Japanese Female Names 121 



remarkable exceptions to this general rule regard 

 ing the prefix " O." In some country -districts 

 the common yobina of two syllables is made a 

 trisyllable by the addition of a peculiar suffix; 

 and before such trisyllabic names the "O" is 

 never placed. For example, the girls of Waka- 

 yama, in the Province of Kii, usually have 

 added to their yobina the suffix "e" l signifying 

 "inlet," "bay," " frith," sometimes "river." 

 Thus we find such names as Namie (" Wave- 

 Bay "), Tomie (" Riches-Bay "), Sumie (" Dwell 

 ing-Bay"), Sbijue ("Quiet-Bay"), Tama'e 

 (" Jewel- Bay "). Again there is a provincial 

 suffix " no" meaning " field " or " plain," which 

 is attached to the majority of female names in 

 certain districts. Yosbino ("Fertile Field"), 

 Umeno (" Plumflower Field "), Sbi^uno (" Quiet 

 Field "), Urano (" Coast Field "),Utano (" Song 

 Field"), are typical names of this class. A girl 

 called Namie or Kikuno is not addressed as 

 " O-Namie San " or " O-Kikuno San," but as 

 " Namie San," " Kikuno San." 



1 This suffix must not be confused with the suffix " 8," 

 signifying "branch," which is also attached to many pop 

 ular names. Without seeing the Chinese character, you 

 cannot decide whether the name TamaZ, for example, 

 means "Jewel-branch" or "Jewel Inlet." 



