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Names in the World of Avatar

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In the World of Avatar, names are drawn from a wide variety of languages and sources. Although many names are transliterated into Chinese characters, the form of writing used in Avatar, most names are in fact not Chinese, and are either derived from other languages or completely fictional.

Contents

People Edit

The format of this list of name translations is: Name - Traditional Hanzi (simplified Hanzi if different) - Mandarin Pronunciation in Hanyu Pinyin/Pronunciation in other languages - English translation. Because many characters' names are never seen written on screen, and because it is impossible to guess the correct characters to write a name without knowing its meaning, Chinese characters may not be given for all names.

  • A note on East Asian names: Personal names in China and Korea are usually one or two characters chosen to have an auspicious meaning, while given names in Japanese can sometimes be three. Surnames always come before the given name, and are almost always one character in China and Korea, but usually two characters in Japan.
  • Readers should also note that the simplified characters in the translations on this page (the characters in brackets) are not used in the show. They are merely used as a reference for those unable to read traditional Chinese characters.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Edit

Main characters Edit

  • Aang: 安昂[1] - Peaceful soaring.
  • Katara: 卡塔拉[1] - Probably phonetic. Characters mean "block", "pagoda" and "pull".
  • Sokka: 索卡[1] - Probably phonetic. Characters mean "inquire" and "block".
  • Toph Beifong: 北方拓芙 [2] - Surname means "North region" and given name means "expanding hibiscus". In "Tales of Ba Sing Se", her name is written on the title card as 托夫, meaning "entrusted man", likely due to an error.[1]
  • Zuko: 蘇科 (苏科)[1] - Resurrected rule. On his wanted poster, his name was written with the characters 祖寇, meaning "ancestor robber". This was likely intended to insult him.[3]
  • Iroh: 艾洛[3] - Probably phonetic. The first character means "Chinese mugwort" (a flower used in a form of traditional Chinese medicine called moxibustion, which is not usually used to name males), and the second character is the name of a river in China.
  • Appa: 阿柏[4] - Characters mean "Cypress".
  • Momo: 模模[1] - Transliteration of Japanese word "momo", meaning "peach"; used as a common pet name in Japan. Characters mean "imitate".

Air Nomads Edit

  • Gyatso - (Tibetan) - Tibetan name meaning "ocean of Wisdom".
  • Pasang - (Tibetan) - Tibetan name meaning "born on Friday".
  • Tashi - (Tibetan) - Tibetan name meaning "good fortune/auspiciousness".

Water Tribe Edit

  • Master Wei: 胃 - stomach.
  • Yue: 月[5] - Moon.

Earth Kingdom Edit

  • Bumi: भूमि (布米)[6] - 'Bumi' means "earth" in Sanskrit, most Indian languages derived from Sanskrit, as well as in Indonesian and Malay.
  • Chin: 秦[7] - Qin was the surname of controversial emperor Qin Shi Huang, who unified China. It referred to the state he ruled prior to conquering the rest of China.
  • Hong Lee (Zuko): 洪禮 (洪礼)[8] - Hong is a traditional Chinese surname meaning "vast" or "deluge"; Lee references the Confucian virtue li, meaning "propriety" or "ritual". He may be named for Li Hong, one of the series' early concept artists.
  • Hong Mushi (Iroh): 洪慕士[8] - Hong is a traditional Chinese surname meaning "vast" or "deluge"; Mushi means "to want to become a scholar".
  • Kyoshi: 虛子[7] - Japanese: kyoshi - "Empty child"; this was the pen name of the famous Japanese poet Takahama Kiyoshi.
  • Lian: 连 - to link; to join.
  • Long Feng: 龍鳳 (龙凤) - Dragon Pheonix. In Chinese tradition, the dragon and phoenix represented the royal throne.
  • Macmu-Ling: - Named after Avatar writer Lauren MacMullan.[9]
  • Miyuki: 美雪 - Japanese: miyuki - Beautiful snow (common Japanese girl's name). Named after storyboard artist Miyuki Hoshikawa.[8]
  • Oh: 吳 - Korean: o - Oh (Wu in Chinese) is a common surname in Korea, referring to the ancient Kingdom of Wu in China. Named after animator Seung-Hyun Oh.[8]
  • Oma: 奧瑪 (奥玛)[10] - Korean: oma - Mysterious Carnelian.
  • Oyaji: 親父 (亲父) - Japanese: oyaji - Japanese informal term for "dad".
  • Pao: 包[11] - Bao is a traditional Chinese surname meaning "To cover". It is a pun of the character 泡 (pāo), meaning to boil tea.
  • Pong: 乓 - An abortive pun on the word ping-pong: originally, Aang was going to have another neighbor named Ping, who was cut from the script. The Chinese Characters for ping-pong are simply an onomatopoeia for the sound the ball makes.[12]
  • Pu-on Tim: 浦安添[13] - Cantonese: pu on tim - Pu is a traditional Chinese surname meaning "beach"; On-Tim means "Increasing Peace". Named after Avatar writer Tim Hedrick.[14]
  • Sha-Mo: 沙漠 - Desert
  • Shu: 舒[10] - Shu is a traditional Chinese surname meaning "relax".
  • Song - Song is a common Chinese and Korean surname.
  • The Boulder: 大塊石 (大块石)[15] - Big rock.
  • Xin Fu: 辛富[15] - Xin is a traditional Chinese surname meaning "bitter"; Fu means "wealth".
  • Aunt Wu: 巫 - Wu is a Chinese surname meaning "sorceress" or "shaman".
  • Yi Ming: 貽明 - Probably phoenetic. Characters mean "bequeath" and "next".
  • Yu: 余[15] - Yu is a common Chinese surname meaning "surplus".
  • Yulduz: - (Uzbek) - Yulduz is a feminine Uzbek name meaning "star".

Fire Nation Edit

  • Chan (Fire Nation admiral): 陳 - Cantonese: chan - Chen/Chan is a very common Chinese surname referring to the ancient State of Chen in central China. Named after writer May Chan.[16]
  • Chan (Fire Nation blacksmith): 陳[17] - Cantonese: chan - See above.
  • Chan (teenager): 陳 - Cantonese: chan - See above. Also named after May Chan.[18]
  • Chey: 濟 (济)[19] - Korean: che - To ferry; to help. Likely a reference to revolutionary Che Guevara.
  • Chit Sang: 捷生 - Cantonese: jit saang - Named after writer May Chan's father. His name seems to be composed of the characters 捷, meaning "victory" or "quick", and 生, meaning "gentleman".[20]
  • Ding: 丁 - Ding is a common Chinese surname meaning "robust" or "masculine".
  • Ikem: 毅勤 - Resolute and hard-working.[21]
  • Jeong Jeong: 琤琤[19] - The sound of tinkling gems.
  • Liang: 梁 - Liang is a common Chinese surname meaning "bridge" or "beam".
  • Lu Ten: 路騰 (路腾)[1] - Gallop over a road.
  • Mai: 梅 - Plum.
  • Mak: 麥 - Cantonese: mak - Mak (Mai in Mandarin) is a common Chinese surname meaning "wheat" or "barley".
  • Mongke: 蒙哥 - Mongolian: möngke - Mongolian name meaning eternal: Name of the fourth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire who conquered Iraq, Syria and Vietnam.
  • Morishita: 森下 - Japanese: morishita - Japanese surname meaning "below the forest", originally in reference to where a family lived.
  • Ogodei: 窝阔台 - Mongolian: ögedei - Name of Genghis Khan's third son and second Great Khan of the Mongol Empire.
  • Ozai: 敖載 (敖载)[22] - Carry proudly.
  • Ran and Shaw: 燃/燒 - Ran means "burn" or "ignite" in Chinese. Shaw, more correctly "Shao", means "burn" or "braze". The characters can also be used together to mean "combustion", "flaming", or "kindle".[23]
  • Sozin: 蘇進 (苏进)[24] - Revival and progress.
  • Tom-Tom: 湯湯 (汤汤)[6] - Phonetic: characters mean "soup" or "hot water".
  • Ty Lee: 泰麗 (泰丽) - Calm and beautiful.
  • Ursa: 爾姝 - Phonetic: First character can mean "so" or "that", second character means "a beauty".[21]
  • Yeh-Lu: 耶律 - Khitan: yelü - the family name of Yelü Chucai, an adviser of Ogedei Khan.

Neutral Edit

  • Pathik - (Hindi) - पथिक.-Hindi name meaning "traveler".

Spirits Edit

The Legend of Korra Edit

Main characters Edit

  • Amon: - (Chinese) - 阿蒙[27] - Multiple meanings: most appropriate "to cover", "to deceive".
  • Asami Sato: - (Japanese) - Asami is a female Japanese name usually meaning either "morning beauty", "hemp beauty", or "morning sea". Sato (佐藤, Satō) is the most common Japanese surname.
  • Lin Beifong: Surname (北方[2]) means "North region". While it is unusual for her to have taken her mother's surname, it is not unprecedented: in Japan, for example, if a family had no male heir to carry on its name, it would sometimes adopt the daughter's son-in-law in order to ensure the survival of their name.
  • Korra: From the name Cora, Irish and Greek for "maiden". Named for a hotel owner's dog.[28]
  • Mako: 信 - Japanese: makoto - Mako is an abbreviated version of the Japanese name Makoto, meaning "faithfulness", one of the five Confucian virtues. He is named as a tribute to Mako Iwamatsu, Iroh's voice actor in the original series.
  • Noatak: - Inuit: nautaag - Inland river (Name of village in Alaska.)
  • Tenzin: - (Tibetan) - Tibetan name meaning "defender of the faith". It can also mean "holder of the teachings".
  • Rohan: रोहन- (Hindi) - meaning "to ascend; to rise; to attain great heights". Named after Bryan Konietzko's Indian nephew.

Republic City Edit

  • Hiroshi Sato: - (Japanese) - Hiroshi is a common male Japanese name with many meanings depending on the characters used. Sato (佐藤, Satō) is the most common Japanese surname.
  • Kuang: 鄺 (邝)[29] - Kuang is a Chinese surname.
  • Lau Gan-Lan: - This name is a pun on the Chinese words 老 (lǎo), meaning "old man" or "Mr." and 甘藍 (gānlán), meaning "wild cabbage": his name could therefore be translated as "Old Man Cabbage" or "Mr. Cabbage". Lau, written with different characters, is also a common Chinese surname.
  • Saikhan: - (Mongolian) - Saikhan is a Mongolian word meaning "beautiful".
  • Shiro Shinobi: - (Japanese) - Shiro is a Japanese name that usually means "fourth child", though it can be written with a number of Kanji. Shinobi (忍び) is a Japanese word that means "sneak", "thief", or "ninja".

Neutral Edit

  • Pema - (Tibetan) - Tibetan name meaning "lotus flower".

Bending arts Edit

The format of this list of bending art translations is: Bending Art: Traditional Hanzi (Simplified Hanzi if different) - Mandarin Pronunciation (in Hanyu Pinyin) - English translation.

Location and organization names Edit

The format of this list of location translations is: Location: Traditional Hanzi (simplified Hanzi if different) - Mandarin Pronunciation (in Hanyu Pinyin) - English translation.

Water Tribe Edit

Earth Kingdom Edit

Fire Nation Edit

United Republic Edit

Main article: United Republic

Businesses and organizations Edit

  • Ba Sing Se University: 永固城大學 (永固城大学)[11] - (literal)
  • Ba Sing Se Zoo: 快樂動物園 (快乐动物园)[1] - Happy Zoo.
  • Dai Li: 戴笠 - The Dai Li's name has two meanings in Chinese. First is literal. Dai (戴) means to wear. Li (笠) is the cone shaped rain hat that farmers and fishermen wear in China, which look similar to the hats worn by Dai Li in the show. However, the same characters are also the name of a person, and it was from him the Dai Li were named. Lieutenant General Dai Li was a top Chinese government official during the first half of 20th century, and one of the most feared men in China. He was infamously the leader of Chiang Kai-Shek's secret police and the paramilitary fascist Blue Shirt Society. The number of agents in his organization is said to have been over 50,000 at one point, and their assignments include surveillance, kidnapping, apprehension, and assassination. It was because of his "legacy" of oppression that the creators chose to name Ba Sing Se's secret police after him.[35]
  • Ember Island Theater: 餘烬島劇院 (余烬岛剧院)[33] - (literal)
  • Fancy Lady Day Spa: 貴婦美容院 (贵妇美容院)[1] - (literal)
  • Green Blaze Inn: 綠焰客棧 (绿焰客栈)[17] - (literal)
  • Green Flame Inn: 綠炎旅館 (绿炎旅馆)[17] - (literal)
  • Happy Traveler's Opera Troupe: 快樂浪人歌劇團 (快乐浪人歌剧团)[36] - (literal)
  • Jasmine Dragon: 茉莉龍 (茉莉龙)[37] - (literal)
  • Kuang's Cuisine: 鄺氏美食 (邝氏美食)[29] - Literally "Mr. Kuang's Fine Food".
  • Master Yu's Earthbending Academy: - 余師傅著名運土術武館 (余师傅著名运土术武馆)[15] - Master Yu's Renown Earthbending Academy
  • Metalbending Police Force: 共和城警隊[38] - Republic City Police Force.
  • Old Chen's Blacksmith Shop: 老陳鐵匠鋪 (老陈铁匠铺)[17] - (literal)
  • Order of the White Lotus: 白蓮教 - White Lotus.
  • Pao Family Tea House: 包氏茶館 (包氏茶馆)[11] - (literal)
  • Sweet Aroma Tea House: 芬芳茶館 (芬芳茶馆)[17] - (literal)
  • Tasty Hotpot Restaurant: 美味火鍋食堂 (美味火锅食堂)[17] - (literal)
  • Yu Dao Grocery Store: 玉島雜貨店 (玉岛杂货店)[17] - (literal)

References Edit

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Tales of Ba Sing Se". Joann Estoesta, Lisa Wahlander, Andrew Huebner, Gary Scheppke, Lauren MacMullan, Katie Mattila, Justin Ridge, Giancarlo Volpe (writers) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. September 29, 2006. No. 15, Book Two: Earth
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "The Serpent's Pass". Michael Dante DiMartino, Joshua Hamilton (writers) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. September 15, 2006. No. 12, Book Two: Earth
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Avatar State". Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, John O'Bryan (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. March 17, 2006. No. 1, Book Two: Earth
  4. ↑ "Appa's Lost Days". Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. October 13, 2006. No. 16, Book Two: Earth
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "The Siege of the North, Part 2". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Dave Filoni (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 2, 2005. No. 20, Book One: Water
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Return to Omashu". Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (writer) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. April 7, 2006. No. 3, Book Two: Earth
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Avatar Day". John O'Bryan (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. April 28, 2006. No. 5, Book Two: Earth
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Art of the Animated Series, Spotlight: The Calligraphy of S. L. Lee.
  9. ↑ Avatar Extras for "Tales of Ba Sing Se" on Nicktoons Network.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "The Cave of Two Lovers". Joshua Hamilton (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. March 24, 2006. No. 2, Book Two: Earth
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "City of Walls and Secrets". Tim Hedrick (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. September 22, 2006. No. 14, Book Two: Earth
  12. ↑ Avatar Extras for "City of Walls and Secrets" on Nicktoons Network.
  13. ↑ "The Ember Island Players". Tim Hedrick, Josh Hamilton, John O'Bryan (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. July 18, 2008. No. 17, Book Three: Fire
  14. ↑ Avatar Extras for "The Ember Island Players" on Nicktoons Network.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 "The Blind Bandit". Michael Dante DiMartino (writer) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. May 5, 2006. No. 6, Book Two: Earth
  16. ↑ Avatar Extras for "The Awakening" on Nicktoons Network.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 Gene Yang (w), Gurihiru (a). The Promise Part 1 (Jan 25, 2012), Dark Horse Comics
  18. ↑ Avatar Extras for "The Beach" on Nicktoons Network.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "The Deserter". Tim Hedrick (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. October 21, 2005. No. 16, Book One: Water
  20. ↑ Avatar Extras for "The Boiling Rock, Part 1" on Nicktoons Network.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Gene Yang (w), Gurihiru (a). The Search Part 1 (March 20, 2013), Dark Horse Comics
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "The Blue Spirit". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Dave Filoni (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. June 17, 2005. No. 13, Book One: Water
  23. ↑ Avatar Extras for "The Firebending Masters" on Nicktoons Network.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "The Avatar and the Fire Lord". Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (writer) & Ethan Spaulding (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. October 26, 2007. No. 6, Book Three: Fire
  25. ↑ "Winter Solstice, Part 1: The Spirit World". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Lauren MacMullan (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. April 8, 2005. No. 7, Book One: Water
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "The Library". John O'Bryan (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. July 14, 2006. No. 10, Book Two: Earth
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "The Revelation". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Joaquim Dos Santos, Ki Hyun Ryu (directors). The Legend of Korra. Nickelodeon. April 21, 2012. No. 3, Book One: Air
  28. ↑ Jethro Nededog (April 13, 2012). "Legend of Korra" Creators: Five Things You Didn't Know About the New Avatar. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on April 13, 2012.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "The Voice in the Night". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Joaquim Dos Santos, Ki Hyun Ryu (directors). The Legend of Korra. Nickelodeon. April 28, 2012. No. 4, Book One: Air
  30. ↑ "The Waterbending Scroll". John O'Bryan (writer) & Anthony Lioi (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. April 29, 2005. No. 9, Book One: Water
  31. ↑ "The Drill". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. September 15, 2006. No. 13, Book Two: Earth
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse". Aaron Ehasz (writer) & Joaquim Dos Santos (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. November 30, 2007. No. 11, Book Three: Fire
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "The Runaway". Joshua Hamilton (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. November 2, 2007. No. 7, Book Three: Fire
  34. ↑ Avatar Extras for "The Painted Lady" on Nicktoons Network.
  35. ↑ Audio commentary on "Lake Laogai"
  36. ↑ "The Swamp". Tim Hedrick (writer) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. April 14, 2006. No. 4, Book Two: Earth
  37. ↑ "The Guru". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Giancarlo Volpe (director). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. December 1, 2006. No. 19, Book Two: Earth
  38. ↑ "The Aftermath". Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (writers) & Joaquim Dos Santos, Ki Hyun Ryu (directors). The Legend of Korra. Nickelodeon. May 19, 2012. No. 7, Book One: Air

See also Edit

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