The spelling of the name "Eiichiro" follows the phonetic transcription in IPA as /eiːiˈtʃiɾoʊ/. The initial sound is represented by the digraph "ei" which is pronounced as a long "a" sound followed by a long "e" sound. The next sound is the voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative "tʃ" that represents the "ch" sound. The final sound "ro" is pronounced as a retroflex flap "ɾ" followed by an open-mid back rounded vowel "oʊ". Overall, the spelling accurately represents the pronunciation of the Japanese name "Eiichiro."
The word "Eiichiro" is a Japanese given name. The etymology of the name can be understood by breaking it down into its individual components:
1. "Eii" (英一): The first part, "eii", is derived from the Japanese word "eii" meaning "excellent" or "superior".
2. "Chiro" (一郎): The second part, "chiro", is a common suffix in Japanese given names, which means "son" or "child". It is often attached to numerical prefixes to indicate birth order or as a way to denote that the person is a first-born child.
Therefore, when combined, "Eiichiro" can roughly be translated to mean the "first-born child of excellence" or "superior first-born child".