Japanese Female Names 119 



Among the people it is customary that a 

 female name of two syllables should be pre- 

 ceded by the honorific " O," and followed by the 

 title " San," as O-Matsu San, " the Honorable 

 Miss [or Mrs.] Pine"; O-Ume San, "the Hon- 

 orable Miss Plum-blossom." 1 But if the name 

 happen to have three syllables, the honorific 

 "O" is not used. A woman named Kikue 

 (" Chrysanthemum -Branch ") is not addressed 

 as " O-Kikue San," but only as " Kikue San." 



Before the names of ladies, the honorific " O " 

 is no longer used as formerly, even when the 

 name consists of one syllable only. Instead of 

 the prefix, an honorific suffix is appended to the 

 yobina, the suffix ho. A peasant girl named 

 Tomi would be addressed by her equals as 

 O- Tomi San. But a lady of the same name 

 would be addressed as Tomiko. Mrs. Shimoda, 

 head-teacher of the Peeresses' School, for ex- 

 ample, has the beautiful name Uta. She would 

 be addressed by letter as " Shimoda Utako," and 

 would so sign herself in replying ; the f amily- 



1 Under certain conditions of intimacy, both prefix and 

 title are dropped. They are dropped also by the superior 

 in addressing an inferior; for example, a lady would not 

 address her maid as " O-Yone San," but merely as " Yoiie." 



