistic analysis of 256 unique phonological and 333 unique graphic forms of names given to both sexes. These were identified among 15,058 names collected from the Baby Calendar name-selection stories published between 2008 and 2022.

Baby Calendar. https://baby-calendar.jp/. Accessed 10 Oct. 2022.

Barešová, I. 2020. Boy or Girl? The Rise of Non-Gender-Specific Names in Japan. Silva Iaponicarum 56–59: 26–41.

Kobayashi, Y. 2009. Nazuke no sesōshi. “Koseiteki na namae” o fīrudowāku. Tōkyō: Fūkyōsha.

Makino, K. 2012. Kodomo no namae ga abunai. Tōkyō: Besuto serāzu.

Satō, M. 2007. Yominikui namae wa naze fueta ka. Tōkyō: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan.

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Paper short abstract

Using a corpus of baby names, this paper evaluates claims that Japanese names are becoming difficult to read. A majority of names appeared only once and used kanji in likely difficult ways. The results' sociolinguistic impact will be considered given proposed restrictions to kanji readings in names.

Paper long abstract

The Japanese government is presently proposing changes to the family register laws that may have the single largest impact on writing in recent years: Adding space in the family register for the phonological forms of names, and, pending recommendations to be announced in 2023, restricting the kanji readings permitted in names for the first time ever. Although partially motivated by concerns that names are increasingly difficult to read (Satō, 2007), the impact of these potential changes has been hard to ascertain given insufficient quantitative research on Japanese names and the lack of reliable public naming data. The question has remained, are recent names really objectively difficult?

This paper approaches the question using data from a corpus of 2,627 matched phonological/graphic forms of children’s names extracted from announcements in municipal newsletters, which have been shown to be a highly reliable resource on Japanese naming (Unser-Schutz, 2018). To determine their difficulty, the names were categorized as phonologically transparent (used established kun/on/nanorikun readings and did not mix reading types, making their phonological forms more predictable) or phonologically opaque (used non-established ateji readings, mixed reading types, or altered established readings, making their phonological forms less predictable).

The majority of names appeared only once, and 57.21% were phonologically opaque, indicating that a majority were both diverse and potentially difficult. However, non-established ateji readings were uncommon compared with mixed kun/on readings or altered established readings, suggesting that while recent names are difficult, most are connected to customary kanji readings. Girls’ names were more likely to be phonologically opaque (63.82% vs. 51.49%), suggesting this may be a gendered trend. However, with the pending legal changes, these trends may be forcefully curtailed: Under the strongest proposal, many such phonologically opaque names would not be permitted. As such, the paper will consider the sociolinguistic impact of the proposed legal changes and the impact they may have on creative kanji uses beyond names.

Satō, M. (2007). Yominikui namae wa naze fueta ka. Tokyo: Yoshikawa-kōbunkan.

Unser-Schutz, G. (2018). Shiryō toshite nihon no nazuke ni kansuru kenkyū ni kōhōshi o mochiiru kanōsei ni tsuite. Risshō Daigaku Shinrigaku Kenkyū Nenpō, 9, 23–35.

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This study examines various social and linguistic issues of 5 Japanese trans individuals through their narratives. Within the framework of transgender theory advocated by Nagoshi and Brzuzy, it investigate how trans people navigate non-monolithic identities within their actual lived experiences.

Paper long abstract

The field of transgender studies has produced much interesting research since the 1990s. Incorporating feminist theory, queer theory, and poststructuralist theory, transgender theory provides a means to analyze trans people’s life experiences by emphasizing aspects of physical embodiment in gender and sexual identity. This research adds to this body of work by examining Japanese trans individuals' gender identity in relation to their linguistic practice. It rejects the essentialist view of gender and challenges a poststructuralist view of understanding gender only as a social construct. It analyzes how “a fluid self-embodiment and a self-construction of identity” interact linguistically “in the context of social expectations and lived experiences" (Nagoshi and Brzury 2010: 435).

This study examines the gender history of trans individuals in Japan, reflecting a diverse community: some want to stay within the binary system whereas some prefer to be outside of it. I ask, what does it mean to be transgender in Japan? How are trans people understood in Japanese society? What is the process of their transition and how does it affect their relations with other people? How does the transition influence the way they present themselves socially and linguistically? I further address these questions: How do trans people understand gendered speech in Japanese? Why and how do they apply certain grammatical categories (e.g., polite speech or tag question) that are often discussed in relation to “women’s language” to index their new gender? I present answers by describing the ways trans interviewees narrate their life experiences, all of which were actual (recorded) utterances through group and individual interviews. I examine the linguistic experiences of trans people who live with their past and new gender identities. I argue that trans people manipulate gendered speech differently by contextualizing their subjectivity, and that they expand the notion of gendered speech by reworking the binary system in their own way.

Nagoshi, L. Julia, and Stephan/ie Brzuzy. 2010. “Transgender Theory: Embodying Research and

Practice.” Journal of Women and Social Work 25, no. 4: 431–43.