Survey: Popular baby names reflect parents' wish for calmness

Dec 06 (NHK) - A Japanese insurance company says its survey shows that parents are choosing baby names associated with peace and calm in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine.

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance announced the results of its annual survey on about 17,000 babies born this year.

The most popular kanji character for boys' names is "So," which means the color blue. It is used to describe the color of the sky, and can also be read "Aoi" or "Ao."

Another kanji that is equally popular is "Nagi," meaning calm sea. It has become the favorite for the first time.

For girls, the most popular kanji characters are those for "sunshine" and that for "hollyhock." They are often read together as Himari or Hinata.

They are followed by "Rin," meaning stately or dignified, and "Shi" or "Uta," which both mean poem. ...continue reading

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