Expert: Dreams - 7/13/2009

Question
Hello, I know you probably don't know the origins of these last names, but would you happen to know what the following last names mean?

Mizokuchi
Kanausuku
Kanegi
Sugiura
Hiramatsu

Thanks a ton.  

Answer
Hello,

To find meanings of Japanese surnames, I use this Japanese-English dictionary (http://www.df.lth.se/cgi-bin/j-e/dict), choose the 'names' checkbox, and then pull up the kanji for the name, so I can translate it from there. :)

Mizokuchi is made up of 溝口, which literally means "gutter mouth".

Kanausuku is written 金城, meaning "gold castle".

Interestingly, Kanegi can also be written 金城, the same as Kanausuku. It has a second reading of 金木, meaning "gold tree". (Many Japanese surnames have multiple readings and/or many ways to be written.)

Sugiura shows up three different ways... 杉原 means "cedar field", while both other readings 椙浦 and 杉浦 mean "cedar bay". (椙 and 杉 are just different symbols referring to the same plant.)

Hiramatsu is a little less direct than the others. It can be written 平松, which combines the symbols for "peace/flat" and "pine tree". It can also be written 比良松, combining the symbols for "compare" and "good" and "pine tree".

Hope that helps,
Dreams