Popular mascot Kumamon to change its official Chinese name

Kumamon is Kumamon. Not a bear."

Totally agree! Of all the characters that haunt this country this one I find myself liking the most, particularly because the prefecture allows anyone and everyone to use the iconic symbol for free!

Aloha. My wife is from Kumamoto, and we return home quite often. As a foreigner, I have come to feel very fond of Kumamoto. The natural environmental beauty of Kumamoto is enhanced by the beautiful spirit of the people of Kumamoto. Towards this end, Kumamon is a great symbol for the people of Kumamoto.

Mahalo,

Mark Kazuo Bradley, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Kumamoto Prefecture said it has already applied for trademark registration of the new official Chinese name, as part of efforts to protect its intellectual property rights.

There's a waste of money right there. As if Chinese give a bear's bun about intellectual property rights.

I just love the name Hung Bun.

I wouldn't try to say kuma moto in Tanzania. It means hot female privates. Somebody should change that already.

Love Kumamoto. Hope the name change will bring more tourist from China.

Ah, the choice between approximating pronunciation or original meaning. Instead of マクドナルド (McDonald's), it would be 高長の子息 (Chouchou no shisoku, or high chief's [Donald's] son. Instead of KFC (Kentucky fried chicken), it would be 明日の焼鶏(ashita-chi yakikake, or land of tomorrow's [Kentucky's] fried chicken). Don't know which is easier...

The new name, pronounced "xiong-ben-xiong" in Mandarin and "hung-bun-hung" , those both sound "stinky" in Japanese.

Mark, I volunteer for a Facebook page, Kumamoto International, that you two might be interested in. The other day, I wrote about this issue in more detail. https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARCKCCbqmjgpMpbx6dGZWcD-03RI4DBIL0ows9bqCN4PW6UF0mEpR-NcnGfMVQs_4D-LwDsG-vpEaPX2