This presenation could be filed under Diversions as amusing, but will remain here for the time being. It will be updated as appropriate.
Surnames
Place Names
Historical Periods
Japanese surnames are generally composed of two characters with simple geographic translations. By contrast, Chinese surnames are single characters, relatively few of which are commonly used.
Selected surnames:
| Romaji | Characters | Translation |
| Ishiguro | 石黑 | rock black |
| Kurosawa | 黑澤 | black marsh |
| Shitamura | 下村 | lower village |
| Tanaka | 田中 | field center |
| Uemura | 上村 | upper village |
| Yamamoto | 山本 | mountain root |
The initial sound of the second character is often voiced, giving a shift in the Romaji compared to stand-alone characters.
Japanes place names are typically composed of two characters, again with geographic translations
Selected city names:
| Romaji | Characters | Translation |
| Hiroshima | 広島 | wide island |
| Kawasaki | 川崎 | river cape |
| Kyoto | 京都 | capital city |
| Nara | 奈良 | ‘flatland’ |
| Osaka | 大阪 | big hill |
| Tokyo | 東京 | east capital |
Regional names:
| Romaji | Characters | Translation |
| Honshu | 本州 | root state |
| Kansai | 関西 | barrier west |
| Kanto | 関東 | barrier east |
| Kyushu | 九州 | nine states |
| Shikoku | 四国 | four provinces |
Chinese place names follow the same pattern: coincidence?
Japanese reign names are generally composed of two characters with simple geographic translations. By contrast, Chinese reign names are single characters:
| Romaji | Characters | Translation |
| Heian | 平安 | level peace |
| Meiji | 明治 | bright rule |
| Showa | 昭和 | bright peace |
| Taisho | 大正 | great correction |
Uploaded 2025.12.16 analyticphysics.com