What's in a Name? 6 Questions for Your Next Free-Talk Lesson

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If you ever need a conversation topic that's suitable for all levels, there's an easy one right before your eyes: your student's name.

Today we'll go over six name-related questions you can ask along with basic information on naming practices in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand — where most of our students are from.

1. What does your name mean?

You can ask students what their name means in their native tongue.

My name is "Yuko." The "ko" doesn't mean anything, but the kanji for "yu" means richness and abundance. My parents wanted me to lead a "rich" life in terms of both material and mind.
Staff member in Japan

You might also want to ask them to type their name in the chatbox in the original script. This way, if they have trouble explaining it, you can google its meaning and teach them the words they need to know to explain it.

2. Please show me how to write your name!

Most of our students' countries don't use the Latin script. So it can be a fun exercise for you to practice writing their name. Just paste their name onto the whiteboard and make it nice and big. Then try to copy it using the pen tool. Here's an example using a Japanese name.

Don't be afraid to mess up! Students will find it funny and the activity will put them at ease. Just make sure you don't choose the color red to write their name. This is considered rude in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, where names written in red ink are associated with death.

This activity can lead to discussions on other related topics such as stroke order (the proper order to write each stroke in a Japanese, Chinese or Korean word). You can also take this chance to ask students about their alphabet and writing systems (e.g. "Can you tell me about the Thai alphabet? I hear it has 72 letters!").

3. How was your name chosen?

In Japan, many parents give their children names that have a lucky number of strokes. Similar practices exist in Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, though a lot more thought goes into picking the right name because of the belief that a person's name seals their fate.

My cousin, who was born in the year of the rooster, was given a name whose characters don't have any components related to meat. The belief is that chickens eat grains, so if there's anything meat-related in the name, my cousin might have digestive issues and other problems in life.
Staff member in Taiwan

Because naming can be so complicated, some parents consult experts for help. This is usually done after the baby is born since it's believed that names must be compatible with the child's date and time of birth.

You may also hear some Taiwanese and South Korean students explain that they share a part of their given name with their siblings and/or cousins. For example, two brothers in a Korean family might be named "Ji-won" and "Ji-sun" so the first half of their name is the same: "Ji."

4. Would you ever change your name?

You might be surprised by the number of students who answer "Yes" to this question! Many people in South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand change their names if they think it will bring them success in love, career, or life in general.

If you bring this topic up with a Taiwanese student, they may also mention a recent incident where over 100 people changed their names to "salmon" for some free salmon sushi.

Name changing isn't common in Japan, so with Japanese students, you could ask, "If you had a kirakira name, would you change it?" Kirakira names are extremely unconventional names like "Pikachu" or "your highness, the Prince."

5. How did you choose your English name?

Some of our students, especially those from Taiwan and South Korea, will introduce themselves with an English name. There may be a story behind this too, so try asking about it!

You may also want to ask if they use their English name outside of class. For example, some students will tell you they use it at work. In Taiwan, English names are very common in workplaces and more and more Korean companies have adopted "English nickname policies" as well.

If you're curious about the answers you might get to these questions, here's a video that interviews Taiwanese people on the street about their English names.

6. Do you have any nicknames?

Nicknames are common in our students' countries, so you can ask about them too. In Japan, nicknames are often shortened versions of a person's name (or surname), sometimes with the "-chan" suffix. For example:

A man whose surname is "Hayashi" might be called "Yashi" by his friends.
A woman named "Manami" might be called "Mana-chan" by her friends and family.

Because a lot of words in Korean and Chinese sound similar, many of our students from Korea and Taiwan have had funny (well, punny) nicknames at some point in their lives. For example, a Korean person whose name is "Jeong-hwa" might have been given the nickname "Jeon-hwa" (telephone) in school.

Lastly, you may already know your Thai student's nicknames, since that's probably the one they use with you. Most Thai people go by their nicknames in everyday life, so you can be friends or coworkers with someone for a long time and not know their real name. Their nicknames are often not related to their real names at all: e.g. someone called "Korakoad" might have the nickname "Moo".

👋 That’s it for now

We hope you try out this conversation topic with your students! Remember you can share the story behind your name with your students as well.

To read more about naming practices, check out these resources:

Happy Tutoring!