Japanese and Ainu names

[Fulang]

Hello everybody,

I am currently writing a novel, which will be partly set in Sapporo, northern Japan. Two main characters will be Japanese, and I am in search of a (beautiful, interesting) Japanese or Ainu name for a boy ánd for a girl.

If members here could help me find some, please post the names here that you know. It would be nice if the translation was included as well.

Thanks a lot,
my very best to you.

Fulang.

[Amnell]

You can try looking here: Behind the Name: Japanese Names , but I couldn't find any Ainu names there.... I'll keep looking.

[Amnell]

Well, I'm having trouble finding a site with Ainu names, but I did learn that most of the names of locations in Hokkaido come from Ainu words... if that helps at all ^_^;; .

[SSJup81]

Sorry for not offering any help, but what exactly is an Ainu name? I've heard of it, but don't know anything about it.

[Harold]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

Sorry for not offering any help, but what exactly is an Ainu name? I've heard of it, but don't know anything about it.

Ainu are the "native Japanese," but I say this very loosely. A better word would probably be aboriginal. They can be compared to the modern day de facto Japanese are as to what the Native Americans are to the European settlers of the Americas. They settled in North Japan before the Japanese came.

More information here: Ainu

An Ainu name is, well, an Ainu name.

[kIyo]

they are now using japanese names. so i think there aren't particular ainu names left.
according to japanese Wikipedia, they say there are only 15 people who speaks ainu language.
as for histrical names. tere are ATERUI, SHAKUSHINE, KOSHAMINE. but i don't know how to spell them precisley.

though, if you can look into japanese Wikipedia, there are dozens of ainu words.

[Fulang]

Thanks for helping me with searching Japanese and Ainu names.

Fulang