FF8 Name meanings

[Shinwa Tsuki]

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 Trivia and Connections thread.

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
Our favorite Lion and Angel, both have a mother and a father. Thing is the Lion's theoretical biological family and the Angel's biological family and themselves seem to have a continuing love going on - but that's for later. Our favorite Lion's theoretical biological family have a theme.

Squall Leonhart in the EV and スコール・レオンハート SUKŌRU REONHĀTO in the JV.

Laguna Loire in the EV and ラグナ・レウァール RAGUNA REWĀRU in the JV. His name is Spanish for lagoon.

Raine Loire in the EV and レイン・レウァール REIN REWĀRU in the JV. Both the EV and the JV names are after she married Laguna.

Rinoa Heartilly in the EV and リノア・ハーティリー RINOA HĀTIRĪ in the JV. Her JV given name is short for the name エリノア ERINOA which gets translated as either Elenore or Elinor. Now, Elenore means light I forget in which language.

Julia Heartilly in the EV and ジュリア・ハーティリー JURIA HĀTIRĪ in the JV.

General Fury Caraway in the EV and フューリー・カーウェイ FŪRĪ KĀWEI in the JV.

The Locations: Cities, Towns, and Mobile
Ragnarok in the EV and ラグナロク RAGUNAROKU in the JV. It's name comes from the Norse mythology. It may have also been named, in-game, after Laguna Loire and the Japanese number 六 roku meaning six.

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.

Balamb in the EV and バラム BARAMU in the JV. "The town is famous for two types of fish; the first is the Balamb Fish, a large fish with turquoise scales, which is a delicacy, the second is the Badamb Fish which numbs its victims and makes consumers ill when eaten."^1 It's JV name seems to be from two separate Japanese words: バラ BARA and ラム RAMU. バラ BARA means rose and is a name which can be spelled Burra. ラム RAMU means lamb; rum; ram; rump - note that lamb is a piece of meat - and is a name which can be spelled one of several ways: Lam; Lambe; Lamm; Lum; Lumb.

Now, there is a Japanese name which is spelled as バラムラ BARAMURA and is translated as Baramula. There is a word which is written as バラムンディ BARAMUNDI in Japanese script, バラムンディ BARAMUNDI is translated as barramundi which is another name for Lates calcarifer.

It should be noted that some of the words that ラム RAMU appears in are: アラム ARAMU which is translated as alum, ダラム DARAMU which is translated as dram, ドラム DORAMU which is translated as drum, スラム SURAMU which is translated as slam; slum; and thrum, and ラムウ RAMU'U which is translated commonly as Ramuh - who's name is not here.

It should be noted that some of the words that バラ BARA appears in are: バラクーダ BARAKŪDA which is translated as barracuda, バラン BARAN which is translated as balun, and バラク BARAKU which is a name which can be translated as Barak.

Balamb in the EV and The Balamb Fish is written as バラム・フィッシュ BARAMU FISSHU in the JV.

Help! Does anybody know how Badamb Fish are written in the JV?

The Enemies and Bosses
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: Seifer is one such example as is Edea.

None yet.

Abilities, Magics, & Summons
None yet.

The Items, Key Items, & Weapons
None yet.