Learning Connection
You will probably have noticed an increasing number of students from other cultures on campus. Some of these are international students who have, for many different reasons, chosen to come to Australia to undertake study for a few months or a few years. Many of UniSA’s international students come from Asia. This Learning Guide provides information about Chinese, Malay and Hindu names, to assist you to get to know and understand your student peers. It explains some cultural aspects of naming and ways in which names can be used most appropriately in social and educational settings.
Names are an important part of our identity. They are our ‘official labels’, appearing on our passports, drivers licences, enrolment information and graduation parchments. They also carry powerful associations and symbolism, connecting each of us to our family, our heritage and our unique identity. An important first step in getting to know someone is to exchange names. Please note: A person’s first/Christian name will be referred to in this Learning Guide as a ‘given’ name.
The importance of astrology In most Asian countries the time and date of birth carries a great deal of significance for the cosmic fortunes of a child and their family. A name will often be chosen to enhance good fortune and minimise any misfortune that might be associated with the astrological influences at that time.
In many Asian cultures names have a particular significance. It is helpful to understand the correct and appropriate use of names and their associations. For example, names given to children in Chinese, Malay and Hindu cultures are often common words used in the common vocabulary not proper nouns.
In some Asian names, if more than one word forms a name, then both names need to be used together. Whereas in European traditions, first and middle names are usually separate. In a Chinese name for example, Siow Loong means ‘small dragon’. It is a compound name and therefore cannot be shortened to Siow alone. Siow Loong is the Chinese name of the actor Bruce Lee. A dragon name is auspicious and denotes a strong achiever; a ‘dragon child’.
The meaning of a name can be modified by the use of pitch and tone. Poor pitch or pronunciation can change an auspicious name to an insult (carrying bad fortune to the named person). This is why many Chinese students may adopt an English given name that they prefer to use.
Another feature of many Asian names is that family members may share a common name element. For example, the Hindu name Manju Devi means ‘nice goddess’. Children may be named Manju Lakshmi, Manju Sita, Manju Rani, etc. Each name comprises the ‘nice’ adjective with the name of a deity (God).
A Malay/Indonesian example is the name Intan Negarawan which might be given to the first born child. Intan means ‘diamond’ and Negarawan means ‘nationalist’. Other siblings may then be named Emas (gold) Negarawan and Perak (silver) Negarawan to follow a theme of precious stones.
In a Chinese example, the Lee family children may be named Teck Onn, Teck Hoong, Teck Fook and Teck Choy. In each of these names Teck denotes ‘obtain’, with the second part being associated with something desirable for family prosperity and wealth.
In general, Chinese names are not differentiated into masculine and feminine names in the way that they are in some European traditions. It’s often not possible to tell the gender of a person from the name they have been given.
In Chinese the family name comes first, as in Deng Xiaoping. This person is referred to as Mr Deng, not Mr Xiaoping.
The application of European naming conventions to Chinese names may cause difficulties in interpretation. An example of this is names being pronounced in an incorrect order when read from graduation parchments and official documents.
Chinese names are often influenced by place and regional differences. For example:
The spelling of a family name may vary considerably, eg Siew, Siow, Seow and Siaw are all variants of the same name as are Low, Loh, Lau and Lo.
Malay names reflect a Muslim tradition in Malaysia and Singapore. Names are constructed with a given name followed by bin (for men) or binti (for women) before a father’s given name (the bin and binti component is often omitted). Some examples of Malay names are:
Puan Rafidah binti Aziz (ie Rafidah, married daughter of Aziz - the Puan (Mrs) shows that the woman is married)
Anwar Ibrahim (ie Anwar, [son of] Ibrahim - the bin is omitted in this name)
Haji Abu bin Bakar (ie Abu, son of Bakar - the Haji here is an honorific title that shows the person has completed a pilgrimage to Mecca)
Abdul Rahman bin Mohamad Sidek (here the person’s given name is Abdul Rahman)
Family names have not always existed for Malaysia however they are becoming more prevalent. Names change from generation to generation rather than record a family lineage. Malay women often retain their own names after marriage, and just use the title Puan (ie Mrs).
Hindu names are used in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and wherever people of Indian origin have migrated.
Hindu names originating in Northern India are written with a person’s given name first, followed by a family name, eg Manju Rani Agraval, Deepank Gupta, Maneesh Mathur, Mahesh Kumar Sharma, Vineet Kapoor.
Hindu names originating in Southern India use the father’s given name, rather than a family name, followed by the person’s given name. Initials of the father’s given name are often used, eg Krishnan Sivanathan/K. Sivanathan, Siva Ramalingam/S.Ramalingam, Muthu Govindasamy/M. Govindasamy, Ranjan Punnadurai/R. Punnadurai.
This Learning Guide aims to help you to understand the naming conventions of Chinese, Malay and Hindu names. Other cultures and individuals may have particular preferred conventions. If you are unsure about a person’s name then a good first step is to simply say hello, introduce yourself and ask the person what they like to be called. You might like to try practicing saying the name correctly until you get the pronunciation right!
The following links provide more information about understanding Chinese names.
Understanding the Beauty and Reasons behind Chinese Names
Alphabetical listing of Indian subcontinent names and their meanings
