<p>Yes, Menma is quarter-Russian.</p>
<p>Here is the quote from <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%82%E3%81%AE%E6%97%A5%E8%A6%8B%E3%81%9F%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AE%E5%90%8D%E5%89%8D%E3%82%92%E5%83%95%E9%81%94%E3%81%AF%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A0%E7%9F%A5%E3%82%89%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%80%82" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>本間 芽衣子（ほんま めいこ）/ めんま
.. <strong>ロシア人</strong>[24]の血を引く母イレーヌから受け継いだ銀髪碧眼と白い肌から、儚げな印象を与える<strong>クォーター</strong>[25]の少女。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>ロシア人＝Russian, クォーター=quarter.</p>
<p>The sources are:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[24] 『オトナアニメ』vol.21、洋泉社〈洋泉社MOOK〉、2011年8月8日、46-77頁。ISBN 978-4-86248-772-8。p50</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[25] 小説版(novelized version)</p>
<p>『あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。(上)』、2011年7月25日発売<a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%82%E3%81%AE%E6%97%A5%E8%A6%8B%E3%81%9F%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AE%E5%90%8D%E5%89%8D%E3%82%92%E5%83%95%E9%81%94%E3%81%AF%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A0%E7%9F%A5%E3%82%89%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%80%82" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1</a>、ISBN 978-4-8401-3957-1</p>
<p>『あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。(下)』、2012年8月10日発売[2]、ISBN 978-4-8401-4689-0</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-07-27T03:18:41.517Z
2021-07-27T04:20:26.423Z
2021-07-27T04:20:26.423Z
sundowner
<p>I saw a comment <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDVFcYCTeWQ&amp;t" rel="nofollow noreferrer">under a video</a> which says the following:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A: I’m not sure but wasn’t menma half japanese half russian?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[...]</p>
<p>B: yes. the father is japanese and the <em>mother is russian.</em></p>
<p>[...]</p>
<p>C: well, that's explain why she's the only one with unique hair in the anime</p>
<p>[...]</p>
<p>D: I’ve noticed in anime if you russian you have gray-ish hair. For example Viktor (Yuri on ice), Lev and Elisa (Haikyuu) and Menma</p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>This is somewhat correct as <a href="https://anohana.fandom.com/wiki/Ir%C3%A8ne_Honma" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Irene Honma</a> (mother of Menma) is non-Japanese. But is she actually Russian? There is no mention of Irene being Russian in wiki apart from a note that says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The name Irène means &quot;peace&quot; in <em>Greek</em>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Is there any information in source material(manga) regarding the actual ethnicity of Irene Honma? If so, is she Russian?</p>
<hr />
<p>Related discussion: <a href="https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/38293/is-it-known-whether-kaori-miyazono-is-half-japanese">Is it known whether Kaori Miyazono is half-Japanese?</a></p>

<anohana>
Is Menma from Anohana half-Japanese half-Russian?
# Is Menma from Anohana half-Japanese half-Russian?
Posted by: username_0 on 2021-07-26
I saw a comment [under a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDVFcYCTeWQ&t) which says the following:

> A: I’m not sure but wasn’t menma half japanese half russian?
>
> > [...]
> >
> > B: yes. the father is japanese and the *mother is russian.*
> >
> > [...]
> >
> > C: well, that's explain why she's the only one with unique hair in the anime
> >
> > [...]
> >
> > D: I’ve noticed in anime if you russian you have gray-ish hair. For example Viktor (Yuri on ice), Lev and Elisa (Haikyuu) and Menma

This is somewhat correct as [Irene Honma](https://anohana.fandom.com/wiki/Ir%C3%A8ne_Honma) (mother of Menma) is non-Japanese. But is she actually Russian? There is no mention of Irene being Russian in wiki apart from a note that says:

> The name Irène means "peace" in *Greek*.

**Question**: Is there any information in source material(manga) regarding the actual ethnicity of Irene Honma? If so, is she Russian?

---

Related discussion: [Is it known whether Kaori Miyazono is half-Japanese?](https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/38293/is-it-known-whether-kaori-miyazono-is-half-japanese)
**Tags:** anohana
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2021-07-27. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
Yes, Menma is quarter-Russian.

Here is the quote from [Wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%82%E3%81%AE%E6%97%A5%E8%A6%8B%E3%81%9F%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AE%E5%90%8D%E5%89%8D%E3%82%92%E5%83%95%E9%81%94%E3%81%AF%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A0%E7%9F%A5%E3%82%89%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%80%82)

> 本間 芽衣子（ほんま めいこ）/ めんま
> .. **ロシア人**[24]の血を引く母イレーヌから受け継いだ銀髪碧眼と白い肌から、儚げな印象を与える**クォーター**[25]の少女。

ロシア人＝Russian, クォーター=quarter.

The sources are:

> [24] 『オトナアニメ』vol.21、洋泉社〈洋泉社MOOK〉、2011年8月8日、46-77頁。ISBN 978-4-86248-772-8。p50

and

> [25] 小説版(novelized version)
>
> 『あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。(上)』、2011年7月25日発売[1](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%81%82%E3%81%AE%E6%97%A5%E8%A6%8B%E3%81%9F%E8%8A%B1%E3%81%AE%E5%90%8D%E5%89%8D%E3%82%92%E5%83%95%E9%81%94%E3%81%AF%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A0%E7%9F%A5%E3%82%89%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%80%82)、ISBN 978-4-8401-3957-1
>
> 『あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。(下)』、2012年8月10日発売[2]、ISBN 978-4-8401-4689-0
---
