tacky Japanese names

[caramel_tea]

Setting: modern day to near future (give or take 5 years from now

Comments

[harumi]

I've only just returned to the US from Japan six months ago, and I taught in a lower-middle class rural area.

There has been a recent spate of parents who want their children to be unique, so they'll choose common pronunciations with unusual kanji. Another way to make their children's names stand out is to do away with kanji altogether and use hiragana. Something else I've seen is typical kanji but completely off the wall pronunciation. It's why most places that require you to write your name also require you to write the furigana as well.

Other than that, I don't know any names that I would consider specifically tacky. I'd go with the above user and maybe consider naming them after idols, or names that can be easily mistaken for something else, such as a horrible bad pun joke.

Hope this helps.

[caramel_tea]

Something else I've seen is typical kanji but completely off the wall pronunciation.

That sounds interesting. Can you give an example?

Thanks for the tips.

[harumi]

Actually, if you're familiar at all with Death Note, Yagami Light's name is a fine example of this, but a bit extreme.

[caramel_tea]

Ah, I see. Thanks!

[meruberri]

There's also Watanuki from xxxHolic. His name is written 四月一日

[februaryfour]

Naruto. I'm not kidding. *winces*