Names' meanings and roots:
The names Naoko san selected for the Sailor senshi are not random, specially their family names. Those are given for the planet they belong too. So Usagi gets her family name, Tsukino, for Tsuki, the moon. Some are not taken strictely from the exact name, but the kanji or the Japanese root. For example, Jupiter's Japanese name is Mokusei, wood star and another way to say or writte moku is ki. So Makoto's family name is Kino.
The only exception is Mina, since her name was chosen before Naoko created Sailor Moon.
Planets' names:
The first planets (minus Earth), together with the moon and the sun are old the seven "sei" (solar system bodies including the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn). The rest were not discovered until later, so their names' roots are different.
Except from the Sun and the Moon, the sei's names are formed by an element: fire, water, wood, soil, gold; and the word sei (star).
| Name |
Meaning |
Planet name |
Explanation |
| Mizuno Ami |
mizu= water, no = of, a = center, mi =
beautiful
Beautiful center of water |
Suisei
(water star). |
Another way to say sui is mizu. |
| Aino Minako |
ai= love, no = of, mi = beautiful, na =
little, ko = child
Beautiful little child of love |
Kinsei
(gold star) |
Mina's name has more relation to the Goddess
she represents, Venus, than to her planet. |
| Tsukino Usagi |
tsuki = moon, no = of, usagi = rabbit
Rabbit on the moon |
Tsuki |
In Japan as well as in Mexico, the shadows of
the Moon are thought to be a rabbit. In the
Japanese legend, the bunny is pounding mochi, a
traditional Japanese food. |
| Tsukino Chibiusa |
tsuki= moon, no = of, chibi = small, usa =
bunny
Little bunny of the moon |
Tsuki |
Her full name is actually Usagi Small Lady
Serenity, Chibiusa is just her nickname. |
| Hino Rei |
hi= fire, no = of, rei = spirit
Spirit of fire |
Kasei
(fire star)
|
Another way to say ka is hi. |
| Kino Makoto |
ki= wood, no = of, makoto = truth; faith;
fidelity; sincerity; trust; confidence; reliance;
devotion
faith or wisdom of wood |
Mokusei
(wood star) |
The other way to say ki is moku. |
| Tomoe Hotaru |
tomoe=huge comma design to = soil, moe =
sprouting, hotaru = firefly
firefly sprouting from the soil |
Dosei
(soil star). |
The first kanji of Tomoe is the same kanji as
in do of Dosei. |
The names for the next three planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are given because of the Greek gods they were named after by Occident. They are composed by the word that represents the realm they rule (Kai, sea, for Neptune), the word oh (ruler) and last, sei, as in the rest. Here Naoko just took out the sei to give Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru their last name.
| Name |
Meaning |
Planet name |
| Meioh Setsuna |
mei= dark, command; decree; life; destiny
oh = king, setsuna = moment; instant; juncture
Dark moment king |
Pluto is called Meiousei
(dark king star) |
| Kaioh Michiru |
kai= ocean, oh = is a subfix that indicates a
king, not a single word, michiru = to be full; to
rise (tide); to mature; to expire
Mature ocean king |
Kaiousei
(ocean king star) |
| Tenoh Haruka |
ten= sky, oh = king, haruka =far; far-away;
distant; remote; far off
Distant sky king |
Tenousei
(sky king star) |
Other names are related as well to celestial bodies, such as some villains' names, the Three lights' and Mamoru's. However, that will be treated in another section.
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