How do Japanese names work? (2024)

• sci.lang.japan FAQ
• 9. Names

• Previous: How can I read a Japanese name?
• Next: How are historical names formed?

Japanese names on a noticeboard
Photo credit: Angie Harms / CC licence1

Japanese people have two names, a surname and a given name. Thesurname is usually inherited from the father, and women usually changetheir surname to the husband's upon marriage.

In Japanese, the surname comes before the given name. Thus, a personwith surname Yamamoto and given name Sanae is referred to asYamamoto Sanae. In the name order of English, this would be"Sanae Yamamoto".

Japanese names are usually written in kanji (Chinese characters, seeKanji). Surnames are almost always in kanji. Given names areusually in kanji. Some given names are in hiragana or katakana (seeHiragana and katakana).

Japanese people do not have middle names, and middle names are notrecognized in Japan, except for foreigners. See Do Japanese people have middle names?

Surnames

There are a great number of surnames in Japan. The Enamdict electronicdictionary of Japanese names contains more than 138,500 surnames.^[1]

Surnames are usually written in kanji (Chinese characters). Typicalsurnames have two characters. For example Suzuki (鈴木) orYamamoto (山本). They may also have only one kanji, likeHara (原) or Tokoro (所), or more than two.

Most surnames are relatively easy to read, but there may be more thanone way to read the same kanji spelling. For example 中田 may be readeither as Nakata or Nakada. Some are very difficult, suchas 八月一日, which appears to readhachigatsu tsuitachi, "the first of August", but is readHozumi.

Some Japanese use traditional forms of characters intheir surnames rather than the modern simplified forms (seeWhy do some kanji have alternative forms?).

Many surnames are also place names, and the rules for forming namesfollow similar patterns.

Some of the typical kanji used in surnames are

The character 藤, meaning "wisteria", is often used, pronounced eitheras fuji, as in Fujiwara (藤原), the surname of actressNorika Fujiwara, or as tō/dō as in Kondō (近藤) andSatō (佐藤).

Personal names

In Japan, the given name is used very rarely except for children. Mostof the time, people are referred to using their surname only.

Japanese personal names are usually written in kanji, although somepeople, usually women, may have all or part of their name in hiraganaor katakana. Some name kanji are ateji chosen to match thesyllables of the child's name. See Why do some gairaigo words have kanji? for moreabout ateji.

Many Japanese personal names are difficult to read or ambiguous. Formswhich require filling in of a name usually also require a phoneticguide to be written, called furigana (see What is furigana?). Japanesepoliticians often use hiragana versions of their names, rather thankanji ones. See Why are election candidates' names written in hiragana?

The kanji which may be used in personal names are regulated. TheJinmeiyō and Jōyō Kanji lists are the basis of characters which arepermitted (see What are the Jōyō Kanji?). Registration of some names hasbeen refused, for example one family was refused when they tried toname their son Akuma (悪魔), meaning "demon". However, there isno regulation on what pronunciation may be given to the kanji names.

Boy's names

Names ending in hiko, such as Katsuhiko (勝彦), suke,such as Keisuke (慶介) or hei, such as Junpei (淳平),are usually male. Male names also often end in o, written inkanji as 夫, 雄, or 男, as in Teruo (輝夫) orAkio (昭雄), or shi, as in Atsushi, Takashi, orKiyoshi. Male names tend to contain characters such as 勇,meaning "brave", 勝, meaning "win", or 正, meaning "correct".

Boys may be named by a numbering system, with the Chinese characterfor "one" appearing in the name of the first son, the character for"two" appearing in the second son's name, and so on. NovelistKenzaburo Oe (Oe Kenzaburō (大江健三郎) is the "third son".

Common names ending in -ichi or -kazu include

Eichi, Gen-ichi, Jun-ichi, Ju-ichi,Ken-ichi, Koichi, Kyoichi, Ryoichi, Ryuichi,Seiichi, Sen-ichi, Shin-ichi, Shoichi,Shuichi, Shun-ichi, Yoichi, Yu-ichi, Akikazu,Hidekazu, Hirokazu, Masakazu, Nobukazu,Shigekazu, Takakazu, Tomokazu, Toshikazu,Yasukazu, Yoshikazu

Sometimes succeeding sons are named using the same kanji charactersplus the numbering.

Other Japanese male names include

Akihiko, Akihiro, Akihito, Akira, Fumio,Fumihiko, Hideaki, Hidekazu, Hirofumi,Hirohisa, Hiroshi, Hisashi, Hitoshi, Jotaro,Katsuhiko, Katsumi, Kazuhiko, Kazuki,Kazunori, Kazuo, Kazushi, Kei, Ken,Kensaku, Kosaku, Kotaro, Mamoru, Manabu,Masafumi, Masaharu, Masahiko, Masahiro,Masaki, Masami, Masao, Masashi, Masayoshi,Akio, Michihiro, Michio, Naoki, Noboru,Nobuhisa, Nobuo, Nobuyoshi, Noriaki,Norihide, Norihisa, Norio, Osamu, Rintaro,Ryosei, Ryutaro, Satoru, Satoshi, Shigeaki,Shigeki , Shintaro, Sumio, Masayuki, Tadao,Tadashi, Takaaki, Takafumi, Takahiro, Takao,Takashi, Takayuki, Takeshi, Takuya, Taro,Teruo, Tetsuhiko, Tetsunori, Tetsuo, Tetsuya,Tetsuyuki, Tomohiko, Tomoyuki, Toru,Toshiharu, Toshio, Toshiyuki, Tsutomu,Yoshifumi, Yoshimitsu, Yoshiyuki, Yukio,Yutaka

Girl's names

Names ending in e, yo, mi, usually written 美 andko, written 子, are usually female. For example, a combination oftomo and these endings, as in Tomoe, Tomoyo,Tomomi or Tomoko, produces a typical Japanese femalename. Other typical female endings include na, such asHaruna, and ka, such as Haruka. Female names are morelikely to be written in hiragana than male names.

Many modern female names end in -ko, which means"child." For example

Aiko, Akiko, Asako, Atsuko, Ayako,Chikako, Emiko, Eriko, Etsuko, Fujiko,Fumiko, Haruko, Ikuko, Junko, Katsuko,Kazuko, Keiko, Kimiko, Kumiko, Kyoko,Machiko, Maiko, Makiko, Mamiko, Mariko,Masako, Mayako, Mayuko, Mayoko, Michiko,Mihoko, Minako, Misako, Mitsuko, Miyoko,Momoko, Mutsuko, Nahoko, Namiko, Nanako,Naoko, Natsuko, Nayoko, Noriko, Reiko,Rieko, Rikako, Rinako, Risako, Ritsuko,Rumiko, Ryoko, Sachiko, Saeko, Sakiko,Sakuko, Sakurako, Sanako, Satoko, Sayoko,Shoko, Seiko, Tadako, Takako, Tamiko,Tokiko, Tomiko, Yoko, Yoshiko,Yukako, Yukiko, Yumako, Yumiko, Yuriko,

Some female names end in -mi, which usually means "beauty." Forexample Ami, Asami, Emi, Harumi, Honami, Kazumi,Kumi, Manami, Mami, Masami, Masumi,Mayumi, Mutsumi, Nami, Nanami, Naomi,Narumi, Natsumi, Nomi, Remi, Romi,Satomi, or Yumi.

Other common names include Ai, Akane, Aki, Arisa,Ayame, Chiaki, Chika, Chisato, Ema, Eri,Fumie, Fumiyo, Hatsue, Hatsuyo, Ikue,Isako, Izumi, Jun, Katsue, Kazue, Machi,Madoka, Mai, Maki, Mari, Maya, Mayu,Mayo, Miho, Mina, Mio, Misa, Misato,Miya, Mizuki, Naho, Namie, Namiyo, Nana,Nao, Rie, Rina, Risa, Rui, Sachi,Sae, Saki, Sakura, Saya, Sayuri, Sayo,Shinobu, Shiori, Tamiyo, Tokie, Tokiyo,Yayoi, Yu, Yui, Yuka, Yukari, Yuki,Yuma, and Yuri.

Names and fortune telling

Personal names are often chosen so that the stroke count of the kanjiin the child's name will be a fortuitous number. This form offortune-telling is called Seimei Handan (姓名判断).

Names for non-Japanese

Names for foreigners are usually written in katakana as are otherforeign words. See How do I write an English word in Japanese? for the rules oftranscription. See What is katakana used for? for more about when katakanais used. Chinese and Korean people, who have names based on kanji, mayalso be referred to by their kanji names, often with a Japanesepronunciation.

External links

• The200 most popular Japanese surnames (in Japanese) by HiroshiMorioka (archived at archive.org)
• Japanese names and how to read them: a manual for art-collectors and students by Albert J. Koop and Hogitarō Inada, The Eastern Press, Limited; 1923 a book available online at archive.org.
• Japanese personal names by I.V. Gillis and Ping-ch'i Pai Edwards Brothers, Inc., 1943.

References

1. J.W. Breen, Enamdict/JMnedict Japanese Proper Names Dictionary Files
2. Albert J. Koop, Hogitaro Inada. Japanese Names and How to Read Them 2005 ISBN 0710311028 Kegan Paul International Ltd.
3. P.G. O'Neill. Japanese Names (book) 1972 ISBN 0834802252 Weatherhill Inc.
4. Herbert Plutschow. Japan's Name Culture 1995 ISBN 1873410425 Routledge/Curzon
5. Solveig Throndardottir. Name Construction in Medieval Japan2004 ISBN 0939329026 Potboiler Press

• sci.lang.japan FAQ
• 9. Names

• Previous: How can I read a Japanese name?
• Next: How are historical names formed?

Copyright © 1994-2022 Ben Bullock

If you have questions, corrections, or comments, please contact Ben Bullock or use the discussion forum / Privacy policy

Book reviews	Convert Japanese numbers	Handwritten kanji recognition	Stroke order diagrams	Convert Japanese units