Naming Glossary
Key terms and concepts from Asian naming traditions
Ohaeng
오행 (五行)
The Five Elements theory (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) applied to Korean naming, where name characters are chosen to balance elemental energies based on the child's birth data.
Saju Naming
사주 작명 (四柱 作名)
A naming method based on the Four Pillars of Destiny (saju), which analyzes the year, month, day, and hour of birth to determine auspicious name characters.
Five Elements Naming
五行取名 (wǔxíng qǔmíng)
A traditional Chinese naming method that selects characters to balance the Five Elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) based on the child's birth chart.
Eight Characters / Four Pillars
八字 (bāzì)
A Chinese astrological system based on the year, month, day, and hour of birth, widely used to guide naming decisions and life predictions.
Kakusū
画数 (かくすう)
The practice of evaluating the fortune or auspiciousness of a name based on the total stroke count of its kanji characters, widely used in Japanese name divination.
Nakṣatra
नक्षत्र
One of the 27 lunar mansions in Vedic astrology, each governing specific syllables considered auspicious for naming a child born under that star.
Rāśi
राशि
The Vedic zodiac sign system comprising twelve signs, each associated with specific initial syllables used to guide the naming of a newborn child.
Kuṇḍalī
कुंडली
The Vedic birth chart or horoscope, a detailed astrological diagram mapping celestial body positions at the exact time and place of birth, used to determine auspicious names.