Japanese speakers, I have a question

[DarkAngel]

in anime we see shouta as a name and shouta as saying little boy.
i tried to search for it, but does it sound the same? the name shouta and the little boy shouta?
@kadenmire

 

[kadenmire]

It's tricky but it's like this, in Japanese names can use the same kanji and even be pronounced the same but have very different meanings. Basically it comes down to context and the person reading it or saying it. These two are pronounced exactly the same. If you are a stranger saying this, it is the same as saying hey little boy. If you are a friend or family member you could be using it as an endearment such as saying you are such a little boy or you could be using is as their name which when used as such it means something like big sky or high flying depending on the dialect.

 

[DarkAngel]

It's tricky but it's like this, in Japanese names can use the same kanji and even be pronounced the same but have very different meanings. Basically it comes down to context and the person reading it or saying it. These two are pronounced exactly the same. If you are a stranger saying this, it is the same as saying hey little boy. If you are a friend or family member you could be using it as an endearment such as saying you are such a little boy or you could be using is as their name which when used as such it means something like big sky or high flying depending on the dialect.

i get it now.
thanks kaden. i always wondered how people were able to tell them apart