Japanese name pronunciation and dodgy initials?

[Hooya]

Hello! We've chosen our soon-to-be-born DS's first name and are now choosing his middle name. We live in and he will be born in Japan so we want to use a Japanese middle name. Our choices which we think go well with the first name are Hiro or Jiro. We prefer Jiro but have some concerns which I'd love your thoughts on!

1. Jiro in Japan is pronounced with a short 'i' sound but most English native speakers might assume it rhymes with Biro i.e. Giro (which is an old name for benefit cheques in the UK I think)
2. Hiro should be pronounced similar but many will think it's 'hero' (that bothers me less I think, still a cool name)
3. If we go with Jiro his first initials will be HJ - this is apparently internet shorthand for handjob - is that a problem?

So are any of the above problems? Any thoughts on which we should go with?

I know how to pronounce it but lots of my friends would say Giro I think which would irk me.

Hiro is nicer imo but Jiro is also nice and maybe more unusual (hero is gaining popularity here)

what are the meanings of each name?

I like Jiro. and HJ is only a problem if it bothers you. sorry not much help!

People are not going to care about/say his middle name so don't let the pronunciation bother you.

HJ are fine initials and probably better than HH (Heil Hitler! or maybe Helly Hansen?!).

I wouldn't worry about the initials
Most people wouldn't think handjob and anyway when using initials it's rarer to use that combination. Nor ally it's all or the first and last, for example mine would be GM or GTM not GT

I like Jiro.
I knew how to pronounce it when I saw it and I'm not particularly well versed in Japanese!
I would never have known about the Internet slang, either!

I have those initials, for first and surname. I have NEVER heard the connection to hand job until I read this thread.

Ooh thanks keep them coming! kelda I'd never heard it either, it was DP who mentioned, he obviously spends time on different sites to me

NotYoMomma the meanings depend on which script we select for the names - we have a really nice one for Jiro which means calm child or similar, Hiro again we have some choices but one we like means generous.

I would have also thought a short 'i'. I can't see the HJ thing being a problem at all, it's not like BJ or BDSM.

I like Hiro and Jiro equally. To a Western eye, Hiro looks more immediately Japanese, if that helps.

I like both and would assume the short i pronunciation. The initial thing is not worth worrying about.

Never heard of HJ for hand job. Go for Jiro, if it was your first choice, if people ask, you or he will correct them in pronunciation. Easy. I have a first name and surname that need explaining or spelling, but it really doesn't bother me and I like them.

Dont get the need for people to understand it, or worry about a whole life correcting pronunciation

My sons initials are WTF. It hadn't bothered him yet...
I like Hiro.

have never heard of HJ like BJ - Hiro is lovely

I prefer Hiro but like Jiro too. Really wouldn't worry about initials.

I have a Japanese middle name that is mispronounced quite often (don't know why, it's really short and uncomplicated). But it doesn't really bother me and I don't mind correcting people when I need to.

Go for the one you like - they're both great choices. :)

Hi hooya

My tuppence worth is that to an untrained Western eye who didn't know about the Japanese connection there is a small risk of it being pronounced "Giro". Not sure that's a massive problem though, easily enough corrected. Never heard the HJ abbreviation either so that wouldn't bother me at all.

OTOH as someone else already said, Hiro looks more Japanese and "High-ro" isn't already a word so less likely to be mispronounced. Also I think the initials H.H. Surname would make him sound like a top author/academic/general brainy person

I like Hiro and wouldn't think it rhymed with biro. If you go with Jiro, I would never have thought HJ was dodgy.

You are over thinking the initials thing. The meaning of Hiro is nicer, Jiro might not be appropriate if he turns out to be a spirited child!
I would probably guess the short I sound for both names, but I guess the middle name won't be used much anyway.
Are you going for a Western first name? My sis has half-Japanese children and they have a western name which can be pronounced and written in Japanese, and a Japanese middle name. That narrowed the choices down nicely!

Thanks for the responses so far (and hi to kitten and mirai)

This has been really helpful, basically we are realising none of the potential issues are issues, we should just choose the one we like best! So any further calls on which is nicer let us know:

Hiro or Jiro?

Bakingtins yes we are going for an unusual but very English sounding first name. It will look a bit weird written in Japanese but doesn't sound too bad. We will only be here for another couple years probably so we're not thinking super long term. That said we did have Seth on the shortlist but I was a bit put out that it would be "Sefu" in Japanese, bit strange!

Blowjob BJ isn't like handjob - we say wank instead!

They are both very nice, and my friend, who is learning Japanese will be incredibly jealous of your lb having a Japanese name (he keeps playing with names to give himself).

I never made the biro/hero connection, but then I am regularly asked O Genki des ka? (no idea how to spell it).

I would automatically pronounce both to rhyme with hero. Which isn't a problem TBH - it's a middle name and rarely used so it won't be a constant correction when people mispronounce it.

The initials HJ wouldn't bother me.

They are lovely names, and TBH, I think most people will know how to pronounce them, but, here's the thing. The only time anyone ever uses your middle name is when you are getting married, or mothers use them when being very emphatic. ("Tristan James Ramsbottom, get down here at once!")

So, the mispronunciation issue won't be a problem, and he will have an unusual middle name which reflects part of his history. Lovely!

had never thought of HJ as handjob.... and those are my dd's initials.....

Hiro nice than Jiro IMO. and easier on the English speaking tongue.