Sailormoon Terms and Information
Character Names and Their Meanings
Powers, Zodiac, and Blood Type
Some Sailormoon words and Terms
Some other words
Suffixes on names
Some Stuff on Writing and Language
|
Japanese Name |
Meaning of Name |
North American Name |
| Tsukino Usagi |
Rabbit on the Moon |
Serena |
| Mizuno Ami |
Friend of Water |
Amy Anderson |
| Hino Rei |
Spirit/Beauty of Fire |
Raye Hino |
| Kino Makoto |
Sincerety of Wood |
Lita |
| Aino Minako |
Beautiful Child of Love |
Mina |
| Chiba Mamoru |
Defender of Earth |
Darien |
| Tenoh Haruka |
Distant Sky/Heaven Ruler |
Amara Tenoh (Corrine) |
| Kaioh Michiru |
Full/mature/to rise Sea Ruler |
Michelle Kaioh (Nerissa) |
| Meioh Setsuna |
Instant/Moment Dark Ruler |
Trista Meioh (Celia) |
| Tomoe Hotaru |
Earth Sprouting Firefly |
Hotaru Tomoe |
| Chibi-usa |
Little Rabbit |
Small Lady (Rini) |
The names of the senshi are all puns. For example, from Usagi's name, you
can understand the gags and jokes about her love for rabbits everywhere,
see the resemblence of her hair style to rabbit ears, and appreciate how
she hates carrots.
The exact meaning of Ami's name is uncertain. Some people say that Takeuchi
used "ami" as borrowed from the French word. "Ami" has been adopted into
Japanese, but since it originates from France, it is written in katakana,
not kanji. However, "friend of water" fits the pun better than most
attempted translations of "Ami". Many people translating it literally use
"Beautiful Asia" (the kanji for 'a' meaning 'Asian', and the kanji for
'mi' means beautiful) or "Second Beauty" (since the kanji for 'a' also is
used in 'second').
Most of the enemy names originate from minerals. In the manga, the four
generals even turn into stones when they die, which Mamoru uses to call
upon them when he needs advice. Probably the most obvious example of this
is in the second arc of "Sailormoon R"- Rubeus comes from ruby, Esmeraude
from elemerald, Safiru from sapphire, and Dimando from diamonds. The
Animamates have direct metal references in their names- iron, aluminum,
lead, and tin.
Ail and Ann's names do not come from minerals. Their names form a pun,
since when you put them together, you 'alien' more or less.
Neherenia's name's origin can be either seen coming from the mineral
nephrite or from a mythological goddess.
For senshi names in other languages, you can go to the
SM World Page.
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In Asian mythology, there are five elements, which are different from the
European ones. The four European ones are wind, fire, water, and earth.
The five elements in Asia are fire, water, wood, metal, and earth.
The powers of the Senshi relate to the kanji of the
names of the planets. The Sailor Team's kanji are based on the five
Asian elements. The kanji for Mercury means 'Water Star', 'Fire Star'
for Mars, 'Wood Star' for Jupiter, and 'Metal Star' for Venus. Mercury's
powers are obviously related to water, and Mars' are to fire. Jupiter
has lightning/thunder attacks, but "Jupiter Oak Evolution" and some of her
manga attacks reflect the influence of wood and plants. As for Venus,
the majority of her powers are related to the role of the Roman goddess
Venus, who was in charge of beauty and love, though a few attacks involve
metal.
Next come the Outer Senshi. Uranus's kanji are 'Sky King Star,' Neptune
means 'Ocean King Star,' Pluto is 'Dead King Star,' and Saturn is 'Earth
(soil) Star.' Neptune's powers obviously relate to the ocean, and she
is the soldier of the abyss. While Pluto is the guardian of time and
represents transformation in mythology, the death aspect of her kanji can
be seen in "Dead Scream" (though this does not cause automatic death nor
do her other powers relate in any way to death). Uranus is the senshi of
flight and represents the sky. Although her "World Shaking" tends to
confuse people, it can be seen as relating to the heavens; later attacks
such as "Space Sword Blaster" and "Space Turbulence" do show her relation
more explicitly. Saturn's kanji means "earth" or "soil." In pagan
religions, earth relates to death and silence; I'm not sure if this is
what Takeuchi-san had in mind, but I guess anything is possible.
The kanji for Sailormoon is simply 'moon,' which isn't an element (in the
senses used above anyway). She represents purity, and her attacks vary
from using heavenly bodies (moon, stars) to love to kalideoscopes, but
her strongest power is the ability to purify people.
The Zodiac signs of the senshi are also astrologically correct. For
instance, Haruka is an Aquarius (birthday: January 27), and the guardian
planet for Aquarians is Uranus. Mamoru is born in August, a Leo, and
the guardian planet is the star, the sun. This corresponds to Elios's
position as Mamoru's guardian and protector of Elusion.
Blood type is important in Japan as well. Beliefs on personality relate
to the type of blood possessed, which is why a lot of anime/manga, when
listing statistics, also have the blood types. Thanks to
Julie for this information.
| A |
Nervous, Intorverted,
Honest, Loyal |
| B |
Outgoing, Optomistic,
Adventurous |
| AB |
Proud, diplomatic,
Discriminating |
| O |
Workaholic, Insecure,
Emotional |
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The following are names of objects/people in "Sailormoon" or Japanese words
commonly used in relation to the story.
Animamates: The
enemies in the second arc of SailorStars.
Black Moon Family:
Villains from second arc of R.
cardian: The monsters from the tarot cards used in the first
arc of R by the aliens.
daimon: The monsters from S that come from the daimon egg that
Tomoe creates. They either attack the senshi or capture
pure heart crystals.
Dark Kingdom: The
enemies from the first season, led by Queen Metallia and Queen Beryl.
Dead Moon Circus:
The enemies from SuperS.
Death Busters:
Enemies from S.
ginzuishou: Translates to 'mystical silver crystal.' This is
the item that Sailormoon posesses, as well as Chibi-usa at certain points.
If Sailormoon uses its full potential, it will shatter and she will die,
as did her mother, Queen Serenity.
golden crystal: What the Dead Moon Circus is after. Elios,
the Pegasus, has it as his horn.
heart crystal: The pure heart crystals are what the Death Busters
are after. Only pure-hearted people have them, and incased in three of
them are the Talismans.
henshin: Translates roughly to 'transform.' The pens that the
girls use to transform are often called 'henshin sticks' (as well as
'henshin pens' and 'henshin wands'). The Senshi also tell each other,
"Minna, henshin yo", which means, "Everyone, transform."
Holy Grail: The term used is "seihai." Another name used for
this is "Sacred Cup." The Holy Grail is the purest form of a heart
crystal, created from many emotions such as anger, love, sadness, etc.
It is formed when the three Talismans are brought together.
Inner Senshi: A fan term to refer to the original five Sailor
Senshi (plus Chibimoon). As far as I can tell, this is never used in
the actual anime or the manga; it was created to differentiate between
the original senshi and the Sailor Senshi of the Outer Planetary System,
or the "Outer Senshi." The five original Sailor Senshi call themselves
the "Sailor Team." Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars are also called
the "Four Guardians" (of Princess Serenity).
lemure: The monsters of SuperS.
Messiah: The only person who can use the Holy Grail. There are
two Messiah- the Messiah who will save the world and the Messiah of Silence
who will destroy it. The true Messiah can use the Holy Grail's unlimited
power.
nijizuishou: Translates to 'rainbow crystal.' In "Sailormoon,"
there are 7 that the Dark Kingdom is after. When together, they form the
ginzuishou.
odango atama: Translates to 'dumpling head.' Odango means
'dumpling' and atama means 'head.' This is the name that Mamoru gives
Usagi after their first encounter. Later, Haruka and Seiya both call
her that.
Outer Senshi: A mostly fan invented term used to refer to
Sailoruranus, Sailorneptune, Sailorpluto, and Sailorsaturn. This is
shorter and much easier phrase to use than "Sailor Senshi of the Outer
Planetary System" which is more or less the official name for the senshi.
senshi: Translates to 'warriors' or 'soldiers.' Senshi is both
the plural and singular form of the word. Soldiers is more often used for
senshi, as the official name in English of the anime is "Pretty Soldier
Sailormoon."
star seed: The objects that the Animamates are looking for.
Talismans: The three special objects in S that, when brought
together, form the Holy Grail. The three Talismans are the Deep Aqua Mirror,
the Space Sword, and the Garnet Orb, respectively in the order of which
they were discovered.
youma: The monsters of the first season of Sailormoon.
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Some Japanese words used in Sailormoon, or related to Sailormoon, in some
form. These are very basic.
ai: love
anime: Term commonly associated with Japanese animation. There
is a connotative difference between "anime" and the term "cartoons," even
though anime itself does refer to Japanese cartoons.
ara: oh (one of Michiru's pet phrases)
arigato: thank you
baka: stupid, idiot
bishoujo: pretty girl
bishonen: pretty boy, referring to very feminine males (like
the Three Lights)
chibi: little, short
daijobu: I'm fine
doujinshi: Parodies of an anime or manga. Most people associate
doujinshi with ecchi/hentai, though that is not what all doujinshi are like.
(That's like saying all anime is porn which is not true.) Most creators
do not sue people who create doujinshi since many artists start off in this
field. Some famous Sailormoon doujinshi series would be "Lunatic Party" and
"Moon Fight."
ecchi: pervert- connotation is that one is slightly perverted and
not as bad as "hentai"
gomen (nasai): sorry
hai: yes; right
hentai: This is actually the same as ecchi, but its connotation
is very graphic X-stuff with highly explicit sex
honto ni: really
kakkoii: "handsome (it is generally used for a man)" -
Sanahine Roger
kawaii: cute
konnichi wa: good afternoon
konban wa: good evening
kowai: I'm scared
kurai: dark
manga: Japanese comics: many anime come from the original manga
version.
minna: everyone
nani: what
ne: similar to 'eh' in English
neko: cat. Haruka calls Usagi 'Koneko-chan.' [Koneko is kitten]
moshi moshi: hello (used more often for phone calls)
ohayo: good morning
otaku: It is used generally, today, as a term for someone who has
a great deal of knowledge about something, often anime. In Japan, it's an
insult.
shimatta: "used in order to say that something happened and that
we can't do anything to change it, you can translate it by "too late", "I
can't do anything"....but "too late" is good. it depends on the situation."
- Sanahine Roger
shoujo: Describes things for younger girls. Sailormoon is shoujo,
though many of its fans are older than 8 and are both male and female.
shounen: Describes things for boys, in contrast with shoujo.
Dragonball Z would be an example of a "shounen" anime.
Anime and manga series like using English phrases such as "Ok" and "Hi" and
things like that. Mamoru says, "Thank you" quite a bit, and Haruka in one
SMS episode said, "The show is over" in really bad English. The senshi use
English for their attacks, transformation words, and parts of songs.
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In Japan, suffixes are added on to names to indicate respect, for affection,
etc. A lack of a suffix indicates that you are extremely close to the
person you are refering to. This explains why Rei calls Usagi 'Usagi'
(without the -chan), and why Minako and Usagi spazzed when they heard Haruka
call Michiru 'Michiru.' (They were wondering if Haruka and Michiru's
relationship was that close that they could call each other by their given
names without suffixes.)
-chan: -chan is used for younger children. It is also used for
affection, closeness, or endearment. For instance, the Inner Senshi call
each other 'Usagi-chan,' 'Rei-chan,' 'Ami-chan,' etc. The Outer Senshi
are older than the Inner Senshi, and therefore they call them using the
-chan suffix as well. However, as stated, -chan is for endearment as well,
so Usagi and Chibi-usa call Mamoru 'Mamo-chan.'
-ko: A common suffix added as a real part of a girl's name.
-kun: Generally used for boys, though it's becoming more used for
girls as well. For those you aren't extremely familiar with, but are younger
than you or the same age. For example, the Inner Senshi call Seiya 'Seiya-kun'
and Yaten 'Yaten-kun.'
-sama: For formal, or a great deal of, respect. It can equivilate
to about Mr. or Ms., used in place if -kun sometimes. It is also used when
calling someone a king or queen or other royalty. (Diana calls Usagi and
Mamoru by -sama because they will be the future rulers of Crystal Tokyo.)
-san: For respect. Usually you can call anyone who is older than
yourself using this suffix, or whomever you are not close with. Using last
names + the -san is typical. (Taiki calls Usagi 'Tsukino-san') The Inner
Senshi address Haruka as 'Haruka-san,' Michiru as 'Michiru-san,' and Setsuna
as 'Setsuna-san.' Hotaru calls Usagi 'Usagi-san.' From Jamie Thompson: "I know it is not
uncommon for married couples refer to one another as "name + san", (and I
don't mean "Okaasan" and "Otousan") so it's not limited to people older than
yourself or people you don't know well."
-tachi: When you talk about a group of people. For instance,
saying 'Haruka-tachi' means 'Haruka and everyone with her' or 'Haruka
and all those other people she's with.' That, by the way, usually means
Haruka and Michiru, for the most part.
There are more suffixes, but some of these are the more common ones.
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The Japanese have three forms of writing: hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Kanji is the writing based on Chinese characters. It's the
"real" form of writing. Most of the writing is written in a combination of
kanji and hiragana. Katakana is generally used for words that are borrowed from
other languages other than Chinese, or for some sort of emphasis. Hiragana are
for functional words or inflectional endings; however, hiragana can also be
written in place of the more difficult kanji. (If you happen to read shoujo
manga, you will notice tiny little characters next to the kanji; this is
hiragana, called furigana.)
A running gag on Sailormoon is the fact that Usagi still does not use kanji,
which by her grade she should use. Most younger children do not learn kanji
first; they learn to use hiragana and katakana, then learn to write frequently
in kanji. The same is true for foreigners learning to write Japanese.
There is no distinguishing between the two letters 'r' and 'l.' They are said
as either r or l, or together, even though the 'l' technically does not exist.
Some people have said that "Rei" sounds like "Lei," and Michiru pronounces
"Haruka" like "Harluka."
Family names are said first in Japanese (as well as Chinese and other Asian
languages), and the individual names second. It's more correct to call
Usagi "Tsukino Usagi" rather than "Usagi Tsukino," though Takeuchi-san
herself writes "Usagi Tsukino" in the manga. Generally it doesn't matter,
unless you're in the library looking up someone who's Asian.
From Sanahine Roger about
the "ou":
"I would like to say you that I see the same mistakes everywhere on
sailor moon sites...it is about the "ou". In japanese, when the "o"
is pronounced "oo" (a long "o" if I can explain clearly) you write
an "u" after this "o", when it is written in japanese you understand
how you must pronounce, but when it is written with our caracters,
you must show that it is a long "o", because if you write (for
example) "bishoujo" people will read "bi-sho-u-jo" and it is not
right, all my japanese friends have told me that too... so you should
write: "bishôjo" (if you listen at Usagi's voice in japanese when
she says this word, you will hear clearly a long "o" and not "ou") I
hope that I have been clear, I am sorry it is not easy to explain,
but I can swear you that all the words in japanese which we must
pronounce with a long "o" must not be written with an "u" after the
"o", but with a little "^" on the "o" to show that this is a long
"o" :)"
With regards to the last names of Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna... Haruka's
family name, Tenoh, can be spelled as either "Tenoh" or "Tenou" or "Ten'ou."
The 'oh' and the 'ou' sound sound the same, so the spellings of any of the
above are correct; contrary to what people say, there is no best way to
spell these names. Michiru's family name can be written as Kaioh or Kaiou,
and Setsuna's is romanized as Meioh or Meiou. On most anime SM stuff,
Tenou, Kaiou, and Meiou are used, though it shows Michiru's last name as
Kaioh and Haruka's as Tenoh in the anime. In the manga, Takeuchi uses
the "-oh" spellings.
As Andrew Huang explains, "Ten'ou"
is actually the proper way to romanize Haruka's family name in place of
Tenou. This is because the separation of the n and the o is needed in order
to not confuse the meaning of the name for another. (It's romanized Te N O
U. The ' is in there so that you don't think there is a 'no' in there, which
changes the meaning of the word.) But for some reason or another, the anime
merchandise refuses to adhere to this rule. (Kaiou and Meiou do not have
the apostrophe since they don't need to clearly separate the n and the o.)
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