Why her name is Hamasaki and not Hamazaki?

[~Matt~]

It's not a big deal... but why her name is written like that? the "normal" (most common i assume) way to write the 濱崎 or 浜崎 is Hamazaki, then why is name is Hamasaki?

[truehappiness]

It depends on the translator I think.

Like Otsuka -> Ootsuka.. Onitsuka -> Onitzuka..

[HiruNoKaze]

It is pronounced with an s, so it is romanized with an s. TH, in your examples, there's no difference in the Japanese, only in the romanization. However, saki vs zaki does represent a difference in Japanese pronunciation. Ok so lots of things have alternate pronunciations when you stick stuff together, like oo + toori = oodoori. But whether or not the alternate pronunciation is used when sticking things together is determined by the juxtaposed sounds. oodoori flows better than ootoori for example. saki is the pronunciation used with her name, s sound.

Plus my dictionary says the kanji for saki in her name has no zaki alternate pronunciation.

[*Petit*]

I thought, well I read somewhere really long ago, that it was pronounced Hamazaki in most of japan and that ayumi preferred it to be hamasaki because that's how it's pronounced in her language region. Or that it was a matter of dialect and that the default would be zaki? I really have no clue where I got this from , but I'm 100% sure Ive read it somewhwere when I just had gotten into her.

[HiruNoKaze]

^Really? Hmm well other dialects is certainly a possibility...I didn't think of that. Well we need a Native Japanese speaker who is well acquainted with the various dialects. Maybe masa can help? There are a few others who live in Japan...

[ohsixthirty]

i always thought hamazaki was a chinese version of her name or something??? i'm not very familiar with how it all works though.

[*Petit*]

It might not be true though, but it would be interesting. ANd I've often seen romanizations as "hamazaki", there's got to be a reason for those too.


touchedstar; her name is totally different in chinese, It's something like bun chi bo, I don't remember it at all. haha. You cna hear it in the chinese CMs.

[extepan]

I have asked several Japanese people, why it is Hamasaki and not Hamazaki, and also why Nakashima Mika but Nakajima Miyuki.

the responses i get were because of the traditional way of how the surname is pronounced in the family. there is no special reason why it is one way or the other.

there is no way to know which way it is in advance, so you always have to ask if it is Hamasaki or Hamazaki, or Nakashima or Nakajima.

^ The differences in pronunciation is why in novels and stuff there is furigana by names. Some people just pronounce it differently (for a multitude of reasons). In an additional note, there are several different ways to romanize Japanese, which explains why some names appear differently even though they may have the exact same pronunciation.

[Delirium-Zer0]

Well, i was gonna answer but Petit, extepan, and devilayu got to it first.

[Kodayumi]

Hamasaki sounds nicer

[extepan]

i agree hamasaki sounds nicer!

[Kodayumi]

With a 'z' in the name, it sounds really wierd

[HiruNoKaze]

Thank you guys, learned something today.

[JimmyKoria]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

It depends on the translator I think.

Like Otsuka -> Ootsuka.. Onitsuka -> Onitzuka..

See but the thing with Otsuka is that is really is Ootsuka and that Otsuka is a poor romanization of her name. If you go to type in Otsuka you don't get the kanji 大塚.

[AyUmIXx]

Hamazaki => ewww~
and i think it's more to "english" pronounciation of japanese name..
Hamasaki is the original japanese name?

[~Matt~]

it's a little confusing... but thanks for the answers

[masa]

It depends on which pronounciation the ancestor decided to take first. There are no specific rules. The number of the families whose names are "Hamazaki" and "Nakajima" is larger than that of "Hamasaki" and "Nakashima".

[AyUmIXx]

Hamasaki sounds better than hamazaki~

[Dark_hated]

because Hamasaki isn't her surname, it's her artist name, it sounds more cool (just that )