View source for Japanese name

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{{Distinguish|Names of Japan}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Cleanup|date=September 2020|reason=The grammar, as well as some of the terminology used, are incorrect to the point that parts of the article become almost unintelligible.}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2023}}
}}[[File:Yamada-vertical.svg|thumbnail|upright=0.55|right|{{nihongo|[[Yamada]] [[Tarō (given name)|Tarō]]|山田太郎}}, a Japanese [[placeholder name#People|placeholder name]] (male), equivalent to ''John Smith'' in English.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:山田太郎から進化を続ける「名前例」|url=http://www.excite.co.jp/News/bit/E1328764726320.html|work=Excite Bit|publisher=Excite News|access-date=6 December 2012|language=Japanese|date=20 February 2012|trans-title='Example Names' Continue to Evolve beyond Yamada Tarō}}</ref> The equivalent of ''Jane Smith'' would be {{nihongo|[[Yamada]] [[Hanako (given name)|Hanako]]|山田花子}}.]]

{{nihongo|'''Japanese names'''|日本人の氏名、日本人の姓名、日本人の名前|Nihonjin no shimei, Nihonjin no seimei, Nihonjin no namae}} in modern times consist of a [[family name]] (surname) followed by a [[given name]]. Japanese names are usually written in [[kanji]], where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adopting a Japanese name, are able to choose which pronunciations they want for certain kanji, the same written form of a name may have multiple readings. In exceptional cases, this makes it impossible to determine the intended pronunciation of a name with certainty. Even so, most pronunciations chosen for names are common, making them easier to read. While any [[jōyō kanji]] (with some exceptions for readability) and {{lang|ja-latn|[[jinmeiyō kanji]]}} may be used as part of a name, names may be rejected if they are believed to fall outside what would be considered an acceptable name by measures of common sense.<ref>{{cite web |last= |date=2017-05-04 |title=【命名権濫用（非常識な命名）と出生届不受理と名の変更】 |url=https://www.mc-law.jp/rikon/25650/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=東京・埼玉の理系弁護士 |language=ja}}</ref>

Japanese names may be written in [[hiragana]] or [[katakana]], the Japanese language syllabaries for words of Japanese or foreign origin, respectively. As such, names written in hiragana or katakana are phonetic rendering and lack meanings that are expressed by names written in the [[Logogram|logographic]] kanji.

==Structure==
The majority of [[Japanese people]] have one surname and one given name, except for the [[Imperial House of Japan|Japanese imperial family]], whose members have no surname. The family name precedes the given name. People with mixed Japanese and foreign parentage may have middle names.<ref name=PowerpC4-2>Power, p. C4-2.</ref><!--Author gives examples of his own children, named in the document-->

Very few names are in use both as surnames and as given names (for example {{nihongo|Mayumi|真弓}}, {{nihongo|Izumi|泉}}, {{nihongo|Masuko|益子}}, or {{nihongo|Arata|新}}). Therefore, to those familiar with Japanese names, which name is the surname and which is the given name is usually apparent, no matter in which order the names are presented. It is thus unlikely that the two names will be confused, for example, when writing in English while using the family name-given name naming order. However, due to the variety of pronunciations and differences in languages, some common surnames and given names may coincide when Romanized: e.g., {{nihongo|Maki|真紀、麻紀、真樹}} (given name) and {{nihongo|Maki|真木、槇、牧}} (surname).

===Family names===
The term ''surname'' or ''family name'' can translate into three different Japanese words, ''{{nihongo|myōji|苗字}}'', ''{{nihongo|uji|氏}}'', and ''{{nihongo|sei|姓}}'', which historically had different meanings. ''{{nihongo|Sei|姓}}'' was originally the [[patrilineal]] surname which was granted by the emperor as a title of male rank. In the 8th century, eight types of {{transliteration|ja|sei}} were established, but later all surnames except for ''{{nihongo|ason|朝臣}}''  almost disappeared. ''{{nihongo|Uji|氏}}'' was another name used to designate [[patrilineal]] clan. ''Uji'' and ''Sei'' used in the set: e.g., {{nihongo|Minamoto no Ason|源朝臣}}, {{nihongo|Taira no Ason|平朝臣}}, {{nihongo|Fujiwara no Ason|藤原朝臣}}. ''Uji'' and {{transliteration|ja|sei}} together are called ''{{nihongo|seishi or shōji|姓氏}}'' and also simply {{transliteration|ja|sei}}. There were relatively few {{transliteration|ja|sei}} of the medieval noble clans, and they trace their lineage either directly to these {{transliteration|ja|sei}} or to the courtiers of these {{transliteration|ja|sei}}. {{nihongo|Myōji|苗字}} was simply what a family chooses to call itself, as opposed to the {{transliteration|ja|sei}} granted by the emperor. While it was passed on patrilineally in male ancestors including in male ancestors called {{Transliteration|ja|haku}} (uncles), one had a certain degree of freedom in changing one's {{transliteration|ja|myōji}}. See also {{transliteration|ja|[[kabane]]}}.

According to estimates, there are over 300,000 different surnames in use today in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://myoji-yurai.net/columnMyojiCount.htm|title=名字由来net｜日本人の名字99%を掲載!! 【年末緊急発表】日本人の名字３０万種は事実か？|website=名字由来net｜日本人の名字99%を掲載!!}}</ref> The three most common family names in Japan are {{nihongo|[[Satō]]|佐藤}}, {{nihongo|[[Suzuki (surname)|Suzuki]]|鈴木}}, and {{nihongo|[[Takahashi]]|高橋}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.japanese-name-translation.com/site/top500_Japanese_family_names.xls|title=Japanese name translations|publisher=Japanese-name-translation.com|format=XLS|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060624175822/http://www.japanese-name-translation.com/site/top500_Japanese_family_names.xls|archive-date=2006-06-24}}</ref> People in Japan began using surnames during the [[Muromachi period]].<ref>https://news.goo.ne.jp/amp/article/postseven/trend/postseven-581287.html {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> Japanese peasants had surnames in the [[Edo period]]; however, they could not use them in public.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.city.kodaira.tokyo.jp/kurashi/022/022836.html|title=市史編さんこぼれ話No.１８ 「近世の百姓に苗字はあったのか」｜東京都小平市公式ホームページ|website=www.city.kodaira.tokyo.jp}}</ref>

Most surnames are written with two kanji characters, but some common surnames are written with one or three kanji.<ref name="meiji-yasuda">{{cite press release
 | title = 明治安田生命 全国同姓調査 [''Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company - National same family name investigation'']
 | publisher = [[Meiji Yasuda Life|Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company]]
 | date =2008-09-24
 | url =http://www.meijiyasuda.co.jp/profile/news/release/2008/pdf/20080924.pdf
 | access-date = 2012-05-30}}</ref> Some surnames written with four or five kanji exist, such as {{nihongo|Kadenokōji|勘解由小路}}, but these are rare.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://name.sijisuru.com/Columns/longname | title = 日本一長い苗字 [''Japan's Longest Surnames''] | access-date = 2023-10-24}}</ref>

One large category of family names can be categorized as {{transliteration|ja|-tō}} names. The kanji {{lang|ja|藤}}, meaning ''[[wisteria]]'', has the {{transliteration|ja|on'yomi}} {{transliteration|ja|tō}} (or, with {{transliteration|ja|[[rendaku]]}}, {{transliteration|ja|dō}}). Many Japanese people have surnames that include this kanji as the second character. This is because the {{nihongo|[[Fujiwara clan]]|藤原家}} gave their [[samurai]] surnames ({{transliteration|ja|myōji}}) ending with the first character of their name (which can be pronounced either {{transliteration|ja|fuji}} or {{transliteration|ja|tō}}), to denote their status in an era when commoners were not allowed surnames. Examples include Atō, [[Andō]], [[Itō (name)|Itō]] (although a different final kanji is also common), [[Udo (disambiguation)|Udō]], [[Eto|Etō]], [[Endo (surname)|Endō]], [[Goto (name)|Gotō]], Jitō, [[Katō (surname)|Katō]], [[Kitō (surname)|Kitō]], [[Kudo (disambiguation)|Kudō]], [[Kondō]], [[Saito (surname)|Saitō]], [[Satō]], [[Shindō (surname)|Shindō]], Sudō, [[Naito (disambiguation)|Naitō]], Bitō, and [[Muto (disambiguation)|Mutō]]. As already noted, some of the most common family names are in this list.

Japanese family names usually include characters referring to places and geographic features.<ref>Hakes, Molly. ''The Everything Conversational Japanese Book: Basic Instruction For Speaking This Fascinating Language In Any Setting''. [[Everything Books]], 2004. [https://books.google.com/books?id=m2WaRtYHoUoC&dq=%22Japanese+surnames+usually+incorporate+a+place%27&pg=PA120 120]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on August 8, 2011. {{ISBN|1-59337-147-0}}, {{ISBN|978-1-59337-147-0}}.</ref>

===Given names===
Given names are called the {{nihongo|"name"|名|mei}} or {{nihongo|"lower name"|下の名前|shita no namae}}, because, in vertically written Japanese, the given name appears under the family name.<ref>Hakes, Molly. ''The Everything Conversational Japanese Book: Basic Instruction For Speaking This Fascinating Language In Any Setting''. [[Everything Books]], 2004. [https://books.google.com/books?id=m2WaRtYHoUoC&dq=%22In+Japanese%2C+the+last+name+is+always+given+first%22&pg=PA119 119]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on August 8, 2011. {{ISBN|1-59337-147-0}}, {{ISBN|978-1-59337-147-0}}.</ref>

While family names follow relatively consistent rules, given names are much more diverse in [[pronunciation]] and characters. While many common names can easily be spelled or pronounced, parents may choose names with unusual characters or pronunciations; the pronunciation of such names generally cannot be inferred from the written form, or vice versa. Unusual pronunciations have become much more common, as the trend has significantly increased in popularity since the 1990s.<ref name="JT2012" /><ref>{{cite news|author=佐藤 稔 [Minoru Sato]|title=『読みにくい名前はなぜ増えたか』|trans-title=Yominikui Namae wa Naze Fuetaka ("Why We See More Hard-to-read Names")|year=2007}}</ref> For example, the popular masculine name {{lang|ja|大翔}} is traditionally pronounced "Hiroto", but in recent years alternative pronunciations "Haruto", "[[Yamato (disambiguation)|Yamato]]", "Taiga", "Sora", "Taito", "Daito", and "Masato" have all entered use.<ref name="JT2012" />

Male names often end in {{nihongo3|"son" or "clear, bright"⁠|郎/朗|-rō}} (e.g. "[[Ichirō (name)|Ichirō]]"), {{nihongo3|"great, thick" or "first [son]"|太|-ta}} (e.g. "[[Kenta]]"), or {{nihongo3|"man"|男/雄/夫|-o}} (e.g. "Teruo" or "[[Akio]]").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/names-for-people.html|title=How do Japanese names work?|website=www.sljfaq.org|language=en|access-date=2017-11-14}}</ref> Male names often also contain {{nihongo3|"first [son]"|一|ichi}} (e.g. "[[Ken'ichi]]"), {{nihongo3|"first [son]"|一|kazu}} (also written with {{nihongo2|一}}, along with several other possible characters; e.g. "[[Kazuhiro]]"), {{nihongo3|"second [son]" or "next"|二/次|ji}} (e.g. "[[Jiro (given name)|Jirō]]"), or {{nihongo3|"great, large"|大|dai}} (e.g. "[[Daichi (given name)|Daichi]]").

Female names often end in {{nihongo3|"child"|子|-ko}} (e.g. "[[Keiko (given name)|Keiko]]") or {{nihongo3|"beauty"|美|-mi}} (e.g. "[[Yumi (name)|Yumi]]").<ref name="Hakes121">Hakes, Molly. ''The Everything Conversational Japanese Book: Basic Instruction For Speaking This Fascinating Language In Any Setting''. [[Everything Books]], 2004. [https://books.google.com/books?id=m2WaRtYHoUoC&pg=PA121 121]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on August 8, 2011. {{ISBN|1-59337-147-0}}, {{ISBN|978-1-59337-147-0}}.</ref> Other popular endings for female names include {{nihongo3|"scent, perfume" or "flower"⁠|香/花|-ka}} (e.g. "[[Reika]]") and {{nihongo3|"greens" or "apple tree"|奈/菜|-na}} (e.g. "[[Haruna (name)|Haruna]]").

Most personal names use one, two, or three kanji.<ref name="HanksHardcastleHodgesAp8"/> Four-syllable given names are common, especially in eldest sons.<ref name="Hakes122">Hakes, Molly. ''The Everything Conversational Japanese Book: Basic Instruction For Speaking This Fascinating Language In Any Setting''. [[Everything Books]], 2004. [https://books.google.com/books?id=m2WaRtYHoUoC&pg=PA122 122]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on August 8, 2011. {{ISBN|1-59337-147-0}}, {{ISBN|978-1-59337-147-0}}.</ref>

The usage of {{nihongo||子|-ko}} has changed significantly over the years: prior to the [[Meiji Restoration]] (1868), it was reserved for members of the imperial family. Following the restoration, it became popular and was overwhelmingly common in the [[Taishō period|Taishō]] and early [[Shōwa period|Shōwa]] era.<ref name="JT2012">{{cite web
| title = What to call baby? | publisher = The Japan Times Online
| access-date = 2012-01-24
| url = http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120122x1.html
}}</ref> The suffix {{transliteration|ja|-ko}} increased in popularity after the mid-20th century.

Around the year 2006, due to the citizenry mimicking naming habits of popular entertainers, the suffix {{transliteration|ja|-ko}} was declining in popularity. At the same time, names of western origin, written in kana, were becoming increasingly popular for naming of girls.<ref name="HanksHardcastleHodgesAp8"/> By 2004 there was a trend of using hiragana instead of kanji in naming girls.

Molly Hakes said that this may have to do with using hiragana out of cultural pride, since hiragana is Japan's indigenous writing form, or out of not assigning a meaning to a girl's name so that others do not have a particular expectation of her.<ref name="Hakes121"/>

Names ending with {{transliteration|ja|-ko}} dropped significantly in popularity in the mid-1980s, but are still given, though much less than in the past. Male names occasionally end with the syllable {{transliteration|ja|-ko}} as in [[Mako (actor)|Mako]], but very rarely using the kanji {{lang|ja|子}} (most often, if a male name ends in {{transliteration|ja|-ko}}, it ends in {{transliteration|ja|-hiko}}, using the kanji {{lang|ja|彦}} meaning "boy"). Common male name endings are {{transliteration|ja|-shi}} and {{transliteration|ja|-o}}; names ending with {{transliteration|ja|-shi}} are often adjectives, e.g., Atsushi, which might mean, for example, "(to be) faithful."

Katakana and hiragana spellings are characteristic of feminine names rather than masculine names, with katakana often used for women's names in the early 20th century due to being easier to read and write.<ref name="mori-kolbe">{{cite journal |last1= Mori-Kolbe |first1= Noriko |date= 2020 |title= Child Naming Practice and Changing Trends in Modern Japan |url= https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1142&context=thecoastalreview |journal= The Coastal Review |volume= 11 |issue= 1 |doi= 10.20429/cr.2020.110102 |access-date=2023-10-24|doi-access= free }}</ref>

A single name-forming element, such as {{nihongo3|"expansiveness"||hiro}} can be written by more than one kanji ({{lang|ja|博}}, {{lang|ja|弘}}, or {{lang|ja|浩}}). Conversely, a particular kanji can have multiple meanings and pronunciations. In some names, Japanese characters phonetically "spell" a name and have no intended meaning behind them. Many Japanese personal names use puns.<ref name="HanksHardcastleHodgesAp8">Hanks, Patrick, Kate Hardcastle, and Flavia Hodges. ''A Dictionary of First Names''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2006. [https://books.google.com/books?id=9nd05X_awIgC&pg=PT633 Appendix 8: Japanese Names]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on April 1, 2012. {{ISBN|0-19-861060-2}}, {{ISBN|978-0-19-861060-1}}.</ref>

Although usually written in kanji, Japanese names have distinct differences from [[Chinese names]] through the selection of characters in a name and the pronunciation of them. A Japanese person can distinguish a Japanese name from a Chinese name. Akie Tomozawa said that this was equivalent to how "Europeans can easily tell that the name 'Smith' is English and 'Schmidt' is German or that 'Victor' is English or French and 'Vittorio' is Italian".<ref>Tomozawa, Akie. Chapter 6: "Japan's Hidden Bilinguals: The Languages of 'War Orphans' and Their Families After Repatriation From China." In: Noguchi, Mary Goebel and Sandra Fotos (editors). ''Studies in Japanese Bilingualism''. [[Multilingual Matters]], 2001. [https://books.google.com/books?id=mjAAjxo9yn4C&dq=Japanese+names+in+Chinese&pg=PA159 158-159]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on October 25, 2012. {{ISBN|185359489X}}, 9781853594892.</ref>

==Characters==
Japanese names are usually written in kanji, although some names use [[hiragana]] or even [[katakana]], or a mixture of kanji and [[kana]]. While most "traditional" names use {{transliteration|ja|[[kunyomi|kun'yomi]]}} (native Japanese) kanji readings, a large number of given names and surnames use {{transliteration|ja|[[onyomi|on'yomi]]}} (Japanese sound, often Chinese-based) kanji readings as well. Many others use readings which are only used in names ({{transliteration|ja|[[nanori]]}}), such as the female name {{nihongo|Nozomi|希}}.

The sound {{transliteration|ja|no}}, indicating possession (like the [[Saxon genitive]] in English), and corresponding to the character {{lang|ja|の}}, is often included in names but not written as a separate character, as in the common name {{nihongo3|well-(possessive)-top/above, top of the well|井上|i-no-ue}}, or historical figures such as [[Sen no Rikyū]].<ref>Otake, Tomoko, "[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120122x1.html What to call baby?]", ''[[Japan Times]]'', 22 January 2012, p. 7.</ref>

===Difficulty of reading names===
{{One source|section|date=April 2025}}
A name written in kanji may have more than one common pronunciation, only one of which is correct for a given individual. For example, the surname written in kanji as {{lang|ja|東海林}} may be read either {{Transliteration|ja|Tōkairin}} or {{Transliteration|ja|Shōji}}.<ref name=PowerpC4-2/> Conversely, any one name may have several possible written forms, and again, only one will be correct for a given individual. The character {{lang|ja|一}} when used as a male given name may be used as the written form for "Hajime", "Hitoshi", "Ichi-/-ichi" "Kazu-/-kazu", and many others. The name [[Hajime]] may be written with any of the following: {{lang|ja|始}}, {{lang|ja|治}}, {{lang|ja|初}}, {{lang|ja|一}}, {{lang|ja|元}}, {{lang|ja|肇}}, {{lang|ja|創}}, {{lang|ja|甫}}, {{lang|ja|基}}, {{lang|ja|哉}}, {{lang|ja|啓}}, {{lang|ja|本}}, {{lang|ja|源}}, {{lang|ja|東}}, {{lang|ja|大}}, {{lang|ja|孟}}, or {{lang|ja|祝}}. This many-to-many correspondence between names and the ways they are written is much more common with male given names than with surnames or female given names but can be observed in all these categories. The permutations of potential characters and sounds can become enormous, as some very overloaded sounds may be produced by over 500 distinct kanji and some kanji characters can stand for several dozen sounds. This can and does make the [[collation]], [[pronunciation]], and [[romanization]] of a Japanese name a very difficult problem. For this reason, business cards often include the pronunciation of the name as [[furigana]], and forms and documents often include spaces to write the reading of the name in kana (usually katakana).

A few Japanese names, particularly family names, include [[Kyuujitai|archaic versions of characters]]. For example, the very common character {{transliteration|ja|shima}}, "island", may be written as {{lang|ja|嶋}} or {{lang|ja|嶌}} instead of the usual {{lang|ja|島}}. Some names also feature very uncommon kanji, or even [[jinmeiyō kanji|kanji which no longer exist in modern Japanese]]. Japanese people who have such names are likely to compromise by substituting similar or simplified characters. This may be difficult for input of kanji in computers, as many kanji databases on computers only include common and regularly used kanji, and many archaic or mostly unused characters are not included.

An example of such a name is [[Saito (surname)|Saitō]]: there are two common kanji for {{transliteration|ja|sai}} here. The two {{transliteration|ja|sai}} characters have different meanings: {{lang|ja|斉}} means "together" or "parallel", but {{lang|ja|斎}} means "to purify". These names can also exist written in archaic forms, as {{lang|ja|齊藤}} and {{lang|ja|齋藤}} respectively.

A problem occurs when an elderly person forgets how to write their name in old kanji that is no longer used.

Family names are sometimes written with periphrastic readings, called {{transliteration|ja|[[jukujikun]]}}, in which the written characters relate indirectly to the name as spoken. For example, {{lang|ja|四月一日}} would normally be read as {{nihongo3|"April 1st"||shigatsu tsuitachi}}, but as a family name it is read {{nihongo3|"unpadded clothes"||watanuki}}, because the first day of the fourth lunar month (in the old lunar calendar, closer to 1 May) is the traditional date to switch from winter to summer clothes. In the same way {{lang|ja|小鳥遊}} would normally be read as {{nihongo3|"little birds play"||kotori asobi}} or {{transliteration|ja|shōchōyū}}, but is read {{Transliteration|ja|Takanashi}}, because little birds ({{transliteration|ja|kotori}}) play ({{transliteration|ja|asobi}}) where there are no ({{transliteration|ja|nashi}}) hawks ({{transliteration|ja|taka}}).

Most Japanese people and agencies have adopted customs to deal with these issues. [[Address book]]s, for instance, often contain furigana or [[ruby characters]] to clarify the pronunciation of the name. Japanese nationals are also required to give a [[romanized name]] for their [[passport]].

Not all names are complicated. Some common names are summarized by the phrase {{nihongo3|"the village in the middle of the rice fields"||tanakamura}}: the three kanji ({{nihongo3|"rice field"|田|ta}}, {{nihongo3|"middle"|中|naka}} and {{nihongo3|"village"|村|mura}}), together in any pair, form a simple, reasonably common surname: [[Tanaka]], [[Nakamura (surname)|Nakamura]], [[Murata (surname)|Murata]], [[Nakata (disambiguation)|Nakata]] (Nakada), [[Muranaka]], [[Tamura (surname)|Tamura]].

Despite these difficulties, there are enough patterns and recurring names that most native Japanese will be able to read virtually all family names they encounter and the majority of personal names.

===Regulations===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2009}}
Kanji names in Japan are governed by the Japanese Ministry of Justice's rules on kanji use in names. {{As of|2015|alt=As of January 2015}}, only the 843 "name kanji" ({{transliteration|ja|[[jinmeiyō kanji]]}}) and 2,136 "commonly used characters" ({{transliteration|ja|[[jōyō kanji]]}}) are permitted for use in personal names. This is intended to ensure that names can be readily written and read by those literate in Japanese. Names may be rejected if they are considered unacceptable; for example, in 1993 two parents who tried to name their child {{nihongo|Akuma|悪魔}}, which means "devil", were prohibited from doing so after a massive public outcry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nistep.go.jp/achiev/ftx/eng/pol001e/html/pol001ee.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060406095423/http://www.nistep.go.jp/achiev/ftx/eng/pol001e/html/pol001ee.html|url-status=dead|title=Legal Regulations on the Advanced Science and Technology 15|archive-date=April 6, 2006}}</ref>

Though there are regulations on the naming of children, many archaic characters can still be found in adults' names, particularly those born prior to the [[Second World War]]. Because the legal restrictions on use of such kanji cause inconvenience for those with such names and promote a proliferation of identical names, many recent changes have been made to increase rather than to reduce the number of kanji allowed for use in names. The Sapporo High Court held that it was unlawful for the government to deny registration of a child's name because it contained a kanji character that was relatively common but not included in the official list of name characters compiled by the Ministry of Justice. Subsequently, the Japanese government promulgated plans to increase the number of kanji "permitted" in names.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.sanseido-publ.co.jp/wp/2008/11/06/so/ |script-title=ja:人名用漢字の新字旧字：「曽」と「曾」|access-date=2014-10-09 |publisher=Sanseido Word-Wise Web |language=Japanese|date=6 November 2008}}</ref>

The use of a space in given names (to separate first and middle names) is not allowed in official documents, because technically, a space is not an allowed character. However, spaces are sometimes used on business cards and in correspondence.

==Customs==
{{Confusing section|date=November 2020}}
Historically, families consisted of many children and it was a common practice to name sons by numbers suffixed with {{nihongo3|"son"|郎|rō}}. The first son would be known as "Ichirō", the second as "Jirō", and so on.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=daczAQAAIAAJ&q=ichiro+%22first+son%22|first=Mock|last=Jōya|title=Mock Jōya's Things Japanese|publisher=Tokyo News Service|year=1963|page=668|oclc=12619597}}</ref> Girls were often named with {{nihongo3|"child"|子|ko}} at the end of the given name (this should not be confused with the less common male suffix {{nihongo||彦|hiko}}). Both practices have become less common, although many children continue to be given names that originate from these conventions.

===Speaking to and of others===
{{Main|Japanese honorifics|Japanese pronouns}}

Conventions of direct address and name use in conversation are heavily governed by respect for those considered in higher social positions (ex. older family members, teachers, employers), familiarity with those considered to be in lower social positions (ex. younger family members, students, employees) and the speaker's relationships with the listener and the addressee. Typically, the family name is used to refer to an individual, and personal or given names are largely restricted to informal situations and cases where the speaker is older than, a superior of, or very familiar with the named individual. When addressing someone or referring to a member of one's [[Uchi-soto|out-group]], a respectful title such as {{nihongo||さん|-san}} is typically added. Calling someone's name (family name) without any title or honorific is called {{nihongo||呼び捨て|yobisute}}, and may be considered rude even in the most informal and friendly occasions. This [[faux pas]], however, is readily excused for foreigners.

Japanese people often avoid referring to their seniors or superiors by name at all. Rather, it is considered more respectful to address one who is considered a social superior by their title. Similarly to Western cultures, one would not address their mother by their name, but perhaps as {{nihongo3|"mother"|お母さん|okāsan}}; however, this readily extends outside the family circle as well. A teacher would be addressed as {{nihongo3|"teacher"|先生|sensei}}, while a company president would be addressed as {{nihongo3|"company president"|社長|shachō}}.

Pronouns meaning "you" ({{nihongo||あなた|anata}}, {{nihongo||きみ|kimi}}, {{nihongo||お前|omae}}) are uncommon in Japanese, as when used improperly they may be perceived as being affrontive or sarcastic. It is more common for people to address each other by name/title and honorific, even in face-to-face conversations.

===Nicknames===
{{Main|Japanese abbreviated and contracted words}}
Any given name corresponds with one or more [[hypocoristic]]s, or affectionate nicknames. These may be formed by adding the suffix {{nihongo||ちゃん|[[-chan]]}} to a name stem. There are two types of stem: the full given name or a modified stem derived from the full given name. Examples of the first type are Tarō-chan from Tarō, Kimiko-chan from Kimiko, and Yasunari-chan from Yasunari. Examples of the second type are Ta-chan from Tarō, Kii-chan from Kimiko, and Yā-chan from Yasunari. Hypocoristics with modified stems are considered more intimate than those based on the full given name.

Hypocoristics with modified stems are derived by adding {{transliteration|ja|-chan}} to a stem consisting of an integral number, usually one but occasionally two, of [[Foot (prosody)|feet]], where a foot consists of two [[Mora (linguistics)|mora]]s. A {{nihongo|mora|音節}} is the unit of which a light syllable contains one and a heavy syllable two. For example, the stems that may be derived from Tarō are /taro/, consisting of two light syllables, and /taa/, consisting of a single syllable with a long vowel, resulting in Taro-chan and Tā-chan. The stems that may be derived from Hanako are /hana/, with two light syllables, /han/, with one syllable closed by a consonant, and /haa/, with one syllable with a long vowel, resulting in Hana-chan, Han-chan, and Hā-chan. The segmental content is usually a left substring of that of the given name. However, in some cases it is obtained by other means, including the use of another reading of the kanji used to write the name. For example, a girl named Megumi may be called Kei-chan or just Kei, because the character used to write {{nihongo|Megumi|恵}}, can also be read {{transliteration|ja|Kei}}.

The common Japanese practice of forming abbreviations by concatenating the first two [[Mora (linguistics)|morae]] of two words is sometimes applied to names (usually those of celebrities). For example, {{nihongo|[[Takuya Kimura]]|木村 拓哉|Kimura Takuya}}, a famous Japanese actor and singer, becomes {{nihongo||キムタク|Kimutaku}}. This is sometimes applied even to non-Japanese celebrities: [[Brad Pitt]], whose full name remains the same in Japanese as {{nihongo||ブラッド・ピット|Brad Pitt}} is commonly known as {{nihongo||ブラピ|BraPi}}, and [[Jimi Hendrix]] is abbreviated as {{nihongo||ジミヘン|Jimihen}}. Some [[tarento|Japanese celebrities]] have also taken names combining kanji and katakana, such as {{nihongo|[[Terry Ito]]|テリー伊藤}}. Another slightly less common method is doubling one or two syllables of the person's name, such as the use of "MamiMami" for [[Mamiko Noto]].

== Names from other ethnic groups in Japan ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2014}}

Many ethnic minorities living in Japan, mostly Korean and Chinese, adopt Japanese names. The roots of this custom go back to the colonial-era policy of {{transliteration|ja|[[sōshi-kaimei]]}}, which forced Koreans to change their names to Japanese names. Nowadays, ethnic minorities, mostly Korean, who immigrated to Japan after WWII take on Japanese names (sometimes called 'pass names') to ease communication and, more importantly, to avoid [[Ethnic issues in Japan|discrimination]]. A few of them (e.g., [[Han Chang-Woo]], founder and chairman of Maruhan Corp., pronounced 'Kan Shōyū' in Japanese) still keep their native names. Sometimes, however, ethnic [[Chinese people in Japan|Chinese]] and [[Zainichi Korean|Korean]]s in Japan who choose to renounce Permanent Resident status to apply for Japanese citizenship have to change the characters in their names because not all characters are legally recognized in Japan for naming purposes.

Japanese citizenship used to require adoption of a Japanese name. In recent decades, the government has allowed individuals to simply adopt katakana versions of their native names when applying for citizenship, as is already done when referring to non-East Asian foreigners: [[National Diet of Japan|National Diet]] member {{nihongo|[[Marutei Tsurunen|Tsurunen Marutei]]|ツルネン マルテイ}}, originally 'Martti Turunen', who is [[Finnish people|Finnish]], is a famous example. Others transliterate their names into phonetically similar kanji compounds, such as activist {{nihongo|[[Arudou Debito]]|有道 出人}}, an American-Japanese activist known as 'David Aldwinckle' before taking Japanese citizenship. (Tsurunen has similarly adopted {{lang|ja|弦念 丸呈}}.) Still others have abandoned their native names entirely in favor of [[Yamato people|Yamato]] names, such as [[Lafcadio Hearn]] (who was half [[Anglo-Irish]] and half [[Greek people|Greek]]), who used the name {{nihongo|Koizumi Yakumo|小泉 八雲}}. At the time, to gain Japanese citizenship, it was necessary to be adopted by a Japanese family (in Hearn's case, it was his wife's family) and take their name.

Individuals born overseas with Western given names and Japanese surnames are usually given a katakana name in Western order ([given name] [surname]) when referred to in Japanese. [[Eric Shinseki]], for instance, is still referred to as ''Eric Shinseki'' (エリック シンセキ), opting to use the native script in rendering his name. However, sometimes Japanese parents decide to use Japanese order when mentioning the child's name in Japanese. Also, Japanese parents tend to give their children a name in kanji, hiragana, or katakana, particularly if it is a Japanese name. Even individuals born in Japan, with a Japanese name, might be referred to using katakana if they have established residency or a career overseas. [[Yoko Ono]], for example, was born in Japan, with the name {{lang|ja|小野 洋子}}, and spent the first twenty years of her life there. However, having lived outside the country for more than fifty years, and basing her career in the United States, Ono is often referred to in the press as {{lang|ja|オノ・ヨーコ}}, preserving the Japanese order of her name (Ono Yōko), but rendering it in katakana. Another example is the inventor of [[Bitcoin]], who has gone under the name [[Satoshi Nakamoto]], and which is most likely a pseudonym, perhaps even of a non-Japanese person; Nakamoto is referred to in Japanese with katakana in Western order, {{lang|ja|サトシ・ナカモト}}, rather than {{lang|ja|中本聡}}.

Christians in Japan traditionally have Christian names in addition to their native Japanese names. These Christian names are written using katakana, and are adapted to Japanese phonology from their [[Portuguese (language)|Portuguese]] or [[Latin]] forms rather than being borrowed from English. Peter, for example, is {{nihongo||ペトロ|Petoro}}, John is {{nihongo||ヨハネ|Yohane}}, Jacob is {{nihongo||ヤコブ|Yakobu}}, Martin is {{nihongo||マルチノ|Maruchino}}, Dominic is {{nihongo||ドミニコ|Dominiko}}, and so on.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gcatholic.org/hierarchy/country/JP-age.htm|title=Bishops of Japan (by Age)|author=|date=|website=www.gcatholic.org|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> For most purposes in real life, Christian names are not used; for example, [[Taro Aso]] has a Christian name, {{nihongo|Francisco|フランシスコ|Furanshisuko}}, which is not nearly as well-known. 16th century {{transliteration|ja|[[kirishitan]] [[daimyō]]}} [[Dom Justo Takayama]], on the other hand, is far more well known by his Christian name {{nihongo||ジュスト|Justo}} than his birth name, Hikogorō Shigetomo.

== Imperial names ==
[[File:Akishinodera1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Akishino-dera in [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], from which [[Prince Akishino]] took his name]]
{{See also|Imperial Household of Japan}}
For historical reasons, the [[Emperor of Japan|Japanese emperor]] and his families do not have a surname and possess only a given name, such as {{nihongo|[[Hirohito]]|裕仁}}. However, Japanese people prefer to say "the Emperor" or "the Crown Prince", rather than using the personal name out of respect and as a measure of politeness.

When children are born into the Imperial family, they receive a standard given name as well as a special title. For instance, the Emperor emeritus [[Akihito]] was born {{nihongo||継宮明仁|Tsugu-no-miya Akihito}}. In this name, the title is {{nihongo3|"Prince Tsugu"|継宮|Tsugu-no-miya}}, and he was referred to as "Prince Tsugu" during his childhood. This title is generally used until the individual becomes heir to the throne or inherits one of the historical princely family names ({{nihongo||常陸宮|Hitachi-no-miya}}, {{nihongo||三笠宮|Mikasa-no-miya}}, {{nihongo||秋篠宮|Akishino-no-miya}}, etc.).

When a member of the Imperial family becomes a noble or a commoner, the emperor gives them a family name. In medieval era, the family name "[[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]]" was often used. In modern era, princely family names are used. For example, many members of the extended Imperial family became commoners after [[World War II]] and adopted their princely family names minus the honorific {{nihongo3|"Prince"|宮|-no-miya}} as regular surnames. Conversely, if a commoner or a noble were to become a member of the Imperial family, such as through marriage, their family name is lost. An example is [[Empress Michiko]], whose name was Michiko Shōda before she married Prince [[Akihito]].

== Historical names ==
The current structure (family name + given name) did not materialize until the 1870s, when the Japanese government created the new family registration system.

In feudal Japan, names reflected a person's social status, as well as their affiliation with Buddhist, Shintō, feudatory-military, Confucian-scholarly, mercantile, peasant, slave, and imperial orders.

Before feudal times, [[Japanese clan]] names figured prominently in history. Names with {{transliteration|ja|no}} fall into this category. The Japanese [[Grammatical particle|particle]] {{transliteration|ja|no}} can be translated as 'of', and is similar in usage to the [[German language|German]] aristocratic {{lang|de|von}}, although the association is in the opposite order in Japanese, and is not generally explicitly written in this style of name. Thus, {{nihongo|[[Minamoto no Yoritomo]]|源 頼朝}} was {{nihongo|Yoritomo|頼朝}} of the {{nihongo|[[Minamoto]]|源}} clan. {{nihongo|[[Fujiwara no Kamatari]]|藤原 鎌足}}, {{nihongo|[[Ki no Tsurayuki]]|紀 貫之}}, and {{nihongo|[[Taira no Kiyomori]]|平 清盛}} are additional examples. These family names were recorded in the {{transliteration|ja|[[Shinsen Shōjiroku]]}}. The [[Ryukyuan people|Ryukyuan]] ruling class used names composed of Chinese characters, usually of one or two syllables and read in their [[Ryukyuan languages|own languages]], like Korean and Chinese names.

Before the government formalized the naming system in 1868, Japanese personal names were fluid.<ref>Nagata, Mary Louise. "Names and Name Changing in Early Modern Kyoto, Japan." ''International Review of Social History'' 07/2002; 47(02):243 – 259. P. 246.</ref> Men changed their names for a variety of reasons: to signify that they had attained a higher social status, to demonstrate their allegiance to a house or clan, to show that they had succeeded to the headship of a family or company, to shed bad luck that was attached to an inauspicious name, or simply to avoid being mistaken for a neighbor with a similar name.<ref name="Plutschow">Plutschow, Herbert E. ''Japan's Name Culture: The Significance of Names in a Religious, Political and Social Context''. Psychology Press, 1995.</ref><ref>Nagata 2002, pp. 245-256.</ref> Upper-class men often changed their names upon coming of age ({{transliteration|ja|[[genpuku]]}}), leaving behind their childhood name (which often ended with {{transliteration|ja|-maru}}) and taking on an adult name.<ref>Ravina, Mark. ''The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori''. [[John Wiley and Sons]], 2011. [https://books.google.com/books?id=lwt587Ex_a4C&dq=Chinese+Japanese+names&pg=PT7 Names, Romanizations, and Spelling (page 1 of 2)]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on August 7, 2011. {{ISBN|1-118-04556-4}}, {{ISBN|978-1-118-04556-5}}.</ref> When nobles and samurai received promotions in rank, they received new names, which might contain a syllable or character from their lord's name as a mark of favor.<ref name="Plutschow" />

Changes in women's personal names were recorded less often, so they may not have changed their names as frequently as men did, but women who went into service as maids or entertainers frequently changed their names for the duration of their service. During their employment, their temporary names were treated as their legal names. For example, a maid who was involved in legal dealings in Kyoto in 1819–1831 signed legal documents as Sayo during one period of employment and as Mitsu during a later period of employment, but she signed as Iwa, presumably her birth name, when she was between jobs.<ref>Nagata 2002, p. 257.</ref>

At least until the Kamakura Period, women's names were often descriptive in nature, while their personal names would rarely be used in public.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tyler |first1=Royall |title=Tale of the Heike |date=2014 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-670-02513-8 |page=xxxvi (36) |edition=Reprint, 2014 }}</ref> This was especially proeminent in higher class and Imperial Court. An example is [[Murasaki Shikibu]], whose name "Shikibu" is not the equivalent to a surname, but refers to Shikibu-shō, the Ministry of Ceremonials where Murasaki's father was employed. "Murasaki", an additional name possibly derived from the color violet associated with wisteria, the meaning of the word fuji (an element of her clan name), may have been bestowed on her at court in reference to the name she herself had given to the main female character in "Genji". Another example is [[Taira no Tokuko|Kenreimon-in]], wife and empress to [[Emperor Takakura]]. Kenreimon-in, which was not her personal name, refers to her residence, located by the [[Kyoto Imperial Palace|Kenreimon Gate in the Kyoto Imperial Palace]].

A Japanese person could go by one of several names, depending on the occasion. For example, the 18th-century author, poet, and artist Iwase Samuru wrote under the name [[Santō Kyōden]] and worked as an illustrator under the name Kitao Masanobu. Artists and authors adopted a new name for each medium or form they worked in, whether or not they worked professionally. Some types of artistic names ({{nihongo||号|gō}}) were referred to by special terminology—for example, {{transliteration|ja|haigō}} or {{transliteration|ja|haimei}} for a [[haiku]] poet, and {{transliteration|ja|kagō}} for a {{transliteration|ja|[[Waka (poetry)|waka]]}} poet. Scholars also gave themselves scholarly names, often using the Chinese reading of the characters of their Japanese name. People who entered religious orders adopted religious names.

Death added to the number of a person's names. When a person died, their personal name was referred to as an {{nihongo||諱|imina}} and was no longer used. Instead, the person was referred to by their {{nihongo|posthumous name|諡|okurina}}.

The personal names of Japanese emperors were also referred to as {{transliteration|ja|imina}}, even if the emperor was alive. Prior to [[Emperor Jomei]], the {{transliteration|ja|imina}} of the emperors were very long and not used. The number of characters in each name diminished after Jomei's reign.<ref>{{cite book|author=Brown, Delmer M.|author2=Ishida, Ichirō|year=1979|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w4f5FrmIJKIC&q=Gukansho|title=''The Future and the Past''|publisher=Berkeley: University of California Press.|type=a translation and study of the [[Gukanshō]], an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219|isbn=978-0-520-03460-0|oclc=251325323|page=264}}</ref>

{{nihongo||字|Azana}}, which is given at {{transliteration|ja|genpuku}} ({{nowrap|{{lang|ja|元服}}}}), is used by others and one himself uses his real name to refer to him. {{transliteration|ja|Gō}} are commonly named after places or houses; e.g., Bashō, as in the haiku poet {{nihongo|[[Matsuo Bashō]]|松尾 芭蕉}}, is named after his house, {{nihongo||芭蕉庵|Bashō-an}}.

In the [[late shogunate period]], many anti-government activists used several false names to hide their activities from the [[shogunate]]. Examples are {{nihongo|Saidani Umetarō|才谷 梅太郎}} for {{nihongo|[[Sakamoto Ryōma]]|坂本 龍馬}}, {{nihongo|Niibori Matsusuke|新堀 松輔}} for {{nihongo|[[Kido Takayoshi]]|木戸 孝允}} and {{nihongo|Tani Umenosuke|谷 梅之助}} for {{nihongo|[[Takasugi Shinsaku]]|高杉 晋作}}. The famous writer {{nihongo|[[Kyokutei Bakin]]|曲亭 馬琴}} is known to have had as many as 33 names.

==Professional names==
Actors and actresses in [[Western culture|Western]] and Japanese [[drama]]tic forms, [[comedian]]s, [[sumo]] wrestlers, [[Puroresu|Western-style professional]] wrestlers, and practitioners of traditional [[craft]]s often use professional names. Many stage names of [[television]] and [[film]] actors and actresses are unremarkable, being just like ordinary Japanese personal names, but a few are tongue-in-cheek. For example, {{nihongo|[[Kamatari Fujiwara]]|藤原 釜足}} chose the name of the aforementioned founder of the [[Fujiwara family]], while the name of {{nihongo|[[Hino Yojin|Hino Yōjin]]|日野 陽仁}} sounds like "be careful with fire" (although written differently). Many stand-up comics like the duo [[Takeshi Kitano|Beat Takeshi]] and [[Beat Kiyoshi]] choose a Western name for the act and use their own (or stage) given names. Writers also tend to be clever about their names, for example [[Edogawa Ranpo]] which is designed to sound like "[[Edgar Allan Poe]]".

[[Sumo]] wrestlers take wrestling names called {{nihongo||醜名|[[shikona]]}} or {{lang|ja|四股名}}. While a {{transliteration|ja|shikona}} can be the wrestler's own surname, most upper-division {{transliteration|ja|[[rikishi]]}} have a {{transliteration|ja|shikona}} different from their surname. A typical {{transliteration|ja|shikona}} consists of two or three kanji, rarely just one or more than three. Often, part of the name comes from the wrestler's master, a place name (such as the name of a [[Provinces of Japan|province]], a [[river]], or a [[sea]]), the name of a weapon, an item identified with Japanese tradition (like a {{transliteration|ja|[[koto (musical instrument)|koto]]}} or {{transliteration|ja|[[nishiki-ori]]}}), or a term indicating superiority. Often, {{transliteration|ja|waka}} indicates a wrestler whose father was also in sumo; in this case, the meaning is "junior".

Wrestlers can change their {{transliteration|ja|shikona}}, as Takahanada did when he became {{nihongo|Takanohana|貴ノ花}} and then {{nihongo|[[Takanohana Koji|Takanohana]]|貴乃花}}. Another notable example is the wrestler [[Sentoryu]], which means "fighting war dragon" but is also homophonous with [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], his city of origin.

[[Geisha]], {{transliteration|ja|[[maiko]]}} and practitioners of traditional crafts and arts such as [[pottery]], the [[tea ceremony]], [[calligraphy]], {{transliteration|ja|[[irezumi]]}} (tattooing) and {{transliteration|ja|[[ikebana]]}} (flower arranging) often take professional names, known as {{nihongo3|{{lit|art name}}||geimei}}. In many cases, these come from the master under whom they studied. For geisha, these names often feature the first part of the name of their "older sister", and typically all the geisha registered to one {{transliteration|ja|[[okiya]]}} share this aspect in their names (such as Ichiume, Ichigiku, Ichiteru, etc.).

[[Kabuki]] actors take one of the traditional surnames such as {{nihongo|Nakamura|中村}}, Bandō or Onoe. Some names are inherited on succession, such as that of the famous kabuki actor {{nihongo|[[Bandō Tamasaburō V]]|五代目 坂東 玉三郎|Godaime Bandō Tamasaburō}} through a [[Shūmei|naming ceremony]].

Women working in the [[yūkaku|red-light districts]] commonly took names as a form of anonymity. However, high-ranking [[oiran|courtesans]] could inherit a {{nihongo|[[oiran#Names|generational name]]|名跡|myōseki}} upon gaining promotion to a [[oiran#Ranks|higher rank]]. These names, exclusively the property of the brothel owner, typically carried the prestige of the person who held it previously, and brothel owners commonly chose only those of similar countenance and reputation to inherit them. {{transliteration|ja|Myōseki}} were written in kanji, and were typically more elaborate than the average woman's name of the time, holding meanings taken from poetry, literary history and nature. As they were property of the brothel owner, {{transliteration|ja|myōseki}} were rarely passed from one {{transliteration|ja|oiran}} directly down to their apprentice, as holders were chosen for their suitability to the name's reputation.<ref name="issendai kamuro">{{cite web |title=Kamuro |url=http://www.issendai.com/japanese-courtesans/kamuro.html |website=issendai.com |publisher=Issendai |access-date=14 July 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200712182032/http://www.issendai.com/japanese-courtesans/kamuro.html |archive-date=12 July 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==In English and other Western languages==
In English, the names of living or recently deceased Japanese are generally given surname last and without [[Macron (diacritic)|macrons]].<ref>See ''International Who's Who'', which is recommended for this purpose by the ''[[Chicago Manual of Style]].''</ref> Historical figures are given surname first and with macrons, if available.<ref>See ''Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary'', ''Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary'', and ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. See also ''[[Chicago Manual of Style]]'', "Personal names—additional resources" (§8.3): "For names of well-known deceased persons, Chicago generally prefers the spellings in ''Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary'' or the biographical section of ''Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.''"</ref>

[[File:MomoiExpoCrop.png|thumb|[[Haruko Momoi]] at the [[Anime Expo]] 2007 in [[Los Angeles]]; her name card features a spelling of her name ("Halko Momoi") written surname last. In Japanese, her name is {{nihongo||桃井はるこ|Momoi Haruko}}.]]
{{As of|2008}}, when using English and other Western languages, Japanese people usually give their names in an order reversed from the traditional Japanese naming order, with the family name after the given name, instead of the given name after the family name.<ref name=PowerpC4-2/> Beginning in [[Meiji period]] Japan, in many English-language publications, the naming order of modern-day Japanese people was reversed into the family name last order.<ref name="Mextname">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20120825231633/http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/12/kokugo/toushin/001217d.htm 三．国際化に伴うその他の日本語の問題]." [[Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology]]. Retrieved on May 23, 2011. "日本人の姓名をローマ字で表記するときに，本来の形式を逆転して「名－姓」の順とする慣習は，明治の欧化主義の時代に定着したものであり，欧米の人名の形式に合わせたものである。現在でもこの慣習は広く行われており，国内の英字新聞や英語の教科書も，日本人名を「名－姓」順に表記しているものが多い。ただし，「姓－名」順を採用しているものも見られ，また，一般的には「名－姓」順とし，歴史上の人物や文学者などに限って「姓－名」順で表記している場合もある。"</ref> The adoption of a Western naming order by Japanese people when writing or speaking in European languages, and when attending Western style or international events such as balls, formed part of the wider Meiji period adoption of aspects of Western culture in efforts to present Japan as a country as developed and advanced as its global neighbours.<ref name="Saeki">Saeki, Shizuka. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20020627042648/http://www.lookjapan.com/LBsc/01JunFacts.htm First Name Terms]." ''[[Look Japan]]''. June 2001. Volume 47, No. 543. p. 35.</ref>

Japanese people often have nicknames that are shortened forms of their actual names, and sometimes use these names with foreigners for ease of understanding. For instance, a man named "Kazuyuki" may call himself "Kaz" in the presence of those for whom Japanese is not a first language.<ref name=PowerpC4-2/> Some Japanese people living abroad also adopt nicknames that they use with friends who are not Japanese.<ref name=PowerpC4-2/>

[[File:Orikasa Fumiko (3).jpg|thumb|left|The nameplate of [[Fumiko Orikasa]] is presented family name first in Japanese, while it is presented given name first in English.]]
Most foreign publications reverse the names of modern Japanese people, and most Japanese people reverse their own names for materials or publications intended for foreign consumption; for example, a Japanese business executive or official usually has two business cards ({{transliteration|ja|[[meishi]]}}), the first presenting their name in the Japanese order for Japanese people, and the second presenting their name in the Western order, intended for foreigners.<ref name="Terry632">Terry, Edith. ''[[How Asia Got Rich: Japan, China and the Asian Miracle]]''. [[M.E. Sharpe]], 2002. {{ISBN|0-7656-0356-X}}, 9780765603562. [https://archive.org/details/howasiagotrichja0000terr/page/632 632].</ref> In popular journalism publications, the Western order of naming is used.<ref name="Saeki"/> These practices stand in stark contrast to how English and generally Western names are treated in the Japanese language, where they are typically presented without reordering.

In Russian, Russian names may be written with family name first and given name second, as well as the other way round, and this applies to Japanese names presented in Russian as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://new.gramota.ru/spravka/buro/search-answer?s=%D0%B8%D0%BC%D1%8F+%D0%B8+%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE&start=15|title=Поиск ответа|website=new.gramota.ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abroad.ru/library/termin/1.php|title=КОНФЛИКТ КУЛЬТУР ПРИ ЗАПОЛНЕНИИ ПРОСТОЙ АНКЕТЫ|website=abroad.ru}}</ref>

In English, many historical figures are still referred to with the family name first.<ref name="Mextname"/> This is especially the case in scholarly works about Japan.<ref name="Saeki"/> Many scholarly works use the Japanese order with Japanese names in general, and a scholarly work is more likely to use Japanese order if the author specialises in subjects related to or about Japan. John Power wrote that "People who can speak and read Japanese have a strong resistance to switching Japanese names to the Western order."<ref name=PowerpC4-2/> Books written by these authors often have notes stating that Japanese names are in the original order.<ref name=PowerpC4-2/> Some books, however, do not have consistent naming order practices. Shizuka Saeki<!--Name in document itself is stated as "Saeki Shizuka"--> of ''[[Look Japan]]'' said, "This is not only a headache for writers and translators, it is also a source of confusion for readers."<ref name="Saeki"/> Lynne E. Riggs of the Society of Writers, Editors and Translators (SWET), a professional writing organization headquartered in [[Tokyo]], wrote that "When you publish a book about Japan, you are publishing it for people who want to know about Japan. So they are interested in learning something new or something as it is supposed to be."<ref name="Saeki"/>

Edith Terry wrote that because Japanese people are "mastering" a "Western game", people have some pride and at the same time feel insecurity because the "game" is on "Western terms" rather than "Japanese terms."<!--"game" here means gaining prestige in a world that was dominated by the West (in a period where the strongest countries were European or Western powers, but Japan had to do it by presenting its names surname last in Western languages--><ref name="Terry632"/> The standard presentation of Japanese names in English differs from the standard presentations of modern [[Chinese name]]s and [[Korean name]]s, which are usually not reversed to fit the Western order in English, except when the person is living or traveling abroad.<ref name="Terry632"/><ref name=PowerpC4-2/> Power wrote that the difference between the treatment of Japanese names and of Chinese and Korean names often results in confusion.<ref name=PowerpC4-2/> Terry wrote, "it was one of the ironies of the late twentieth century that Japan remained stranded in the formal devices underlining its historical quest for equality with the West, while China set its own terms, in language as in big-power politics."<ref>Terry, Edith. ''[[How Asia Got Rich: Japan, China and the Asian Miracle]]''. [[M.E. Sharpe]], 2002. {{ISBN|0-7656-0356-X}}, 9780765603562. p. [https://archive.org/details/howasiagotrichja0000terr/page/632]</ref>

Saeki wrote in 2001 that most Japanese people writing in English use the Western naming order, but that some figures had begun to promote the use of Japanese order as Japan became a major economic power in the 20th century. The ''Japan Style Sheet'', a 1998 guide for producing English language works about Japan written by SWET, advocates the use of the Japanese naming order as often as possible, in order to promote a consistency in naming order. In 1987, one publisher of English language textbooks in Japan used the Japanese order of naming, while in 2001 six of the eight publishers of English language textbooks in Japan used the Japanese order. In December 2000, the council on the National Language of the [[Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture]] recommended that English language productions begin using the Japanese naming order, as "it is in general desirable that personal names be presented and written in a way that preserves their unique forms, except for registries and other documents with specific standards." It recommended using capitalization (YAMADA Taro) or commas (Yamada, Taro) to clarify which part of the personal name is the family name and which part is the given name. In a January 2000 opinion poll from the Agency for Cultural Affairs on the preferred order of Japanese names in the English language, 34.9% had a preference for Japanese order, 30.6% had a preference for Western order, and 29.6% had no preference. In 1986, the [[Japan Foundation]] decided that it would use the Japanese naming order in all of its publications. A Japan Foundation publishing division spokesperson stated around 2001 that some SWET publications, including popular anglophone newspapers, continue to use the Western order. As of 2001, the agency's style sheet recommends using a different naming order style depending upon the context. For instance, it advocates using the Western order in publications for readers who are not familiar with Japan, such as international conference papers.<ref name="Saeki"/>

The ''[[Chicago Manual of Style]]'' recommends indexing Japanese names according to the way the original text treats the name. If the text uses the Western order, the Japanese name is reinverted and indexed by the family name with a comma. If the text uses Japanese order, the name is listed by the family name with no inversion and no comma.<ref>"[http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/CHIIndexingComplete.pdf Indexes: A Chapter from The Chicago Manual of Style]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150226005234/http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/CHIIndexingComplete.pdf Archive]). [[Chicago Manual of Style]]. Retrieved on December 23, 2014. p. 27 (PDF document p. 29/56).</ref>
{{Tweet
| name = [[Taro Kono|KONO Taro]]<!--Tweet referred to in : https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/abe-shinzo-or-shinzo-abe-whats-in-a-name/ -->
| username = konotaromp
| text = If you can write
Moon Jae-in and 
Xi Jinping in correct order,
you can surely write 
Abe Shinzo the same way.
| date = 2 September 2020
| ID = 1301075931419697153
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200902083452/https://twitter.com/konotaromp/status/1301075931419697153
| archive-date = 2 September 2020
}}
On 21 May 2019, [[Japanese Foreign Minister]] [[Tarō Kōno]] expressed his hope that foreign media would refer to then-Prime Minister [[Shinzō Abe]] in the Japanese custom: family name first (as "Abe Shinzō"). He added that he was currently planning to issue an official request to the international media in that respect.<ref>{{cite web |title=Japan wants you to say its leader's name correctly: Abe Shinzo |last=Griffiths |first=James |date=22 May 2019 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/21/asia/japan-name-abe-shinzo-intl/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]] |access-date=May 22, 2019}}</ref> He had criticized Western publications who had not done so, stating that "If you can write [[Moon Jae-in]] and [[Xi Jinping]] in correct order, you can surely write Abe Shinzo the same way."<ref name=Tiezzi>{{cite web |last1=Tiezzi |first1=Shannon |title=Abe Shinzo or Shinzo Abe: What's in a Name? |url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/abe-shinzo-or-shinzo-abe-whats-in-a-name/ |website=thediplomat.com |access-date=22 June 2022 |date=3 September 2020 |archive-date=7 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707020223/https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/abe-shinzo-or-shinzo-abe-whats-in-a-name/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time, there were private Japanese journalism concerns and journalism concerns of other East Asian countries which continued to reverse Japanese names into Western order in European languages. Shannon Tiezzi of ''[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]]'' stated that the continued usage of Western order was "merely the inertia of style guides everywhere" instead of "a case of cultural arrogance on the part of Westerners".<ref name=Tiezzi/> Some others in the government support moving to retaining the original order of names, in line with Chinese and Korean practice, in time for the several major global events the country will be host to during 2020, while others seem not to.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Osaki |first1=Tomohiro |title=Moves are afoot to push media to switch Japanese name order in English, but will it work? |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/31/reference/moves-afoot-push-media-switch-japanese-name-order-english-will-work/#.XPNrHdNKhE8 |website=[[The Japan Times]] |access-date=June 7, 2019 |date=May 31, 2019}}</ref> In 2019 [[Yoshihide Suga]] continued to use Western order, citing "long-held practice".<ref name=Tiezzi/>

On September 6, 2019, officials from the [[Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology]] (MEXT) announced that the ministry was to start using the traditional order for Japanese names in English in official documents.<ref name=yamaguchi>{{citation |last=Yamaguchi |first=Mari |title=Japan to put surname first for Japanese names in English | newspaper=[[Associated Press]] |date=September 6, 2019 |url=https://www.apnews.com/c8cec6f9137e47158186dd509aaa72b4}}</ref> In 2020, ''[[The Economist]]'' announced plans to begin writing Japanese names in Japanese order based on a Japanese government decree that had been issued.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2020/01/02/why-japanese-names-have-flipped |title=Why Japanese names have flipped |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=2020-01-02 |access-date=2020-01-11}}</ref> ''[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]]'' began using eastern order for persons in the Japanese government while, for non-government individuals, using the naming orders they choose.<ref name=Tiezzi/> [[NHK World-Japan]] began using Japanese names surname-first (with some exceptions) as early as March 29, 2020, but the new policy regarding name order was only announced early the next day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/information/2020033006002/ |title=Style for Japanese persons' names |work=[[NHK World-Japan]] |date=2020-03-30 |access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref><ref>"The Cabinet agreed yesterday to begin making the change with government documents, though no timeline was given for its start." {{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Japan to put surnames first for documents in English |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japan-to-put-surnames-first-for-documents-in-english |work=The Straits Times |location=Singapore |date=September 7, 2019 |access-date=September 24, 2020}}</ref> In [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] and [[Asian Games|Asiad]] events, starting with the [[2020 Summer Olympic Games]] in Tokyo, Japanese athletes have had their names rendered surname first.<ref>{{cite web |title=Change for Japanese Names at Tokyo 2020 |url=https://www.infobae.com/aroundtherings/ioc/2021/07/12/change-for-japanese-names-at-tokyo-2020/ |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=infobae |date=12 July 2021 |language=}}</ref>

== In Chinese ==
In Chinese-speaking communities, Japanese names are pronounced according to the Chinese pronunciations of the characters.<ref>[[British Broadcasting Corporation]] Monitoring Service. ''Summary of World Broadcasts: Far East, Part 3''. Monitoring Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, 1984. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=PU_VAAAAMAAJ&q=%22 SWB FE/7688/A3/9 6 Jul 84]. "Meanwhile, the Chinese give Japanese names in Chinese pronunciation."</ref> For example, in [[Standard Mandarin]], {{nihongo|Yamada Tarō|山田 太郎}} becomes Shāntián Tàiláng, while {{nihongo|Hatoyama Yukio|鳩山 由紀夫}} becomes Jiūshān Yóujìfū. As a result, a Japanese person without adequate knowledge of Chinese would not understand their name when it is spoken in Chinese languages. Simply porting the kanji into Chinese and reading them as if they were Chinese is also different from the [[Transcription into Chinese characters|usual Chinese practice of approximating foreign names with similar-sounding Chinese characters]].

Sometimes, a Japanese name includes {{transliteration|ja|[[kokuji]]}}. These kanji resemble [[Chinese characters]] but originate in Japan and do not have widely known Chinese pronunciations. For example, the word {{nihongo||込|komu}}, read as {{transliteration|zh|yū}} in Chinese) is rarely used in modern Chinese reading. When words like this are encountered, usually the rule of "{{lang|zh-Hant|有邊讀邊，沒邊讀中間}}" ("[[Youbian dubian|read the side if any]], read the middle part if there is no side") applies. Therefore, "{{lang|ja|込}}" is read as {{transliteration|zh|rù}} which is derived from {{lang|zh-Hans|入}}.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

Heng Ji wrote that because Japanese names have "flexible" lengths, it may be difficult for someone to identify a Japanese name when reading a Chinese text.<ref>Ji, Heng. "Improving Information Extraction and Translation Using Component Interactions." [[ProQuest]], 2007. {{ISBN|0549582479}}, 9780549582472. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=MNp_4kMBCKkC&pg=PA53 53]. "Chinese → Japanese It's difficult to identify Japanese names in Chinese texts because of their flexible name lengths. However, if they can be 'back-translated' into Japanese, the Japanese-specific information could be used for names – they[...]"</ref> When consulting English texts a Chinese reader may have difficulty identifying a Japanese name; an example was when Chinese media mistook Obama's pet turkey ''Abe'' taken from [[Abe Lincoln]] (monosyllabic) for [[Shinzo Abe]] (disyllabic).<ref>Denyer, Simon. "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/26/a-turkey-or-the-japanese-prime-minister-chinese-smirk-as-obama-pardons-abe/ A turkey, or the Japanese prime minister? Chinese smirk as Obama pardons Abe.]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20151212153459/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/26/a-turkey-or-the-japanese-prime-minister-chinese-smirk-as-obama-pardons-abe/ Archive]). ''[[Washington Post]]''. November 26, 2015. Retrieved on December 17, 2015.</ref>

One place where Japanese names may be transliterated into [[Chinese languages]] phonetically is in Japanese video games, anime and manga series. In May 2016, [[Nintendo]] sparked anger among fans in [[Hong Kong]] by announcing that its new ''[[Pokémon]]'' games, [[Pokémon Sun and Moon|''Sun'' and ''Moon'']], would use translations based upon Mandarin across all parts of China and [[Taiwan]]. As the variety of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong, [[Cantonese]], has many phonological differences from Mandarin, this results in names of well-known characters such as [[Pikachu]] being rendered and pronounced much different from the original Japanese.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://qz.com/695136/nintendo-is-renaming-pikachu-in-one-of-its-largest-markets-and-hong-kongers-are-not-happy/|title=Nintendo is renaming Pikachu in one of its largest markets, and Hong Kongers are not happy — Quartz|first=Zheping|last=Huang|date=30 May 2016|website=qz.com|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Japan}}
*{{C|Japanese unisex given names|List of Japanese unisex given names}}
*{{C|Japanese feminine given names|List of Japanese feminine given names}} 
*{{C|Japanese masculine given names|List of Japanese masculine given names}} 
*[[List of common Japanese surnames|List of most common Japanese family names]]
*[[Onomastics]]
*[[Amami name]]
*[[Art-name]]
*[[Japanese alias]]
*{{transliteration|ja|[[Meishi]]}}
*[[Okinawan family name]]
*[[Chinese name]]
*[[Korean name]]
*[[Vietnamese name]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* Power, John. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20101130073413/https://www.theindexer.org/files/26-2/26-2-cp4_002.pdf Japanese names]." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20111016213430/http://theindexer.org/files/26-2/26-2-cp4_002.pdf Archive]) ''[https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/indexer.2008.29 The Indexer]''. June 2008. Volume 26, Issue 2, p.&nbsp;C4-2-C4-8 (7 pages).[[doi:10.3828/indexer.2008.29]]. {{ISSN|0019-4131}}. Accession number 502948569. 
* Some materials taken from ''Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan'', article on "names"

==Further reading==
* Hoffman, Michael. "What's in a (Japanese) name?" ''Japan Times''. Sunday October 11, 2009.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20091014141331/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20091011x5.html Which names are to be found where?]" ''[[Japan Times]]''. Sunday October 11, 2009.
* Koop, Albert J., Hogitaro Inada. ''Japanese Names and How to Read Them'' 2005 {{ISBN|0-7103-1102-8}} Kegan Paul International Ltd.
* Nichigai Associates, Inc. ({{nihongo2|日外アソシエーツ株式会社}} ''Nichigai Asoshiētsu<!--Or: Nichigai Asoshieitsu--> Kabushiki Kaisha'') 1990. ''Nihon seimei yomifuri jiten'' ({{nihongo2|日本姓名よみふり辞典}} "Dictionary of readings of Japanese names in Chinese characters"), vols. ''Sei-no bu'' (family names) and ''Mei-no bu'' (given names). [[Tokyo]]: Nichigai Associates.
* O'Neill, P.G. ''Japanese Names'' 1972 {{ISBN|0-8348-0225-2}} Weatherhill Inc.
* Plutschow, Herbert. ''Japan's Name Culture'' 1995 {{ISBN|1-873410-42-5}} Routledge/Curzon
* Poser, William J. (1990) "Evidence for Foot Structure in Japanese", ''Language'' 66.1.78-105. (Describes hypochoristic formation and some other types of derived names.)
* Throndardottir, Solveig. ''Name Construction in Medieval Japan'' 2004 [https://web.archive.org/web/20120326002701/http://potboilerpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=25 Nostrand, Name Construction in Medieval Japan - $38.66 : Potboiler Press, Books for the Practical Archaeologist] {{ISBN|0-939329-02-6}} [https://archive.today/20130131142102/http://potboilerpress.com/ Potboiler Press]
* Society of Writers, Editors and Translators. ''Japan Style Sheet'' 1998 {{ISBN|1-880656-30-2}} Stone Bridge Press

== External links ==
* [http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/names.html Japanese names section] of [http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/afaq.html sci.lang.japan FAQ]
*[http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~suzakihp/index40.html {{nihongo2|全国の苗字（名字）１０万種掲載}} ("Publication of 100,000 surnames (names) in the country")] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001234636/http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~suzakihp/index40.html |date=2020-10-01 }} {{in lang|ja}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130126073551/http://www.ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp/~jjksiro/shiro.html {{nihongo2|静岡大学人文学部 城岡研究室}} ("Shirōka Lab of the Department of Humanities in the Shizuoka University")] surnames of Japan, Shizuoka prefecture, Okinawa prefecture and Germany. {{in lang|ja}}
*[http://www.myshop.co.jp/japancal/fname/name.htm {{nihongo2|名字見聞録}} ("Records of names")] Japanese names in Kanji and Hiragana. {{in lang|ja}}
*[http://park14.wakwak.com/~myj/ {{nihongo2|苗字舘}} ("Museum of surnames)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024175751/http://park14.wakwak.com/~myj/ |date=2007-10-24 }} statistics of Japanese surnames. {{in lang|ja}}
* 
* [http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa050601a.htm Trends in Japanese Baby Names] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405031114/http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa050601a.htm |date=2015-04-05 }}, Namiko Abe, 2005
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150103191356/http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C WWWJDIC] online dictionary with over 400,000 Japanese names.
* [http://ltool.net/japanese_names_search_and_converter_in_english.php How to read Japanese Names]
* [https://genametor.com/en/list/japanese/boys/ Japanese Names For Boys]
* [https://genametor.com/en/list/japanese/girls/ Japanese Names For Girls]
* [https://genametor.com/en/list/japanese/unisex/ Japanese Names For Unisex]

{{Names in world cultures}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Japanese names| ]]
[[Category:Names by country]]
[[Category:Wikipedia articles containing unlinked shortened footnotes]]