I need help naming continents, kingdoms, cities, towns, and such for a Chinese like culture in world. This right now is my main focus but I will also need help naming Japanese and Korean cultures too. I'm trying to hammer out a tacking list for where my characters have been but I've been using English names for places. I would like to add a bit of a cultural feel to it with out using real world names like China. Shoot me ideas anything will be good I just need to get the old melon thinking.
http://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/
This may help you out :)
I'm trying to avoid generators since many people use them, and it would be easy to copy someone else's idea. My aim is to publish and have original content as much as possible. Thank you though.
Oh, ok! No problem! I completely understand! :)
You could use a translator, or if you need help with the Korean places I know about the language and what sounds it makes.
You could use a translator, or if you need help with the Korean places I know about the language and what sounds it makes.
I've been trying to use translators for English to Chinese since that is the part of the world I am working on currently. If I translate things like Lotus on the Water I have a really long name, there has to be a way to name things so they are shorter instead of having 5 word names. So I like how a lot of Asian culture actually is practical and calls things what they are like North Gate. I can get concrete singular names there but when it comes to being a bit creative they have singular word names for their own things. The Chinese may have a name for a city that may not translate to English and is it's own meaning or etymology. Like the same as above could have a single word name and have the same etymology in place. The translator will not be able to find it.
You could try mashing parts of words together to form names. Japanese actually does that nowadays, with like anime and manga titles, Sometimes, they'll take the first syllable of each word and put it together into one title. For example, the manga "Kodocha" is just "Kodomo no Omocha" shortened. I'm fairly certain this wasn't really done until recently (though I'm probably wrong.)
I've been using Vietnamese as a reference, making translations and then writing it out how it sounds as opposed to using its properly spelling. For example, in the universe I've created, the God of Mercy is named "Nauntu", derived from the vietnamese translation of the word "mercy", which according to google translate, is "nhân từ".
I did the same thing for city names. Basically, just botch the language and that sort of makes it unique?
Asian here…
Speaks fluent Chinese…
I've been using Vietnamese as a reference, making translations and then writing it out how it sounds as opposed to using its properly spelling. For example, in the universe I've created, the God of Mercy is named "Nauntu", derived from the vietnamese translation of the word "mercy", which according to google translate, is "nhân từ".
I did the same thing for city names. Basically, just botch the language and that sort of makes it unique?
Thank you for the suggestion. :)
Asian here…
Speaks fluent Chinese…
Hi thank you for responding. I have a question for you, how do people in your culture go about naming cities and towns? I noticed in Japanese culture they will call places names like North Gate, East Gate, etc… being more direct and simple. Do your people do the same as well? Do they find inspiration for naming in historical figures, or animals, or are names derived from standalone new word / character language? I'm thinking about naming a country after a war lord (historical figure.)
We do have the simple names like that, but sometimes with more complex, less common words. And in our naming system (for people, places etc.) the meaning of your name is very important. I don't think they name countries after famous people though…
