The recent uproar over a new Genshin Impact character, known affectionally as "Lion Dance Boy", has brought the Cantonese community to the forefront, eager to clear up the misconception surrounding the official English transliteration of his name: "Gaming."
Ahead of the highly anticipated release of Version 4.3, HoYoverse unveiled the "Lion Dance Boy," a new 4-star character from Liyue, set to debut in the 4.4 update. In an unfortunate coincidence, paired with Genshin Impact's localisation practices, his name ended up being translated as "Gaming." Here's why!
The new Genshin Impact character's name, "Gaming", explained
Genshin Impact is finally getting its first playable Cantonese character, the "Lion Dance Boy"! But this exciting milestone is currently greatly overshadowed by the official English transliteration of his name from Cantonese.
Pronounced as “Gaa-Ming” in Cantonese (and “Jia-Ming” in Mandarin), the English translation of his name – "Gaming" – has sparked lively discussions and lighthearted jokes among fans.
It is important to note that "Gaa-Ming" is a popular name in Guangdong and Hong Kong, where "Gaa" means Kind, and "Ming" means Bright.
Some have suggested adding a space to split up his name, but HoYoverse may have refrained from this approach for a reason.
In Genshin Impact's English localisation, HoYoverse has consistently separated first and last names with a space, even if there is no distinction in the Chinese text. This can be observed in characters like Hu Tao, where "Hu" is her surname and "Tao" is her first name. Conversely, Xiangling's name is her complete first name, hence the combined form "Xiangling."
In the case of the Lion Dance Boy, "Gaming" is his complete first name. Adding a space like in "Ga Ming" would imply a split between his first and last names, which is not the intended format used by HoYoverse. This decision, while seemingly causing a naming conundrum, aligns with the game's consistent localisation approach.
Some have proposed alternative solutions, such as adding a hyphen to make Ga-Ming or adding an extra "a" to make "Gaaming."
While "Gaming" may appear peculiar to English speakers, it remains a faithful representation of the character's Cantonese name. However, the confusion it has sparked has led to a collective effort within the Genshin Impact community to find a more fitting identifier for the Lion Dance Boy in the fandom.
According to credible leaks, Gaming will be a 4-star Pyro Sword user, and players will get the chance to pull for him in the Version 4.4 update, scheduled for release on 31 January 2024!
For more about Genshin Impact, be sure to check out our comprehensive Version 4.3 update guide, which includes the release date, banners, detailed event descriptions, and more. We've also compiled all the much-needed QoL changes coming to Version 4.3 here!
Discover all you need to know about the 18 new characters set to be released during Genshin Impact's Fontaine cycle. On top of that, get ahead of the curve and start planning your Primogem savings for your favourite Fontainian characters with our Fontaine character banner schedule.
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