A parent holds her child before the start of the "crying baby sumo" match at the Sensoji temple in Tokyo on April 26, 2025. PHOTO: AFP

SINGAPORE – Japan has imposed rules to curb how parents choose to pronounce their children’s names, targeting a trend known as kira-kira – the Japanese onomatopoeia for “shiny” or “sparkly” – names.

Kira-kira refers to names that use kanji, or Chinese characters, but are read in ways that make the names unusual, contradictory or unrelated to the words’ meanings. This can include giving traditional names a misleading or foreign-sounding twist.

For example, politician and former Olympian Seiko Hashimoto named her sons Girisha (Greece) and Torino (Turin) – after the locations of the Olympic Games held in the years of their births.

Kira-kira names – such as Pikachu and Naiki (Nike) – have been criticised for causing confusion in schools, hospitals and public services, or in some cases, embarrassment for the child.

The new rules, imposed on May 26, come under a revised law that requires all names in Japan’s national family registry to include phonetic readings, local media reported this week.

Kanji often have multiple readings, giving parents some flexibility in choosing how to write their children’s names. But only widely accepted readings will now be allowed under the legislation.

As a result, parents will no longer be able to give their children names with readings unrelated to the kanji meaning or standard pronunciation, Kyodo News reported.

But non-standard readings based on established usage are allowed.

Residents across Japan will receive notifications by mail to confirm the phonetic readings of the names in their households, according to NTV News. Those who require corrections may submit a request within a year of receiving the notification.

Parents of newborns may also be asked to explain the pronunciation of their children’s names, though cases deemed unclear may be referred to legal affairs bureaus, Kyodo said.

Other countries have also imposed laws to prevent parents from giving their children names that may be considered inappropriate or embarrassing.

For instance, Sweden has strict guidelines on what parents can name their child.

Under Swedish law, parents much submit the proposed name within three months from birth. The name must not be offensive, cause discomfort to the child, or for some other reason be unsuitable as a first name.

In New Zealand, there are guidelines to ensure that names are not offensive, are of a reasonable length and do not unjustifiably resemble official titles or ranks. As a result, names such as Justice and Prince are not allowed.

In 2008, a young girl from New Zealand made headlines after it was revealed during a custody hearing that she had been named Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. Her name was later changed. THE STRAITS TIMES/ANN