Japanese Female Names 123 



attempt a classification of female names, be 

 ginning with popular yobina. These will be 

 found particularly interesting, because they re 

 flect something of race -feeling in the matter of 

 ethics and aesthetics, and because they serve to 

 illustrate curious facts relating to Japanese cus 

 tom. The first place I have given to names of 

 purely moral meaning, usually bestowed in the 

 hope that the children will grow up worthy of 

 them. But the lists should in no case be re 

 garded as complete : they are only representative. 

 Furthermore, I must confess my inability to ex 

 plain the reason of many names, which proved 

 as much of riddles to Japanese friends as to 

 myself. 



NAMES OF VIRTUES AND PROPRIETIES 



O-Ai "Love." 



O-Cbti "Intelligence." 



O-Cbif "Loyalty." 



O-Jin "Tenderness," humanity. 



O-Jun "Faithful-to-death." 



O-KaiyS . . . . " Forgiveness," pardon. 



O-Ken "Wise," in the sense of moral 



discernment. 



O-Ko " Filial Piety." 



O-Masa . . . . " Righteous," just. 



O-Micbi .... "The Way," doctrine. 



Misao "Honor," wifely fidelity. 



