what does the word "maru" mean in Japanese?

Question

I've seen the word "Maru" in the names of Japanese sea vessels, and in the names of Sanrio characters (i.e., "Bad Batz Maru"). Can anyone tell me what it means?

Answer 1

The short of it is that the meaning of "maru" is a combination of "maro", an archaic term of endearment, "perfect", "dear", and "maru", meaning "round", "circle".

"In the 1905 edition of Basil Hall Chamberlain's "Things Japanese" he says of `maru' "It is often asked: what does the word Maru mean in the names of ships ...?" His answer is:
- the real meaning is obscure
- it is probably merging of two words: `maru' and `maro', which was a term of endearment.
- it used to be used for swords, armour, parts of castles, etc. too."

"7.8. What is the meaning of the word maru in the names of Japanese boats?", Alternative sci.lang.japan FAQ : http://mirrors.nihongo.org/www.hayamasa.demon.co.uk/afaq/maru.html

See : "Things Japanese. Being Notes on Various Subjects Connected with Japan. For the Use of Travellers : Maru", Basil Hall Chamberlain : http://books.google.com/books?id=ubYolXc7OGcC&pg=PA313&lpg=PA313&dq=maru+mean&source=web&ots=wKwaFYODai&sig=EmhcEQundt5uBQxtznPmVltSpOw#PPA313,M1

Answer 2

Itsumo means 'Always' I pratically know only this word in Japanese because I watch the anime Fruits Basket all the time. The opening song goes "Let's be together itsumo." which is very pretty!

Answer 3

The word "maru" is written in japanese as "丸".
It literally means 'circle', 'ring', and so on.

There are several theories about why every Japanese sea vessels have the word "丸" at the end of their names.
The most widely believed theory is that it came from the word "麿 - maro" which means 'I' or 'my' in ancient days. So, it is a sort of a pet name.
For your information, it used to be provided by Japanese boating law that ships in Japan have the word "丸" to the end of a string of their names.

Answer 4

It means wholeness or completeness. It is a term of endearment. It was first used at the end of the 16th century. Recently it has been dropped by many ship builders.