(family name first) Kiu Sau is Cantonese for Hashimori (Japanese) and Stegemann (German). In English Kiu means bridge. Sau means protect. Thus, together Kiu Sau means a guardian of bridges.
Although most Chinese names are formed by three characters ( a familiy name and two others), many Chinese, who were born on the Chinese mainland during the Cultural Revolution, have only two. In effect I have split my German family name into two Chinese names, and have thus preserved both my Japanese and German identities.
Kiu is a common family name in China -- simply the Chinese character used to represent it is different . As Chinese given names are very flexible, the name Sau easily passes as a Chinese given name. Thus, from a Japanese, German, and American family name a Chinese family and given name have arisen.
Kiu Sau is easy for Chinese to pronounce, write, and even spell. It is a good name and very appropriate for a Westerner. Just think of me as a Western mainlander brought up during the Cultural Revolution.
The superscripts that accompany the English transcriptions of the two Chinese characters which form my name are indicators of intonation. The 4 represents a constant middle tone; the 2 represents a rising middle tone.
 |
 |