Post by Ookami on Jun 10, 2012 14:33:46 GMT -6
Avatar name meanings (Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Spirit) [wip?]
(FOUND THIS ON KATAANG FOREVER FORUMS)
over 160 names
edit: Decided to look up the rest of them. If you know of another meaning for a particular name in here, notice I've missed some names, and/or realize I have some meanings wrong, please tell me!
I did some research on the Air Nomad names, mainly because I plan on writing a fic with an airbender in it. I found that most of them were Tibetan, but after that I just decided to look up the individual meanings for all of the people in Avatar that were Air Nomads. There weren't too many, so I thought why not? Anyways, here you go: (contains a lot of foreign script, you may not be able to see it)
air nomads
Aang - Hindi, Thai, Chinese¹ (अंग, อ้าง, 安昂, body, to profess, peaceful rising)
Iio - Japanese (飯尾, finished meal, steamed rice fish tail²)
Jinju - Korean (진주, pearl)
Appa - Korean (아빠, father)
Momo - Japanese (桃, peach)
Gyatso - Tibetan (ན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, 嘉措, ocean)
Yangchen - Tibetan (དབྱངས་ཅན, 央金, the sacred one)
Tashi - Tibetan (བཀྲ་ཤིས་, 扎西, good fortune)
Pasang - Tibetan (པ་སངས, 巴桑, born on a Friday)
Tenzin - Tibetan (བསྟན་འཛི, 丹增, upholder of teachings)
Meelo - Hindi, Greek (मिलो, Μιλώ, a meeting, to speak)
Ikki - Japanese (一輝, 一騎, a single bright light, a single knight)
Jinora - Hindi, Thai³ (जनेरा, ชิโนร, Hindi type of corn [janera in some regions, jinora in others], shortened name of Buddhist writer, Jinorasa.)
Malu - Samoan (cool and pleasing breeze, a tattoo of cultural significance for females, shelter or protection)
Afiko - Hebrew (אֲפִיקוֹ, the bottom, a food eaten during Passover)
¹Also the nomadic Maasai word for "home" and "our", as well as the Aleut word for "hello" and "yes"
²I found a translation for this as "steamed rice fish tail"...But that just doesn't seem right, so I translated it as "finished meal". Since names aren't really my area of expertise (especially surnames, like this one), I included both just in case.
³Also a remote village in Pakistan, which I can not find any info on whatsoever, aside from the fact that it's in the Punjab region.
When I was looking up the Tibetan names, I also found the Chinese versions of them as well, so I included that in addition to the original Tibetan.
water tribe
Naga - Japanese, Hindi (永, 長, नाग, eternal, lengthy, name of Hindi god meaning "snake" or "elephant")
**Also Inuit (NO!) ((*I added this))
Katara - Greek, Hindi (κατάρα, कतार, curse, to cause harm by a supernatural power, qatar)
Korra - Greek, Australian (κόρρα, maiden, grass)
Nini - Chinese, Greek¹ (妮妮, νινή, little girl, baby)
Kya - Chinese, Greek² (家, Καγιά, home, pure)
Hama - Japanese, Greek (浜, αίμα, beach, blood)
Kanna - Japanese, Greek³ (神無, καννα, godless, rule)
Hakoda - Japanese (箱田, chest of rice)
Kinto - Japanese (筋斗, somersault, to flip)
Pakku - Japanese (魄, 泊, 朴, soul, overnight, crude/simple)
Sokka - Japanese (創価, to establish values)
Bato - Japanese, Chinese (波涛, 跋陀, a large wave, to travel rough terrain)
Tarlock - Irish (instigator or abettor; perhaps referencing his manipulative nature) *ALSO, Possibly from Tartok - Inuit (dark, without light) ((**Tarrlock added by myself))
Yakone – Inuit (red aurora or blood in the snow) ((*I added this one))
Sangok - Korean (상옥, prized jade)
Hahn - Korean, German⁴ (한, leader, rooster)
Yugoda - Russian (ягода, berry)
Arnook - Russian⁵ (Анук, favor)
Ummi - Arabic (امي, my mother)
Due - Vietnamese (Duệ, 睿, farsighted)
Huu - Vietnamese (Hữu, 友, friend)
Tho - Vietnamese (Thọ, 壽, long life)
Yue - Chinese (月, moon)
Kuruk - Native American/Pawnee (bear)
¹Inuit for "porcupine"
²Inuit for "stay and don't go back"
³Inuit for "downstream"
⁴Also the name of a lunar crater. (Kind of fitting, since he was engaged to Yue)
⁵Possibly derived from the Inuit word "nanuk" (which is commonly misspelled as "nanook"), meaning "polar bear"
Quite a lot of the Water Tribe names also have Greek origins. Seem to often use the “ckhu” K sound found in Inuit language
earth kingdom
Bolin - Chinese (勃麟, 波霖, 柏霖, quick unicorn, stormy rain, cedar rain)
Song - Korean, Thai, Chinese (송, สอง, 崧, to transmit, two, mountain)
Oh - Korean (오, to shout)
Bumi - Hindi (भूमि, earth)
Toph - Hebrew, Latin (תוף, drum, shortened form of the word "tophus", meaning stone)
Sela - Hebrew (סֶלַע, rock)
Ghashiun - Mongolian (гашуун, salt, part of the Gobi desert)
Yulduz - Turkish (yıldız, star)
Tyro - Greek (Τυρώ, cheese)
Tycho - Greek (Τυχω, hitting the mark)
Nyla - Greek (νιλα, disaster)
Than - Greek (Θάν, death, short for the word thanatos)
Oyaji - Japanese (爺, old man)
Suki - Japanese (好き, to like, love)
Kyoshi - Japanese (京士, samurai of the capital)
Haru - Japanese (春, spring)
Miyuki - Japanese (美雪, beautiful snow)
Koko - Japanese (虹子, rainbow child)
Moku - Japanese (木, 睦, tree, friendly)
Jojo - Japanese (城定, established castle)
Kenji - Japanese (謙二, modest second child)
Sensu - Japanese (扇子, folding fan)
Unagi - Japanese (鰻, eel)
Oma - Chinese (奥瑪, mysterious red gem)
Shu - Chinese (舒, to unfold)
Teo - Chinese (张, leaf, to spread out)
Jin - Chinese (金, gold)
Long Feng - Chinese (龍鳳, dragon and phoenix)
Xin Fu - Chinese (辛富, bitter tasting wealth)
Yu - Chinese (余, more than enough)
Wei Jin - Chinese (为金, to hold gold)
Jin Wei - Chinese (金为, gold handler)
Wu - Chinese (霧, mist)
Meng - Chinese (夢, to dream)
Kuei - Chinese (傀, puppet)
Zei - Chinese (賊, thief)
Joo Dee - Chinese (駐地, residence)
Pang - Chinese (龐, massive)
Pao - Chinese (包, package)
Pu on Tim - Chinese (浦安添, beach of increasing peace)
Sha Mo - Chinese (沙漠, desert)
Yi Ming - Chinese (貽明, to bring light)
Ying - Chinese, Thai (英, หญิง, flower, woman)
Yung - Chinese (运, transport)
Chin - Chinese (秦, first emperor of China)
Chong - Chinese (沖, to wash away)
Kua Mai - Chinese (姱美, fascinating beauty)
Dong - Chinese (侗, ignorant, rude)
Gansu - Chinese (甘肅, sweet reverence)
Lao - Chinese (老, old)
Lee - Chinese (李, plum)
Tong - Chinese (統, to govern)
Fong - Chinese (放, to liberate)
Quon - Chinese (焜, bright)
Zhang - Chinese (脏, filth)
Gan Jin - Chinese (干净, cleanliness)
Sud - French, Italian (French/Italian word for south)
Gow - Scottish (smith)
Jet - English (black gemstone, to move quickly)
Hope - English (a desire for a certain thing to happen)
Poppy - English (a type of flower)
Lily - English (a type of flower)
Star - English (fixed luminous point in the night sky)
June - English (sixth month of the year)
fire nation
Mako - Japanese (眞子, child of truth)
Ursa - Latin (bear)
Azulon - Spanish (azulón, deep blue, duck)
Azula - Spanish (azul, blue)
Zuko - Japanese, Spanish, Nguni¹ (頭光, 塗香, halo, rubbing incense, juice, harmony)
Sozin - Russian (Созина, an attack used in chess)
Ozai - Japanese, Hebrew, Isoko (大在, יזע, great suburbs, heat/sweat, Isoko word for "man")
Kuzon - Esperanto (Esperanto word for a male cousin)
Illah - Arabic (آلهة, deity)
Iroh - Korean (잃어, to lose something)
Kwan - Korean (관, library, school)
Yon Rha - Korean (연라, to consecutively disagree)
Mai - Japanese, Chinese (舞, 美, 袂, dark, beauty, a sleeve)
Roku - Japanese (六, six)
On Ji - Japanese (音字, syllabary)
Shoji - Japanese (翔二, soaring second son)
Shinu - Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew (死, 師奴, שינוי, to die, slave master, change)
Li - Chinese (理, logic, reason)
Lo - Chinese (邏, logic, to inspect)
Ham Ghao - Chinese (捍杲, to defend the sun)
Chit Sang - Chinese (撤上, to withdraw)
Ty Lee - Chinese (太力, great power)
Zhao - Chinese (嘲, to ridicule or mock)
Piandao - Chinese (片刀, slicing saber)
Ran - Chinese (燃, burn)
Shaw - Chinese (燒, burn)
Lu Ten - Chinese (路腾, path to gallop over)
Jeong Jeong - Chinese (琤琤, sparkling jade gems)
Chey - Chinese (濟, to help across)
Yeh Lu - Mongolian (урт, 耶律, long, an adviser of Genghis)
Mongke - Mongolian (Мөнх, eternal)
Ogodei - Mongolian (Өгэдэй, Genghis' third son)
Vachir - Mongolian (Очир, thunderbolt, archery)
Kahchi - Mongolian (Кеший, Tibetan Muslim minority of Mongolia)
Buijing - Chinese (背敬, to betray respect)
Shyu - Chinese (淑, kind)
Yao - Chinese (姚, handsome)
Ta Min - Chinese (他命, her destiny)
Jee - Chinese (知, knowledge)
Ming - Chinese (明, to understand)
Lin Yee - Chinese (遴易, to select easily)
Bushi - Chinese (不时, from time to time)
Xu - Chinese (滸, riverbank)
Chan - Chinese (陳, to explain)
Ding - Chinese (丁, robust)
Fat - Chinese (發, to dispatch)
Poon - Chinese (潘, water in which rice has been rinsed)
Mung - Chinese (蒙, to cover, to deceive)
Liang - Chinese (梁, a bridge)
Tom Tom - Chinese (譚譚, to talk)
Agni - Hindi (अग्नि, fire)
¹Also the name of a Bosnian writer/painter.
Since there are just so many characters from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation that are only mentioned once, for many of those I went with mostly Chinese and Japanese meanings.
spirits
Tui - Chinese (推, push)
La - Chinese (拉, pull)
Hei Bai - Chinese (黑白, black and white)
Wan Shi Tong - Chinese (萬事通, he who knows 10,000 things)
Enma - Japanese (猿魔, monkey demon)
Koh - Chinese, Thai, Persian (口, เกาะ, كوه, mouth, entrance/gate, to take something, mountain)
Fang - Chinese¹ (防, to protect)
¹Also the English word, fang, meaning tooth.
unknown nation (korra characters)
Hiroshi Sato - Japanese (寛 佐藤, generously help wisteria)
Asami - Japanese (朝美, morning beauty)
Pema - Tibetan (པད་མ་, 贝玛, lotus)
Amon - Greek, Egyptian (Ἀμών, builder, name of an Egyptian god meaning "hidden")
Pabu - Korean, Tibetan (바보, ཕ་བ་, silly/stupid, ball of fur)
Lieutenant - English (a commissioned military officer)
(FOUND THIS ON KATAANG FOREVER FORUMS)
over 160 names
edit: Decided to look up the rest of them. If you know of another meaning for a particular name in here, notice I've missed some names, and/or realize I have some meanings wrong, please tell me!
I did some research on the Air Nomad names, mainly because I plan on writing a fic with an airbender in it. I found that most of them were Tibetan, but after that I just decided to look up the individual meanings for all of the people in Avatar that were Air Nomads. There weren't too many, so I thought why not? Anyways, here you go: (contains a lot of foreign script, you may not be able to see it)
air nomads
Aang - Hindi, Thai, Chinese¹ (अंग, อ้าง, 安昂, body, to profess, peaceful rising)
Iio - Japanese (飯尾, finished meal, steamed rice fish tail²)
Jinju - Korean (진주, pearl)
Appa - Korean (아빠, father)
Momo - Japanese (桃, peach)
Gyatso - Tibetan (ན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, 嘉措, ocean)
Yangchen - Tibetan (དབྱངས་ཅན, 央金, the sacred one)
Tashi - Tibetan (བཀྲ་ཤིས་, 扎西, good fortune)
Pasang - Tibetan (པ་སངས, 巴桑, born on a Friday)
Tenzin - Tibetan (བསྟན་འཛི, 丹增, upholder of teachings)
Meelo - Hindi, Greek (मिलो, Μιλώ, a meeting, to speak)
Ikki - Japanese (一輝, 一騎, a single bright light, a single knight)
Jinora - Hindi, Thai³ (जनेरा, ชิโนร, Hindi type of corn [janera in some regions, jinora in others], shortened name of Buddhist writer, Jinorasa.)
Malu - Samoan (cool and pleasing breeze, a tattoo of cultural significance for females, shelter or protection)
Afiko - Hebrew (אֲפִיקוֹ, the bottom, a food eaten during Passover)
¹Also the nomadic Maasai word for "home" and "our", as well as the Aleut word for "hello" and "yes"
²I found a translation for this as "steamed rice fish tail"...But that just doesn't seem right, so I translated it as "finished meal". Since names aren't really my area of expertise (especially surnames, like this one), I included both just in case.
³Also a remote village in Pakistan, which I can not find any info on whatsoever, aside from the fact that it's in the Punjab region.
When I was looking up the Tibetan names, I also found the Chinese versions of them as well, so I included that in addition to the original Tibetan.
water tribe
Naga - Japanese, Hindi (永, 長, नाग, eternal, lengthy, name of Hindi god meaning "snake" or "elephant")
**Also Inuit (NO!) ((*I added this))
Katara - Greek, Hindi (κατάρα, कतार, curse, to cause harm by a supernatural power, qatar)
Korra - Greek, Australian (κόρρα, maiden, grass)
Nini - Chinese, Greek¹ (妮妮, νινή, little girl, baby)
Kya - Chinese, Greek² (家, Καγιά, home, pure)
Hama - Japanese, Greek (浜, αίμα, beach, blood)
Kanna - Japanese, Greek³ (神無, καννα, godless, rule)
Hakoda - Japanese (箱田, chest of rice)
Kinto - Japanese (筋斗, somersault, to flip)
Pakku - Japanese (魄, 泊, 朴, soul, overnight, crude/simple)
Sokka - Japanese (創価, to establish values)
Bato - Japanese, Chinese (波涛, 跋陀, a large wave, to travel rough terrain)
Tarlock - Irish (instigator or abettor; perhaps referencing his manipulative nature) *ALSO, Possibly from Tartok - Inuit (dark, without light) ((**Tarrlock added by myself))
Yakone – Inuit (red aurora or blood in the snow) ((*I added this one))
Sangok - Korean (상옥, prized jade)
Hahn - Korean, German⁴ (한, leader, rooster)
Yugoda - Russian (ягода, berry)
Arnook - Russian⁵ (Анук, favor)
Ummi - Arabic (امي, my mother)
Due - Vietnamese (Duệ, 睿, farsighted)
Huu - Vietnamese (Hữu, 友, friend)
Tho - Vietnamese (Thọ, 壽, long life)
Yue - Chinese (月, moon)
Kuruk - Native American/Pawnee (bear)
¹Inuit for "porcupine"
²Inuit for "stay and don't go back"
³Inuit for "downstream"
⁴Also the name of a lunar crater. (Kind of fitting, since he was engaged to Yue)
⁵Possibly derived from the Inuit word "nanuk" (which is commonly misspelled as "nanook"), meaning "polar bear"
Quite a lot of the Water Tribe names also have Greek origins. Seem to often use the “ckhu” K sound found in Inuit language
earth kingdom
Bolin - Chinese (勃麟, 波霖, 柏霖, quick unicorn, stormy rain, cedar rain)
Song - Korean, Thai, Chinese (송, สอง, 崧, to transmit, two, mountain)
Oh - Korean (오, to shout)
Bumi - Hindi (भूमि, earth)
Toph - Hebrew, Latin (תוף, drum, shortened form of the word "tophus", meaning stone)
Sela - Hebrew (סֶלַע, rock)
Ghashiun - Mongolian (гашуун, salt, part of the Gobi desert)
Yulduz - Turkish (yıldız, star)
Tyro - Greek (Τυρώ, cheese)
Tycho - Greek (Τυχω, hitting the mark)
Nyla - Greek (νιλα, disaster)
Than - Greek (Θάν, death, short for the word thanatos)
Oyaji - Japanese (爺, old man)
Suki - Japanese (好き, to like, love)
Kyoshi - Japanese (京士, samurai of the capital)
Haru - Japanese (春, spring)
Miyuki - Japanese (美雪, beautiful snow)
Koko - Japanese (虹子, rainbow child)
Moku - Japanese (木, 睦, tree, friendly)
Jojo - Japanese (城定, established castle)
Kenji - Japanese (謙二, modest second child)
Sensu - Japanese (扇子, folding fan)
Unagi - Japanese (鰻, eel)
Oma - Chinese (奥瑪, mysterious red gem)
Shu - Chinese (舒, to unfold)
Teo - Chinese (张, leaf, to spread out)
Jin - Chinese (金, gold)
Long Feng - Chinese (龍鳳, dragon and phoenix)
Xin Fu - Chinese (辛富, bitter tasting wealth)
Yu - Chinese (余, more than enough)
Wei Jin - Chinese (为金, to hold gold)
Jin Wei - Chinese (金为, gold handler)
Wu - Chinese (霧, mist)
Meng - Chinese (夢, to dream)
Kuei - Chinese (傀, puppet)
Zei - Chinese (賊, thief)
Joo Dee - Chinese (駐地, residence)
Pang - Chinese (龐, massive)
Pao - Chinese (包, package)
Pu on Tim - Chinese (浦安添, beach of increasing peace)
Sha Mo - Chinese (沙漠, desert)
Yi Ming - Chinese (貽明, to bring light)
Ying - Chinese, Thai (英, หญิง, flower, woman)
Yung - Chinese (运, transport)
Chin - Chinese (秦, first emperor of China)
Chong - Chinese (沖, to wash away)
Kua Mai - Chinese (姱美, fascinating beauty)
Dong - Chinese (侗, ignorant, rude)
Gansu - Chinese (甘肅, sweet reverence)
Lao - Chinese (老, old)
Lee - Chinese (李, plum)
Tong - Chinese (統, to govern)
Fong - Chinese (放, to liberate)
Quon - Chinese (焜, bright)
Zhang - Chinese (脏, filth)
Gan Jin - Chinese (干净, cleanliness)
Sud - French, Italian (French/Italian word for south)
Gow - Scottish (smith)
Jet - English (black gemstone, to move quickly)
Hope - English (a desire for a certain thing to happen)
Poppy - English (a type of flower)
Lily - English (a type of flower)
Star - English (fixed luminous point in the night sky)
June - English (sixth month of the year)
fire nation
Mako - Japanese (眞子, child of truth)
Ursa - Latin (bear)
Azulon - Spanish (azulón, deep blue, duck)
Azula - Spanish (azul, blue)
Zuko - Japanese, Spanish, Nguni¹ (頭光, 塗香, halo, rubbing incense, juice, harmony)
Sozin - Russian (Созина, an attack used in chess)
Ozai - Japanese, Hebrew, Isoko (大在, יזע, great suburbs, heat/sweat, Isoko word for "man")
Kuzon - Esperanto (Esperanto word for a male cousin)
Illah - Arabic (آلهة, deity)
Iroh - Korean (잃어, to lose something)
Kwan - Korean (관, library, school)
Yon Rha - Korean (연라, to consecutively disagree)
Mai - Japanese, Chinese (舞, 美, 袂, dark, beauty, a sleeve)
Roku - Japanese (六, six)
On Ji - Japanese (音字, syllabary)
Shoji - Japanese (翔二, soaring second son)
Shinu - Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew (死, 師奴, שינוי, to die, slave master, change)
Li - Chinese (理, logic, reason)
Lo - Chinese (邏, logic, to inspect)
Ham Ghao - Chinese (捍杲, to defend the sun)
Chit Sang - Chinese (撤上, to withdraw)
Ty Lee - Chinese (太力, great power)
Zhao - Chinese (嘲, to ridicule or mock)
Piandao - Chinese (片刀, slicing saber)
Ran - Chinese (燃, burn)
Shaw - Chinese (燒, burn)
Lu Ten - Chinese (路腾, path to gallop over)
Jeong Jeong - Chinese (琤琤, sparkling jade gems)
Chey - Chinese (濟, to help across)
Yeh Lu - Mongolian (урт, 耶律, long, an adviser of Genghis)
Mongke - Mongolian (Мөнх, eternal)
Ogodei - Mongolian (Өгэдэй, Genghis' third son)
Vachir - Mongolian (Очир, thunderbolt, archery)
Kahchi - Mongolian (Кеший, Tibetan Muslim minority of Mongolia)
Buijing - Chinese (背敬, to betray respect)
Shyu - Chinese (淑, kind)
Yao - Chinese (姚, handsome)
Ta Min - Chinese (他命, her destiny)
Jee - Chinese (知, knowledge)
Ming - Chinese (明, to understand)
Lin Yee - Chinese (遴易, to select easily)
Bushi - Chinese (不时, from time to time)
Xu - Chinese (滸, riverbank)
Chan - Chinese (陳, to explain)
Ding - Chinese (丁, robust)
Fat - Chinese (發, to dispatch)
Poon - Chinese (潘, water in which rice has been rinsed)
Mung - Chinese (蒙, to cover, to deceive)
Liang - Chinese (梁, a bridge)
Tom Tom - Chinese (譚譚, to talk)
Agni - Hindi (अग्नि, fire)
¹Also the name of a Bosnian writer/painter.
Since there are just so many characters from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation that are only mentioned once, for many of those I went with mostly Chinese and Japanese meanings.
spirits
Tui - Chinese (推, push)
La - Chinese (拉, pull)
Hei Bai - Chinese (黑白, black and white)
Wan Shi Tong - Chinese (萬事通, he who knows 10,000 things)
Enma - Japanese (猿魔, monkey demon)
Koh - Chinese, Thai, Persian (口, เกาะ, كوه, mouth, entrance/gate, to take something, mountain)
Fang - Chinese¹ (防, to protect)
¹Also the English word, fang, meaning tooth.
unknown nation (korra characters)
Hiroshi Sato - Japanese (寛 佐藤, generously help wisteria)
Asami - Japanese (朝美, morning beauty)
Pema - Tibetan (པད་མ་, 贝玛, lotus)
Amon - Greek, Egyptian (Ἀμών, builder, name of an Egyptian god meaning "hidden")
Pabu - Korean, Tibetan (바보, ཕ་བ་, silly/stupid, ball of fur)
Lieutenant - English (a commissioned military officer)
