Folks or People
June 12, 2010
by Nao
tami, min
Tami is people but it sounds archaic. Shimin, meaning citizens, is more common. The citizen of a nation is kokumin, of which the koku means a nation. Politicians often use it. They say, “kokumin no minasama” or “shimin no minasama.” Both address their fellow citizens. Minasama is a polite expression that means everybody.
If you want to contrast the public and private sectors, use kōkyō and minkan. The kyō of kōkyō means together; the kan of minkan means among.
Democracy is minshushugi. The shu of minshu means sovereignty and shugi means principles. Civil rights are kōminken. The civil rights movement is called “kōminkenun dō.” -> To see these phrases in Japanese, visit the supplementary page.
- Draw the hook on the top.
- Draw the lower side of the rectangle.
- Draw the vertical stroke with an upward turn.
- Draw the quasi-horizontal stroke.
- Draw the curve with an upward turn.
June 14, 2010 at 5:48 am
I have a Japanese friend whose first name is 英民 (ひでたみ). What I am wondering is, is this is an unusual male name or is it rather typical? Also, what might be an interpretation of this name: English people? Since he is an English instructor at a Japanese university, his name seems rather prophetic. Thanks for your help – it’s very much appreciated.
June 14, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Hello.
For me, it doesn’t sound typical, but if we hear “hidetami,” we can recognize it as a male name. Male names tend to have more than four syllables. In this case, hi-de-ta-mi. Female names are shorter. For example, hideko, hidemi, tamiko, etc.
Both “hide” and “tami” are often used for names. When “hide” is included in somebody’s name, I assume it means “excellency.” Tami means people or it probably means an ordinary person to make it sound humble. Some people avoid using too excellent names because they are afraid that the named one cannot live up to the name.
Each single character sometimes has more than several meanings. When you name somebody, you can choose any meaning. Actually, you don’t have to choose one because you don’t have to officially state or register the meanings.
People assume the meanings of others’ names. Only parents or godparents know the original meanings of the characters used in names.
In a sense, the English teacher has a prophetic name whether his godparent intended or not.
I hope it helps you.
Thank you for asking us an interesting question.