FF9 Name Meanings
Sorry if there is already an active one. I hope it is alright.
The title has names - but it means for more then the characters, it also pertains to the names of locations, items, and more. The names of the characters belong to both minor and majority characters. I don't mean this to be a comparison between English and Japanese either.
You may add your input as well. I suggest that you have beaten the game or are currently on Disk 4. However somethings to be cleared up right here.
The Pale Green colored text is added text.
- There will be no disrespect to each other.
- When you add your input related to names please state what that name is for along with the version [JV for the Japanese Version and EV for the English Version].
- All of the Japanese written script that is in katakana will be romanized in CAPS so that it may be distinguished from the written script that is in hiragana. This will help everyone in the long run.
- If you wish to add input with the names in the JV then please in some manner add the proper characters.
- The names of the JV will have a [・] even when the original name doesn't have one.
- Any stand-alone n that is before a m, a p, and/or a b in the middle of the Japanese word will be translated as an m for convenience - see below for more on this.
I will go first. However, expect this post to be updated every single day or often. Please correct me with my grammar and my spellings.
Please note, that I tend to use these sites:
Jeffrey's Japanese<->English Dictionary Server
メインページ - Wikipedia
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wiktionary, the free dictionary
But I sometimes forget to check on things or to see if there is a reference linked to that name.
I'm moving things to the Connections & Trivia.
Here is a list of stand-alone ン N katakana words which have a ン N come before a m, a p, or a b in the middle.
- ハンマー HAMMĀ is translated as hammer.
- ガンマ GAMMA is translated as gamma.
- コンマ KOMMA is translated as comma; cedilla.
- サンマー SAMMĀ is translated as summer.
- スタンプ SUTAMPU is translated as stamp.
- アンバー ANMBĀ is translated as amber; umber.
- チャンバー CHAMBĀ is translated as chamber.
- ナンバー NAMBĀ is translated as number.
- メンバー MEMMBĀ is translated as member.
- エンパシー EMPASHĪ is translated as empathy.
- インパクト IMPAKUTO is translated as impact.
- カンパニー KAMPANĪ is translated as company.
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The Characters
The princess summoner, alias Dagger, has the birth name Sarah in the EV and セーラ SĒRA in the JV. セーラ SĒRA may be short for セーラー SĒRĀ which is translated as the English word sailor, however the name Sarah and its variants has the meaning princess in Hebrew, the Hebrew spell Sarah as שָׂרָה Sara which is from שָׂרָי saráy and that gets translated as Sarai. The Arabic spell the same name as سارة. The most common spelling variants of Sarah are: Sara and Sarai. The Japanese write Sarai as サライ SARAI, while they write both Sara and Sarah as サラ SARA.
There is a patron saint of the Roma named Saint Sarah while the natives call her Sara-la-Kali, the Japanese call her サラ SARA among other names. There is also a French legend of a girl named Sarah arriving at shore on a boat with two others, can't confirm it.
The name almost every one in Alexandria calls her is Garnet Til Alexandros 17<sup>th</sup> in the EV and ガーネット・ティル・アレクサンドロス17世 GĀNETTO TIRU AREKUSANDOROSU 17-sei in the JV, ignoring the title which is either Queen or Princess. She is truly the the 18<sup>th</sup>, as she was adopted by Brahne and the King to replace their recently deceased daughter - more on this in the Trivia and Connections thread. This name brings in-game irony. As the gemstone of the same name, Garnet, allows for Dagger to learn the summon Bahamūt - the very same summon that Kuja used to destroy the city of Alexandria.
She takes the name Dagger in the EV and ダガー DAGĀ in the JV, as an alias for her travels, this was inspired by Zidane's weapon of the same name Dagger - look at Dagger [Weapon] below for more.
The Black Mage of the team in named Vivi Ornitier in the EV and ビビ・オルニティア BIBI ORUNITIA in the JV. His EV surname is sometimes written as Orunitier. His given name is a pun on びびる bibiru which means to feel nervous; to feel frightened. It is said that "Vivi ('I lived'), is a past tense of the Latin vivo, 'to live'^1." His given name may be short for both Bibian and Vivian which the Japanese write as ビビアン BIBIAN, the name Vivian means full of life and the name Bibian means lively. His surname オルニティア ORUNITIA may be translated as both Ornitier and Orunitier, however I think that it is best translated as Bibi Ornitier.
The Blue Mage gourmand of the team in named Quina Quen in the EV and クイナ・クゥエン KUINA KŪEN in the JV. This name is linked with the Japanese word 食い kui which is related to 食う ku'u and subsequently 食べる taberu all three of which mean to eat; meal among other things. The NA is short for 無し nashi which means without, so KUINA basically means mealless. The name クイナ KUINA is also what the Japanese call any bird of the Rallidae family, particularly the water rail. The EN may have come from 宴 en which is translated as a banquet, and a banquet is some sort of meal. So this means that the JV surname basically means to eat a banquet.
For the EV given name, it may be an anagram of a quin, the word quin refers to the number 5. Also they may have gotten qu from ku as some Japanese words starting with ku may become qu, such as how they write the English queen one way is クイーン KUĪN. Speaking of the word queen, Quina's EV surname may have been inspired by it.
Amarant Coral in the EV and サラマンダー・コーラル SARAMANDĀ KŌRARU in the JV. His JV name is translated as Salamander Coral. The Japanese would write the amarant[h] as アマラント AMARANTO. His EV name is short for the word amaranth which is a mythical plant and a dye color. He has been nicknamed Flaming Amarant in the EV and Flaming Salamander in the JV. His JV name relates to the myth that Salamanders live in fire. A coral is a sponge like plant on the sea bead.
Eiko Carol in the EV and エーコ・キャルオル ĒKO KYARUORU in the JV. The Japanese would usually write the carol as キャロル KYARORU. A carol is a type of song.
Baku in the EV and バクー BAKŪ in the JV. In Japan, the tapir is known as a baku and is based on the Chinese mo which is a chimera similar to a tapir and said to devour bad dreams. The word baku also means that one has burst of laughter. The Japanese write the name of the animal as 獏 baku or as 貘 baku while they write the sound of laughter as 爆 baku.
Mister Lav Layderce in the EV and ラヴ・レイダース RAVU REIDĀSU in the JV. His JV given name translates into love, while his EV given name is likely a direct transliteration of his JV. His JV surname is possible made up from two different words: レイ REI meaning ray and ダース DĀSU meaning dozen but is most likely to be translated as dars, also レイダー REIDĀ is a name which is Rader, so I am going to assume that レイダース is meant to be translated as Raders. His EV surname I going to assume that the officials used as different system to translate. His full JV name would be better translated as Love Raders.
Queen Brahne Raza Alexandros 16<sup>th</sup> in the EV and ブラネ女王・ラザ・アレクサンドロス16世 BURANE-joō RAZA AREKUSANDOROSU 16-sei in the JV. Her EV name may have come from the Hindu god named Brahma.
Regent Cid Fabool IX in the EV and シド大公・ファブール9世 SHIDO-daikō FABŪRU 9-sei in the JV. His name is in several different installments. His JV surname ファブール FABŪRU and his EV surname Fabool are a reference to previous FF game. His JV title is 大公 daikō translates archduke.
Mogster in the EV and モグタロー MOGUTARŌ in the JV. The Japanese would usually write the Mogster as モグスター MOGUSUTĀ. This character is a moogle, he is found in all of the Qu's Marsh and he teaches the younger moogle (and the players) things about the game itself. I believe the EV name is a portmanteau of the English word master and the FF name Mog, his JV name has the JV FF name モグ MOGU which is bound to be translated as Mog and it is likely short for his race's JV name. His JV name also has a typical male ending that being -TARŌ which is commonly written with the kanji 太郎 -tarō - this is what causes me to call Mogster a male.
Bobo in the EV and ラグー RAGŪ in the JV. The Japanese would usually write the Bobo as ボボ BOBO. It's JV name may be short for ラグーン RAGŪN which is translated as lagoon. It's JV name may be a reference to Laguna Loire of FF8. As ラグーン RAGŪN is likely the English word, but Laguna Loire has his JV given name written as ラグナ RAGUNA which is how the Japanese would write the Spanish word laguna which means lagoon.
Ipsen is in the EV and イプセン IPUSEN in the JV. Now his name comes from either a person called Henrik Ibsen whose name the Japanese write as ヘンリック・イプセン HENRIKKU IPUSEN or a French pharmaceutical company.
The Knights of Pluto in the EV and プルート隊 PURŪTO-tai in the JV. It is a group consisting of 9 soldiers including the captain. Captain Adelbert Steiner, who holds the number 1 in this group, is talked about later, below are the names of the rest with their number.
Blutzen, Pluto Knight II in the EV and ブルツェン（プルート隊No.２） BURUTSEN (PURŪTO-tai No. 2) in the JV. His JV name is short for the historical town called Burzenland which is written as ブルツェンラント BURUTSENRANTO in Japan.
Kohel, Pluto Knight III in the EV and コッヘル（プルート隊No.３） KOHHERU (PURŪTO-tai No. 3) in the JV. His JV name comes from the German word Kocher meaning portable stove (the kind for outdoor use) which is written as ポータブルストーブ PŌTABURU SUTŌBU. The Japanese could write kocher as コッフェル KOFFERU.
Laudo, Pluto Knight IV in the EV and ラウダ（プルート隊No.４） RAUDA (PURŪTO-tai No. 4) in the JV. The Japanese would write Laudo as ラウド RAUDO. His JV name comes from Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda whose name the Japanese write as アンドレアス・ニコラス・「ニキ」・ラウダ ANDOREASU NIKORASU “NIKI” RAUDA. His EV name could have come from the mountains named Cumbre del Laudo which could be written as カンブレ・デル・ラウド KAMBURE DERU RAUDO in Japan.
Dojebon, Pluto Knight V in the EV and トジェボン（プルート隊No.５）DOJEBON (PURŪTO-tai No. 5) in the JV. His JV name seems to come from the historical town named Třeboň.
Brereicht, Pluto Knight VI in the EV and バイロイト（プルート隊No.６） BAIROITO (PURŪTO-tai No. 6) in the JV. The Japanese would write Brereicht as ブレレヒト BUREREHITO.
Weimar, Pluto Knight VII in the EV and ワイマール（プルート隊No.７） WAIMĀRU (PURŪTO-tai No. 7) in the JV.
Haagen, Pluto Knight VIII in the EV and ハーゲン（プルート隊No.８） HĀGEN (PURŪTO-tai No. 8) in the JV. There is a Hagen who is a Burgundian warrior in tales about the Burgundian kingdom at Worms and also the name of a villain in Wagner's opera Götterdämmerung. This guy's given name may be better translated as Häagen.
Mullenkedheim, Pluto Knight IX in the EV and メルゲントハイム（プルート隊No.９） MERUGENTOHAIMU (PURŪTO-tai No. 9) in the JV. The Japanese would write Mullenkedheim as ミュレンケハイム MYURENKEHAIMU.
Here is a minor character named Tiffany in the EV and ティファニー TIFANĪ in JV. She is an obscure reference to Tifa Lockhart of FF7 - Miss Lockhart's given name is short for Tifanie (a variation of Tiffany).
A minor character named Elena in the EV and エレナ ERENA in the JV. She is an obscure reference to Elena of FF7, her EV name at the least.
A Cleryan named Eileen the Wind Maiden in the EV and 風の巫女アイリーン Kaze no Otome AIRĪN in the JV. She is an obscure reference to Elena of FF7, her JV name, at the least, is based on Elena's JV name - find her name in FF7 Name meanings.
A minor character named Pricilla in the EV and プリシラ PURISHIRA in the JV. She shares her JV name with Priscilla of FF7, the one you have to give mouth-to-mouth to with Cloud.
A minor character named Polom in the EV and ポロム POROMU in the JV. This character shares her/his name with Porom of FF4 - only the EV Square didn't catch it, if they did then they deliberately misspelled the name.
The Locations: Cities and Towns
The summoner village on the Lost Continent is named マダイン・サリ MADAIN SARI in JV which means that it is named Madain Sari in EV. Now there is a real world village or town with a similar name: マダイン・サーレハ MADAIN SĀREHA in Japan, and translated as Mada'in Saleh in the English languages, it is written as مدائنصالح, madāʼin Ṣāliḥ in it's native Arabic tongue. Considering the real world village from which Madain Sari most likely got it's name from, I am going to say that the best translation for this town would be Mada'in Sali, however there are still somethings that are within the JV name.
The ダイ DAI in the first part of the name may be transliterated as di as in the English word dine which is to eat. However, the ダイン DAIN in the name may be translated as dyne. But DAIN could just as easily refer Dīn, which is an Arabic term meaning "religion" or "way of life", just as easily refer a loud sound, just as easily as it means a "day" or "morning" in the Indian language Hindi, and just as easily refer to one of the ten aspects of the Ein Sof in Kabbalah (more commonly known as "Gevurah"). Also the サリ SARI part may be short for to the garment サリー SARĪ which is translated as Sari in English and as Saree in other languages. The Hindi or those of the Indian subcontinent call this garment साड़ी sāṛī.
Ipsen's Castle in the EV and イプセンの古城 IPUSEN no Kojō in the JV. The place where nothing is as it seems. The Japanese would write Ipsen's Castle as イプセンの城 IPUSEN no Jō. The kanji in it's JV name translate as old castle; old fortress. This location got it's name from a character named Ipsen.
Oeilvert in the EV and 禁断の地ウイユヴェール Kindan no Chi WUIYUVĒRU in the JV. It's JV name translates as Land of Prohibition: Houillesveil. ウイユ WUIYU gets translated as a name Houilles while ヴェール VĒRU means veil and may be translated as vert. ウイ WUI is how the Japanese write the French word oui which means yes. According to rubah (see post number 2861793 for more), the name Oeilvert is from to French words œil meaning eye and vert meaning green.
Does anyone have a better idea of where ウイユヴェール comes from, if so then don't hesitant to post.
Bran Bal in the EV and ブラン・バル BURAN BARU in the JV. The English word bran relates to grains from wheat and rye.
Lindblum in the EV and リンドブルム公国 RINDOBURUMU-kōkoku in the JV. The kanji in it's JV name translate as dukedom.
Mt. Gulug in the EV and グルグ火山 GURUGU-kazan in the JV. The Japanese would write Mt. Gulug as グルグ山 GURUGU-zan. The kanji in it's JV name translate as volcano.
The Locations: World Map
These are found in the Menu of the game while your on the map - where the majority of the random battles take place.
King Ed Plains in the EV and キング・エディ平原 KINGU EDI-heigen in the JV. The Japanese would write King Ed as キング・エド KINGU EDO. The kanji in it's JV name translate as plain; moor; prairie. The name エディ EDI may be translated as Edie; Edi; Eddie.
The Enemies, Bosses, and Friendly
The ones mentioned here, are not characters at all - so a boss who is a character will not be here but in the character section: Beatrix is one such example as is Baku.
None yet.
Abilities, Magics, & Summons
Doomsday in the EV and ジハード JIHĀDO in the JV. It's JV name is what the Japanese write for an Islamic term which is typically written as جهاد jihād which means struggle, the word is itself is from the Arabic word جهد jahada.
The Items, Key Items, & Equip-able Items
Pumice Piece in the EV and ふゆう石のかけら Fuyū-seki no Kakera in the JV. And it's companion is Pumice in the EV and ふゆう石 Fuyū-seki in the JV. The JV name Fuyū-seki no Kakera translates as Fragment of Floating Stone, so Fuyū-seki translates as Floating Stone.
Garnet in the EV and ガーネット GĀNETTO in the JV. This gemstone allows for Dagger to learn the summon Bahamūt, see above which the character of the same name.
Gulug Stone in the EV and グルグ・ストーン GURUGU SUTŌN in the JV. This stone is named after Mount. Gulug.
Zidane's first weapon is called Dagger in the EV and ダガー DAGĀ in the JV. This particular weapon is usually used by thieves in various games, anime, and manga. So not only is it fitting, but since Dagger gave herself an alias - that could mean that she is falling for Zidane when she names herself, but that is just an interesting tidbit.
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