Japan is introducing rules to restrict certain baby names. Names like Pikachu (from Pokémon) will be impossible under the new rules.
The country is doing this by defining the pronunciation of certain characters in names, reports Japan Today. In Japan, most names are made up of multiple characters. Each character has a common pronunciation, and these sounds strung together ultimately form the sound of a name. However, some characters can also be pronounced in other ways.
This allowed parents to choose alternative pronunciations of characters to create unusual names such as Pikachu (from Pokémon) and Pu (after Winnie the Pooh). Other names made the news due to controversial meanings, such as Devil and Prince, writes The Guardian.
According to the Japanese government, the free interpretation of the pronunciation of characters led to confusion in institutions such as hospitals and schools. Written, the names looked like a random jumble of characters. Children would also be bullied because of their unusual names. Local authorities can use the new rules to reject certain proposed names.
Former Olympic skater and track cyclist Seiko Hashimoto caused a stir by naming her children Girishia (similar to the English Greece) and Torino (Turin), after the locations of the Summer Games. Because she herself had chosen the characters and the alternative pronunciation, she knew how her children’s names should sound. People who only saw the name written did not understand what it said, as the standard pronunciation of the characters in a row was incomprehensible.