Etsuko

My sil is also a -ko but something about Etsuko is especially old-fashioned to me more so than Emiko.

The top 10 Japanese girls names last year were:

1. Yuina
2. Hina
3. Aoi
4. Yua
5. Yui
6. Rin
7. Airi
8. Koharu
9. Airi (different characters)

Really different! I don't think a lot of them are typically Japanese from a Western perspective.

My husband wanted Rin actually but I didn't like it so much. Some cute Japanese names that multicultural friends have used are Sumire, Hana, Maya, Ema, Kaira. Really pretty but it seems like the OP prefers something traditional.

Anyway, sorry for going off topic OP. They are your names so go with what makes you happy. I do think you will have to get used to people asking if you have a Japanese connection though. I bet you will get asked it A LOT!

I like Emiko, I think if you are in the UK, Etsuko will probably get mispronounced. However, if you like it go for it because generally once people know how a name is said, they get it right especially in school etc. I happen to be friends with a Japanese lady (who lives in japan) whose name ends in -ko and she is in her 30's.

I think OP was rude and Koala was unfairly jumped on.

The question was very vague and I think that the answer depends on whether the child is 100% Japanese, where they live and what sort of school they go to (English or Japanese speaking).

As a Japanese speaker I also wondered if you and your child were Japanese as Etsuko is old fashioned and the Japanese babies I know have names which aren't -ko names.

Emiko is nicer than Etsuko in my opinion. The nicknames like Emi would be easier for English speaking people to pronounce.

Poor Koala. My question would have been 'will the child have Japanese heritage?' too. Just as I'd ask someone who was choosing between Fabrizio or Vittorio if they had Italian heritage. I thought the OP's response read as being a bit snippy but maybe I'm projecting a tone onto it.

As far as the names are concerned I prefer Emiko.

Also at sunshine.

Only on mumsnet can someone turn a board clearly just about baby names into a cultural and racial squabble.

Koala clearly didn't mean that. Only a complete moron would read it as anything else.

Stop being so over sensitive.

Completely agree koala.

I saw ops reply to you and thought wtf

Blatantly fucking rude and has a stick up ones ass.

Oh and no point in giving my opinion on name as you clearly don't care what other peoples opinions are.

I don't think anyone has been either rude or aggressive - it's very difficult to judge tone on these forums sometimes. There was a reasonable question asked, and a reasonable answer given IMHO.

If the OP only wants answers that stick to her parameters, she needs to write a more informative first post than 'A or B?'

I refuse to accept that I was the one being rude or aggressive when her reply to my question was 'Yes, but that is immaterial. I would like others opinions on the names themselves, not whether we qualify to use them in the first place, ta.'

She very obviously thought I was going to say 'Ooh, you can't use Japanese names if you're not Japanese'. I wasn't, as I don't subscribe to that view, as it happens.

And I know quite a bit about cross-cultural considerations when naming half-Japanese children, so I was interested in engaging with the OP. Jeez, if I'd only known.

I know what Koala is trying to say - but surely the OP has a Japanese connection otherwise it'd be a very odd choice of names in the first place. I'd just assume that it's a given that either the OP or her DP are Japanese.
Pronunciation-wise, and I studied Japanese for like, one term so hope this is right! the Japanese language expresses each syllable of a word with the same emphasis, and the syllables are determined by the symbols of their 'alphabet'. So the name Etsuko, is pronounced e-tsu-ko ('e' as in 'yet', 'tsu' as in 'tsunami', 'ko' as in 'cough') with no stress placed on any syllable. The English attempt would almost certainly be et-SU-ko ('et' as in yet, 'su' as in Susan, 'ko' as in 'cope'). It's a subtle difference, but would be frustrating I'm sure.

Emiko is much nicer. Etsuko sounds more masculine.
But the 'o' I think will be pronounced how the letter O is said in English so as long as you don't mind that.

The Irish welsh thing is different though because any bod walking down the uk high street could have Irish heritage. Etsuko begs a lot more questioning imo. Not 'interrogation' questioning but it's just bound to lead to questions and it'd be naive not to expect that if you weren't Japanese.

they sound very harsh to my ear, but I am not Japanese and I've never been there and I don't know a single Japanese person tbh. But that aside, very harsh, both of them.

Emiko sounds nicer than Etsuko to me.

Gosh, I have to admit my initial reaction was the same as koala's - wondering if the OP had Japanese connections. I think it's a fair enough response, and Etsuko on a child with no connection to Japan would strike me as odd (speaking as an anglophone mother of half Japanese DC).

koala none of the name examples I gave are welsh or Irish. They are traditionally non-caucasion names - are they acceptable in your rule book? And to keep on point. I actually responded to your posts not just because they were judgemental but because you were unnecessarily aggressive and accused the OP of being rude when she simply tried to clarify that she was looking for opinions on the sound of the names, not judgements on whether they are suitable or not. However you've clearly expressed that you don't believe in you're derailing the thread, or being judgemental or rude, and it's not my job to educate you, so I'm going to bow out and hope the OP can get her thread back on track, despite your efforts.

Koala

I wasn't comparing it to what you were saying, as I think you made a valid point.

It just reminded me that some people (not you) on this board are very averse to names not of English culture. It does happen all the time as I described.

Sunshine, I am not judging whether she's 'allowed' to use them.

I'm judging whether I think they'd sound good on her child.

Isn't that the point of the forum?

I'm not even going to answer accusations of narrow-mindedness, as that is just ridiculous.

My friends have an Australian father, Japanese mother, 3 daughters. They split their time between Australia and Japan. The children all go to japanese language school and are fluent. Their considerations when choosing names are completely different to those of someone who just happens to like 'Etsuko'.

So what is the correct pronunciation of both names? I prefer Etsuko, I think, as it reminds me of my perfume, Mitsouko!

Welsh and Irish names on an English or Australian child are not remotely the same. I don't know if people honestly think that, or they're being deliberately obtuse.

You can't tell by looking at me whether I have a Welsh mother, but you can certainly tell I don't have a Japanese mother.

Using a name from a culture with which you have zero connection looks silly to many people, even if they don't find it offensive.

Thanks Diaduit and Alis
I don't see how questioning the OP's heritage is relevant to whether you like the sound of the names or not.
Koala your response is very narrow-minded, this is an English language forum with a broad international base of posters. If you wouldn't question the ethnicity of an 'English' name post why question the ethnicity of a non-English name post? Names like Zachary, Elijah and Xavier are not traditional English names but are in common use in the UK. That's how baby name trends evolve. You're quite within your rights to dislike both names. However you're not entitled to judge the OP's right to use a name based on whether you think it is ethnically appropriate

They're both pretty. As others have said, it depends if you're living in the UK or Japan as Etsuko will certainly not be pronounced with the right emphasis in the UK, so I'd go with Emiko just for that reason. If you're in Japan go with either, but if it is old-fashioned over there, maybe a rethink? Is it going to be like calling your LO Gladys or Ethel in the UK?!

I can see you have the same bee in your bonnet as the OP had.

I am not coming at it from a 'cultural
appropriation' angle. I couldn't care less if someone had a granny from Galway before they use Meabh.

As for 'it's not what the OP was asking', yes it was. She asked 'Etsuko or Emiko?' My answer (one or the other or neither) depends on whether her child has Japanese heritage or not. So I asked.

The analogy of 'James or John' is just silly. James and John are used all over the English-speaking world. Traditional Japanese names are not.

Etsuko sounds like an old-lady name to me (Japanese-speaker/ex-Japan resident). I know lots of Emikos who are my age (40s).

Personally I would also find it a little odd if a child with no Japanese connections at all had a Japanese name if there was no other strong reason for it, but if you really want to go for one of those I'd choose Emiko, as at least it can be shortened to Emi, which is more modern and neutral sounding.

I also suspect that many English-speakers would mispronounce Etsuko with the emphasis on the middle syllable (Et-SOO-ko) which I don't think sounds nice.

Same with Welsh names.

"What do you think of Seren?".

"Are you Welsh? Don't think you should use it if not."

this is a UK forum conducted in the English language. it is not an English forum. the UK is made up of people from many different ethnicities and heritages who speak many different languages either as primary or secondary languages. if you wouldn't ask the heritage of a person considering jack or james then why ask the heritage of someone asking etsuko or ekimo when it's not what the OP was asking?

you see that shite with irish name threads as well for some reason. people have to prove they've a granny from galway or they've no right to use the name apparently