Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s lesson will look into the names of the new characters in this week’s chapter of Bleach! The names in Shonen Jump series can reveal a lot about a characters’ personality or origins, so let’s get analyzing!

ICHIGO (一護)

Let’s start by taking a closer look at the name of Bleach’s main character, ICHIGO. His name actually has a few different meanings. It uses the kanji characters for “one” and “protection.” Perhaps this symbolizes that he is a protector. He certainly lives up to his name. The word ICHIGO also means “strawberry” if written with a different kanji character. This meaning doesn’t come up very often, but the title to both chapter 1 and this chapter is “DEATH & STRAWBERRY.” There is also some art that connects ICHIGO with the number 15. That’s because GO can mean “five.”

ICHIKA (苺花)

ICHIKA is Renji and Rukia’s daughter, and her name seems to be inspired by Ichigo’s name. Not only are the names very similar, the ICHI part uses the kanji character for “strawberry.” The KA part means “flower.” Could this have some significance as well?

KAZUI (一勇)

KAZUI’s name seems completely different from ICHIGO’s, but it actually shares the same kanji character. The KAZU part is the same “one” as the ICHI in ICHIGO. And the second part of his name means “courage.” He indeed seems pretty brave for his age based on this chapter!

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