Ueno Zoo solicited name suggestions for its two Giant Panda cubs over a 14-day period from August 7th to August 20th, 2021 (details of the solicitation can be found here).

We are pleased to announce that, following deliberations by Giant Panda Name Selection Committee, a name has been decided.


Giant Panda twins (left #1 - male, right #2 - female, 103 days old)
(Date of photo: October 4, 2021)

Decided name

　Male (#1)
Katakana name Xiao Xiao
Kanji name Akatsuki
Meaning of the name: The light of dawn shines through, making things bright.

　Female (#2)
Katakana name Ray Ray
Kanji name bud bud
Meaning of the name: A beautiful flower blooms from a bud, connecting to the future.

"Xiaoxiao" (#1, male, 103 days old) (Date of photo: October 4, 2021)	"Lei-Lei" (#2, female, 103 days old) (Date of photo: October 4, 2021)

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From the top 150 most frequently submitted names, the name selection committee reviewed five male and six female names, excluding those that were the same as names of pandas in Japan or abroad, or existing character names.
From among the suggestions, "Xiaoxiao" and "Leilei" received the highest ratings, and after confirmation from the Chinese side, they were ultimately chosen as the names for the twins.

【reference】
〇 Items to be considered by the selection committee *Number of applications in parentheses
Male 5 points
Xiaoxiao (482 votes), Junjun (2,006 votes), Jiangjiang (612 votes),
Daidai (450 results), Ryonryong (249 results)

Female 6 points
Lei Lei (7,617 votes), Myung Myung (233 votes), Lai Lai (1,751 votes),
SaiSai (484 votes), WeiWei (323 votes), HonHon (247 votes)

〇 Most frequently submitted names (top 3) *Total number of submissions: 192,712
Os Renren (5,124 cases), Tantan (5,094 cases), Lailai (4,598 cases)
Females: Meimei (13,050 entries), Reirei (7,617 entries), Rinrin (6,824 entries)

Regarding the public disclosure of the mother and child

We plan to open the pandas to the public at West Garden 's "Panda Forest" around January 2022. The specific date will be announced separately, taking into account the growth and development of "Xiao Xiao" and "Lei Lei."

Commemorative pamphlet

We released a commemorative pamphlet for the naming of Giant Panda twins on our website on October 12th. Please visit this page and feel free to download and use it.


[Video] No sound
(October 8, 2021)
(October 12, 2021: Added information about the commemorative pamphlet)