The character of a name

The character 泰 (tai) shows two hands holding a lot of water. It can mean big, wide, or full, but it can also mean being proud or living in luxury. It is used in words like 泰山 (taizan, a great mountain), 泰然 (taizen, calm), and 泰平 (taihei, peaceful).

The character 地 (chi) shows land that winds and curves like a snake. It can mean soil, a place, a country, a position or status, or a base or material. It is used in words like 土地 (tochi, a place), 地位 (chii, a position or status), and 生地 (kiji, a material). There are many others, so I won’t list them all here.

If you read the name 泰地 (Taichi) simply, it means a wide, open land. More than that, it has the character of a whole world of nature spreading out as far as two hands can hold, and that gives me hope. If you read it the other way, it can also mean being proud of your position and living in luxury. I don’t have a position or status to be proud of. But I think it’s a good lesson, so I won’t become like that in the future.

Here is my source:

• Tetsuji Morohashi, Suego Watanabe, Tadashi Kamata, Torataro Yoneyama, Taishukan Shin Kanwa Jiten, Kaiteiban [Keitaiban] (New Taishukan Kanji-Japanese Dictionary, Revised Edition [Pocket Edition]), Taishukan Shoten, 1982.