What is the meaning of the suffix 'hito' that is part of so many names of men in the Japanese Imperial family?
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yoho05 reminds you to DYOH
ANSWERS: 3
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Emperors' names traditionally end with the character "hito," meaning the highest moral standard (virtue), while names for royal women end in "ko", meaning noblewoman. Names ending in "hito" are highly unusual for commoners and while "ko" was once a popular name ending for girls, it is increasingly rare for new babies.
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THe suffix "ko" also means child, and for girl names it is extremely popular. It can also mean fragrance, but that's written with a different character.
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Hito used in male Imperial Names are written with a different Kanji than most Westerners are familiar with (those learning to read and write Kanji). But, when it comes to Imperial names, hito is written ä». ä» means Benevolence. Benevolence - desire to do good to others; goodwill; charitableness. So... Hiro is written as 裕 (this same Kanji was used for the Emperor's name) and it means Prosperous. So you can sort of think of Hiro-hito as meaning "Prosperous Benevolence." I hope this answers your question. ^__^
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