New Japanese Law Stops Parents From Naming Their Baby 'Pikachu'

Comments

• FMT99@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  We asked our kids how they would feel if they got a silly name like Pikachu. Snorlax said it would be awful but Bulbasaur didn’t see it as all that bad.

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• Enkrod@feddit.org ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Sometimes I am quite happy about strict german naming laws.

  The first name …

  • must be recognizable as a first name
  • must not be a widespread place name or brand name.
  • must not be a family name. Exceptions have been made in particular for East Frisian middle names (for example “ten Doornkaat”) and for very rare, unusual surnames (for example Wannek, Birkenfeld), as well as of course for surnames that are mainly known as first names (such as Gerhart).
  • may not denote a title such as Lord or Princess.
  • does not have to be clearly masculine or feminine, as was the case until 2008, but may also be neutral.
  • must not harm the child’s welfare by ridiculing the child or creating a connection “to evil”

  Pikachu absolutely falls under ridicule and maybe even brand name

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  • sj_zero ⁨23⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    "does not have to be clearly masculine or feminine, as was the case until 2008, but may also be neutral."

    If my child is a boy, I will name him fish. If a girl, Fishwife. If non-binary or it doesn't like the other names, scaly skin.

    • sj_zero ⁨22⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      (just in case people misunderstand and think I'm making a more pointed attack than I really am, I'm just making a reference to the 1880 essay "The Awful German Language" by Mark Twain)

      https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/texts/twain.german.html
  • systemglitch@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    No maybe about that lol

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• LordOfLocksley@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Well, duh. A baby Pikachu is called Pichu

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• isekaihero@ani.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Fine. Charmander it is.

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• detun3d@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  • WHA~?
  • Go to sleep, Agumon. We’re safe.

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• DesolateMood@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  This is actually not what this law does. The problem is that Japanese parents name their kids using kanji characters, except that they are using creative interpretations on the pronciation of those characters (YouTube short that can better explain the phenomenon). Basically, you can still name your kid Pikachu, it just has to be spelled like Pikachu

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• DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  My mom told me someone named their kids first name “Rebel Alliance”

  That’s a great way for your kid to hate star wars and then you

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• isyasad@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  I don’t believe it actually bans “Pikachu” when spelled as 光宙 because ピカチュウ is actually a pretty reasonable reading, although maybe not the #1 most obvious one. Based on a random Japanese article I read about it (link), I really don’t think 光宙/Pikachu will be technically illegal, although all the English articles will say so because it’s click fodder.

  The law bans: things that are not related to the kanji reading at all, things that add unexpected extra stuff on the end of the obvious reading, or things that mean the opposite of what the kanji means.

  I don’t believe any of this applies to Pikachu, and the examples they cite are not really comparable.

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• shadowedcross@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Good. I can’t imagine any child appreciates growing up with a name like that.

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  • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    At least Pokemon names have a fun background.

    Now imagine all the girls named Khaleesi after Game of Thrones. Especially after her character arc finished. That wasn’t even her name, it was a title. They’re literally just named Queen.

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    • ramble81@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      Mercedes… Lexus… Summer… Autumn…

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    • ILikeTraaaains@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Well, Typhlosion has a certain background…

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    • SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

      Many names have meanings similar to that, and yet they’re names. I don’t think a name such as khaleesi is inherently bad

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• Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  But Snorlax is still on?

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  • Dojan@pawb.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

    Nah it’s kirakira names in general. So weird made-up readings, pop culture references 光宙 (pikachuu falls under both), foreign words, and taboo/denigrating names.

    For example.

    • 皇帝 (koutei) meaning emperor, read as Kaiser
    • 光宙 (kou, light and chuu, space) read as Pikachuu
    • 愛保 (ai, to love, and go, to keep) read as Rabuho (love hotel)
    • 宝冠 (takara, treasure and kanmuri, crown) read as Tiara.

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• anonymous_in_atl@ani.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  Fine i’ll name my kid Ekans you bunch of ingrate

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• Anomalocaris@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  aren’t there Japanese names that mean something shitty?

  youtube.com/shorts/INBSkuv7GQc

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• Toes@ani.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago

  That’s ok, digimon is cooler anyways.

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