Language Matters | Ragasa, Matmo, Yagi: how a typhoon gets its name and who gets to name it

What do the Capricorn constellation, a butterfly, a type of grass, a blue lake, a swordfish, a raccoon dog, and a dessert of rice balls and coconut milk have in common? If you are from the northwest Pacific, you may recognise them as giving names to the significant typhoons of Yagi, Wutip, Co-May, Kajiki, Nongfa, Neoguri and Bualoi – from Japanese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Lao, Korean and Thai, respectively – that all occurred in the past 12 months. Some names may seem apt. The recent typhoon Matmo means “heavy rain” in Chamorro, an Austronesian language of the Chamorro people, who are indigenous to the Micronesian Mariana Islands and also live on Guam. But describing tropical cyclones – which are called typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones in different global regions – is not a necessary criterion for moniker choices. In the past, tropical cyclones would be named quite arbitrarily – after places, objects or the saints’ feast days on which they occurred. The practice of using proper names was initiated by Clement Wragge, a British meteorologist who was appointed government meteorologist for Queensland in Australia, at the end of the 19th century, who used names of political figures he disliked. He thus could publicly describe a tropical cyclone – referencing the politician – as “causing great distress” or “wandering aimlessly about the Pacific”. During World War II, US Army Air Corps and Navy meteorologists monitoring and forecasting tropical cyclones over the Pacific informally gave them women’s names – mostly those of girlfriends or wives. Today, strict procedures are adopted by the coalition of meteorological organisations worldwide, with lists defined in advance using names proposed by member organisations. These formal naming schemes are managed by the responsible institutions for each of the seven tropical cyclone basins around the world: the North Atlantic (including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico), Eastern Pacific, Western Pacific, North Indian Ocean, Southwest Indian Ocean, Southern Pacific and the Australian region. When a tropical disturbance first develops, it is given a number to identify that specific system – as there may be more than one occurring at any given time – and for clarity in the issuing of warnings. Ragasa, as the 18th storm in the 2025 season in its region, was 202518. When a system intensifies to tropical storm strength, developing sustained wind speeds of more than 33 knots (61 km/h or 38 mph), it is given a name. While the Atlantic tropical storm lists originally featured only women’s names, men’s names were introduced in 1979, and now alternate with women’s names alphabetically. The past month has seen Hurricanes Gabrielle, Humberto and Imelda. For the Northwest Pacific basin, using women’s names became official practice from 1945, with men’s names from 1979. However, as of 2000, typhoons are officially named by the Japan Meteorological Agency from lists contributed by the members of the World Meteorological Typhoon Committee, comprising Cambodia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Micronesia, the Philippines, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, the US and Vietnam. This region’s lists have two striking characteristics compared to the other name rosters: they are not primarily personal names, but diverse nouns and adjectives from local languages, and the names are assigned not in alphabetical order, but are arranged by the contributing nation’s name. Recent storms’ names include: Tapah: the Malay name of a freshwater catfish species from Malaysia Mitag: a woman’s name meaning “my eyes” in Yapese, from the island of Yap in Micronesia Ragasa: meaning “a surge, a rush, a sudden quickening of motion” in Tagalog, from the Philippines When a tropical storm passes into a particular country’s area of responsibility, their own naming system applies concurrently. Ragasa, once in the Philippines’ Area of Responsibility, was given a local name from the country’s meteorological agency’s list: Nando. While names may acquire particular notoriety due to damage or deaths associated with storm systems and be retired or withdrawn, they are nonetheless a fascinating opportunity for familiarising ourselves with our region’s languages.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The naming of typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones may seem random but strict procedures govern their titles

The naming of typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones may seem random but strict procedures govern their titles