MovieChat Forums > Shimotsuma monogatari (2004) Discussion > Help w/ Japanese names ... what does 'ko...

Help w/ Japanese names ... what does 'ko' mean?

posted 18 years ago by rooprect
19 replies | jump to latest

I'm trying to figure out what the suffix "ko" means when added to a name (example: Hachiko the famous dog). Some dictionaries say it is a cute term of endearment, others say it is one of deep respect (like "sir"). Are there any Japanese speakers who can clarify this for me?

There's the scene in Kamikaze Girls about Ichigo vs. Ichiko. I never quite understood the joke & why Ichigo gets so upset. Also, do all Japanese names mean something, or are they like English names that just have a certain phonetic ring? Thanks

[–] rch427 18 years ago

"Ichigo" means something like "witch" or "powerful woman", whereas "ichiko" means strawberry. That's why Ichiko is so embarrassed that she changes her name; she couldn't be a tough biker girl with a handle like "strawberry".

"Ko" as a PREfix means "old", and as a SUFfix often means "child".

Some Japanese names relate to birth order. For example, boys named "Ichiro" are usually the first-born ("ichi" means #1). One of the most popular names of the past 25 years was "Ai" (or some variation of it, such as "Aihiko"). "Ai" means "love", so its sort of the equivalent of an American being named "Charity" or "Hope". And like most Westernized cultures, it's popular to name Japanese babies after famous or illustrious people of the time, or just pop figures.

[–] rooprect 18 years ago

Wow, that was extremely informative! Thanks!

[–] Turnerp 18 years ago

very informative thanks

[–] spikeyone 18 years ago

I think you slipped up somewhere...

"Ichigo" means strawberry.

[–] Boinkmoo 18 years ago

Did you mix up ichigo and ichiko?

[–] ajnemajrje 11 years ago

I thought it was the other way around and ichigo meant strawberry hmm have to look back in my studies to see where this comes up.

So does that make the name Koko mean old child? :P

[–] another_mayxday 18 years ago

Momoko means peach child. ^_^

[–] rooprect 18 years ago

That's so cute! It fits perfectly. Do all Japanese names have meanings?

[–] GrimReaperMort 18 years ago

Wrong: Ichigo means "strawberry" not "witch". I think you are mistaken between the two.

[–] StevoRoxx 18 years ago

rch427, where did you get the info??

Ichigo=strawberry
Ichiko=ichi(first/no.1)+ko(girl)

ko of Ichiko's and Hachiko's are different.

Ichiko's ko means "child", and when it's used for a person's name, it's only for girls. Chieko, in Babel, is probably chie(=wisdom)+ko(=girl). Rinko Kikuchi, who played Chieko, is Rin(=brave-hearted, being calm whatever happens)+ko(girl). Momoko is momo(peach)+ko(girl) and Kyoko is kyo(courteous)+ko(girl).

Hachiko's ko is actually kou, and it's an old way to call someone under you. It's totally OK to call animals with kou, but it's not polite at all (very rude to use this for a person). very few elder people use "kou" as this meaning today, but it used to be used to despise someone. for example, chon-kou (extremely impolite way to call Korean people, come from Korea=Chosun), poli-kou(policemen), sen-kou(sensei=teacher).

By the way Kou Shibasaki's Kou isn't same as this kou. her name means rouge.

[–] dollydaze78 18 years ago

Well, I think the original poster might have been referring to Nana; if I remember correctly, they first refer to Komatsu as "Hachiko" (as a pun on Nana/seven and Hachi/eight), which later becomes "Hachikou." Or maybe they just referred to her as "Hachi" (I haven't kept up with the manga in a while).

[–] chibifiedeyes 17 years ago

Wow, thanks for this informative post!

[–] Sanjuro-15 16 years ago

Of course, you have to bear in mind that 'ko' isn't a suffix that you can just add on to any cute girls name (for that you have chan, san, kun etc...).

--Ko is (was) a common name to choose when naming a girl (Matsuko, Yoko, Haruko etc...). In older women you'll find lots of names ending in --Mi (beautiful) for much the same reason.

[–] columbusmozart 12 years ago

"Ichiko" means "sorceress". http://rut.org/cgi-bin/j-e/FG=r/jap/%bb%d4%bb%d2?TR
"Ichigo" means "strawberry". http://rut.org/cgi-bin/j-e/FG=r/jap/%e7%f5?TR

[–] columbusmozart 12 years ago

Most do, but then, so do most English names, "John" for example, comes from the Greek, which means "Graced by God."

J.

[–] UberNoodle 14 years ago

In regards to the first post's answer. I would appreciate more information and your definition of "prefix" and "suffix". Ko on a girl's name is not really a suffix. It is part of their name. A prefix like the honourific "o" or "go" are suffixes in the true sense because they are added to the word.

Several words begin and end with "ko" and it denotes "smallness" or "baby", such as "kodomo", "koinu", "koneko" (child, puppy and kitten). Ko with a long vowel or short, can also be written with the character for "small", which is differently written.

When you say that "ko" as a prefix means "old", I would like an example. Thanks.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] columbusmozart 12 years ago

"Ichiko" means "sorceress" which sounds alot cooler than her given name, "Ichigo" which means "strawberry".

"Ko" is a common ending in women's names in Japanese. (Michiko, Yumiko, etc.)

j.