Yamaha’s name has a couple of meanings. The Japanese origin of the word makes it hard for the foreigner “gaijin” to understand it and be compelled by its meaning. But it is always worth to give an example of a brand name that is held by its founder and at the same time is considered to be a poetic symbol with its meaning.

Let’s cut to the chase. What makes Yamaha an impressive car name? Yama + Ha = mountain + blade. Surreal, right? Diving deep into the meaning of the words, they represent key features from the Japanese folklore and mythology. The samurai is a recognisable Japanese symbol and it is connected with swords, blades and environment like mountain, river, forest.

The name is full of meaning for the Asians but the western market doesn’t have a clue about what Yamaha means. For the rest of the world it is just a name of a popular brand, established by a different culture and bringing the quality signs.

Another Japanese brand name that has an interesting meaning behind its name is Kawasaki.

Shozo Kawasaki is the founder of the brand and Kawasaki was named after his family name. Keeping the classic tradition of the Japanese names, “kawa” means river and “saki” means cape. As it is with Yamaha, the nature is present in Kawasaki as well. This is a good lesson about naming in Japan. The Japanese family names consist of multi-words and they are an usual choice when it comes to company naming.

When a “gaijin” wants to step on the Japanese market, choosing his family name for his company wouldn’t be relevant. You will have to be creative. If you are not sure in your naming skills, then a professional brand naming service will be of great use.

Read more about the meaning behind Japanese brand names here.

/images: Flickr