Any native Chinese speakers in the house?

Boy Names
1

I’m due in [name_u]March[/name_u], and I’m looking for some feedback on a specific name, in terms of whether it would be culturally appropriate to use it if none of us are Chinese, whether it is a name that is ever used by Chinese parents, whether a native Chinese speaker would find the name itself strange or offensive in any way, etc.

The name is Iroh, after the character from Avatar: The Last Airbender. It would be used as a second middle in the combo [name_u]Rowan[/name_u] [name_u]Taliesin[/name_u] Iroh. From what I understand, the creators invented the name for the show, which is a fantasy animated series in which the worldbuilding draws heavily from Chinese culture and history. The characters they use for the name are 艾洛, and the phonetic pronunciation is given as Aì Luò.

I truly love the character of Iroh in the series, but I am always very cautious about using invented names and about using names from a culture that I have no direct ties to. If there are any native Chinese speakers who feel comfortable giving me their opinions, I would love to hear what you have to say!

Thanks in advance, dear Berries.

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I have always loved Uncle Iroh as well! Not Chinese but I don’t think it would be offensive. :slight_smile:

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I am not Chinese so take this with a grain of salt. However because it is a made up name and not actually Chinese, I think it should be fine. I wouldn’t worry about cultural appropriation because it is not part of any culture really

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Those of you following this question, @sevenlycoris left an amazing response over on my previous thread, which you can read here: Continuing Combo Confusion - #18. Thanks, sevenly!!

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You can find a home helper who is native Chinese on sites like ayi connect. It will help you understand Chinese culture more deeply. If you want of course.

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Do you mean ayiconnection.com? I use it regularly. It really helps my loved ones use Chinese better.