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Yamada Tarō (山田太郎), a typical Japanese name (male), equivalent to John Smith in English. Jane Smith would japanese name be Yamada Hanako (山田花子). Japanese names (人名, jinmei?) in modern japanesse names times usually consist of a family name (surname), followed japanes names by a given name. This is common to East Asia, including among japanse names the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and sometimes Thai cultures. Middle names are not recognized in Japan in the Western japanesenames sense, in which there is a clear differentiation from the given Japanees Names name. Japanese names are usually written in kanji (Han characters). The kanji for Japnese Names a name may have a variety of possible pronunciations. Common family names in Japan include Satō (佐藤) (most Jappanese Names common), Suzuki (鈴木) (second most common), Takahashi Japannese Names (高橋) (third most common), and Katō (加藤) (tenth most common).[1] According to estimates, there are Apanese Names as many as 100,000 different surnames in use today in Japan. Surnames occur with varying frequency in different regions; for Japaese Names example, the names Chinen Japamese Names (知念), Higa (比嘉), and Shimabukuro (島袋) are Japanesee Names common in Okinawa but not in other parts of Japan. Many Japanese family names derive from features of the rural landscape; Japnaese Names for example, Ishikawa (石川) means "stone river," Yamamoto (山本) means "the base of the mountain," and Inoue (井上) means "above the well." Given names are japanese names much more diverse in japanese baby names pronunciation and character usage. Male names often end in -rō (郎 "son", but also 朗 "clear, bright") japanese dog names or -ta (太 "great, japanese girl names thick"), or contain ichi (一 "first [son]"), kazu (also written with 一 "first [son]", along with several other female japanese names possible characters), ji (二 "second [son]" or 次 "next"), or dai (大 "great, large") while female names often end in -ko (子 "child") or -mi (美 "beauty"). (Since 1980, the popularity of female names ending in -ko has japanese names and meanings dramatically fallen for new baby names and some women drop the -ko upon adulthood.) english names in japanese Other popular endings for female names include -ka (香 "scent, perfume" or 花 / 華 "flower") and -na (奈, or 菜, meaning greens). Contents 1 Structure 2 Characters 2.1 Difficulty of reading male japanese names names 2.2 Regulations 3 Customs 3.1 Speaking names in japanese to and of others 3.2 Nicknames 4 Names japanese names and their meanings from other ethnic groups in Japan 5 Imperial names 6 Historical japanese names for boys names 7 Professional names 8 Japanese names japanese female names in English 9 See also 10 References 11 Further popular japanese names reading 12 External japanese boy names links Structure Structurally, modern Japanese names are simple compared with names common japanese family names in many other cultures. All Japanese people have one surname and one japanese baby names meanings given name with no middle name, except for the Japanese imperial family, whose members bear no surname. The given name in Japanese is called japanese male names the "name" (名前 namae) or "lower name" (下の名前 shita no family japanese names namae). The surname is called myōji (苗字 or 名字), "uji" (氏) or sei (姓). In japanese names boys Japanese, the family name precedes the japanese names meaning given name. Historically, myōji, uji and sei had different meanings. Sei was originally the matrilineal surname. Later it became granted only boys japanese names by the emperor. There were relatively few sei, and most of japanese names for female cat the medieval noble clans trace their lineage either directly to these list of japanese last names sei or to the courtiers of these sei. Uji was first used to designate patrilineal descent, japanese first names for boys but later merged with myōji around the same time sei lost its matrilineal significance. Myōji was, japanese names family simply, what a family chooses list of japanese names to call itself, as oppose to the sei granted male japanese names and meanings by the emperor. While it was passed on patrilineally, one had a certain degree of freedom in changing one's myōji. There are a few names english names to japanese that can be used as either surnames or given names. english names translated in japanese (For example Kaneko 金子, or japanese pet names Masuko 益子). However, to those familiar with Japanese names, which name is the list of japanese given names surname and which is the given name is usually apparent, no matter translate japanese names which order the names are presented in. This makes it unlikely that the two names will be confused, for example when writing common japanese names in English using english names to japanese characters the order family name, given name. Characters Japanese names are usually written in kanji (Complex characters), japanese + names although some names use hiragana or even katakana, or a mixture of kanji and kana. While most "traditional" names use japanese baby names and their meanings kun'yomi (native Japanese) kanji readings, a large number of given names japanese boy names and meanings and surnames use on'yomi (Chinese-based) kanji readings as japanese names and kanji well. Many others use readings which are only used japanese names for cat in names (nanori), such as the female name Nozomi (希). The vast translate engsish names to japanese majority of surnames comprise one or two kanji. Some others consist of three characters. Typical are Sasaki (佐々木) and Igarashi (五十嵐). Hon'inbō (本因坊, a name for the english names to japanese symbols famous family of go players), Shōji (東海林), Gushiken (具志堅), Sakonjū (左近充), and how to wright names in japanese symbols Kindaichi (金田一) are more unusual examples. There are also a small number of four-kanji surnames, such as Mukainakano (向井中野), but japanese aircraft code names these are extremely rare. Female given names japanese baby names and boys often end in the syllable ko, written japanese boys names in english translation with the kanji meaning "child" (子). This was much more common up to about the 1980s, but the practice does continue today. Male japanese dog names meanings names occasionally end with the syllable ko, but very rarely using the kanji 子 (most often, if a male name ends in ko, it japanese girls names with meanings ends in japanese names for baby girl hiko, using the kanji 彦). Common male name endings are -shi and -o; names ending with -shi are often japanese names male female family names verbs, e.g., Atsushi which might mean, for example, "to popular japanese boys names be faithful." In the past (before World War II), names written with katakana were common pretty japanese names for women, but this trend seems to have lost favour. Hiragana a list of japanese names names for women are not unusual. Kana names for boys, particularly those japanese anime episode names written in hiragana, have historically been very rare. This may be in part because the hiragana script is seen as feminine; japanese fish names in medieval Japan, women generally were not japanese into english names taught kanji and wrote exclusively in hiragana. Names, like japanese male names and meanings other Japanese words, cannot begin with the syllable n (ん, ン). Some names end in japanese names baby girl n: the male names Ken, Kon, Shin, Jun, and Den are examples. The syllable n should japanese names for world war two not be confused with the sound "n," which names japanese names list can begin with (provided the "n" sound is paired with a vowel); for example, the female name names of famous japanese potters Naoko (尚子) or the male Naoya (直哉). One large category of family names can be categorized as "-tō" names. The kanji 藤, meaning wisteria, has the writing names in japanese on'yomi tō (or, with rendaku, dō). Many Japanese people have surnames that include this kanji as the 20000 names japanese female second character. This is because the Fujiwara clan（藤原家）gave their samurai surnames common names in japanese ending with the first character of their name, to denote their status in an era when eglish names in japanese commoners were not allowed surnames. Examples include Atō, Andō, Itō (although a free names in english to japanese translation program different final kanji is also common), Udō, Etō, Endō, Gotō, Jitō, Katō, Kitō, Kudō, Kondō, half japanese names Saitō, Satō, Shindō, Sudō, Naitō, Bitō, and Mutō. As already noted, some japanese and english names of the most common family names are in this japanese animal names list. Difficulty of reading names A name written japanese baby girl names with meanings in kanji may have more than one common pronunciation, only one of which is correct for a given individual. For example, the surname japanese character names and their meanings written in kanji as 中田 may be read either Nakata or Nakada. Conversely, any one name may have several possible japanese male names with meanings written forms, and again, only one will be correct for a given individual. The character 一 when japanese names for girls used as a male japanese names male female family given name may be used as the written form for "Hajime," "Ichi," "Kazu," "Hitoshi," and many others. The japanese translation names name "Hajime" may be written with any of the following: 始, 治, 初, 一, 元, 肇, 創, 甫, 基, 哉, 啓, 春, 本, 源, 東, 大, 孟, or 祝. This many-to-many correspondence between names in japanese and english names and the ways they are written is much more names in japanese symbols common with male given names than with surnames or names in japanese writing female given names, but can be observed in all these categories. This can make the collation, pronunciation, and romanization names of japanese cars of a Japanese name names of japanese fish a very difficult problem. For this reason, business cards often include the pronunciation of the name as names records of japanese internment furigana, and forms and documents always have spaces to write the ninja samurai names japanese translation reading of the name in kana (usually katakana). At restaurants in Japan it is common to wait to be seated american names in japanese by writing one's name on a list and waiting to be called, and at the ancient japanese men clothing names top of the list there is usually a request to write one's name in baby japanese names katakana, rather than botanical names japanese plants kanji. A few Japanese names, particularly family names, include old-fashioned versions of characters. For example the very common boy japanese baby names character shima, island, may be written as 嶋 instead of the usual 島. Some names also feature very uncommon kanji, or even kanji which no common japanese last names longer exist in free japanese names modern Japanese. Japanese people who have such names are likely to compromise by substituting similar or simplified characters. An example of such a name is Saitō. how to say names in japanese While there are over 100 kanji japanese + names + male dogs that can be read as sai and over 200 kanji for tō, in this case, there are two japanese baby and dog names common kanji for sai. The two sai characters have different japanese baby names meaning meanings: 斉 means "together" or "parallel", but 斎 means "to purify". Confusing the japanese baby names starting with letter d two characters would be an embarrassing mistake. Family names are sometimes written with idiosyncratic japanese calligraphy into english names characters, called ateji, that relate indirectly japanese chin names to the name as spoken. For example, 四月一日 would japanese chin puppy names normally be read as shigatsu tsuitachi ("April 1st"), but as a family name it is read japanese color names english watanuki ("unpadded clothes"), because April 1st is the traditional date japanese demon names to switch from winter to summer clothes. Despite these difficulties, there are enough patterns and recurring japanese demon names and meanings names that most native Japanese will be able to read virtually all family names they encounter and the majority of personal japanese dragon names names. Regulations Kanji names in Japan are governed by the japanese equivalent to english names government's rules on kanji use. There are currently (as of Oct japanese evil names and meanings 2004) 2,232 "name kanji" (the jinmeiyō japanese family names in kanji kanji) used in personal names, and the government plans to increase this list by 578 kanji in the near future. This would japanese first and last names be the largest increase since World War II. Only japanese kanji names kanji which appear on the official list may be used in given names. This is to ensure japanese men clothing names that names can japanese models names be written and read by those literate in Japanese. Rules also govern names considered to japanese names and thier meanings be inappropriate; for example, in 1993 two parents who tried to name their child Akuma (devil) were prohibited from doing so. Though there are japanese names and translations regulations on the naming of children many japanese names for dogs old characters can still be found in adults' names. Because these restrictions have japanese names in english been confusing to say the least, many recent changes have been made to increase rather japanese names in kanji than to decrease the number of kanji allowed for japanese names meanings use in names. Moreover, the Sapporo High Court held that it was unlawful for the japanese names translation government to deny registration of a child's name because it contained a kanji character that was relatively common but japanese names translator not included in the official list of name characters compiled by the japanese people screen names Ministry of Justice. Subsequently, the Japanese government promulgated plans to increase japanese pokemon characters names the number of "permitted" kanji. Interestingly, the use of a space in given names japanese puppy names (to separate first and middle names) is not allowed, because technically, a space is not an japanese samurai names allowed character. The plan to increase the number of japanese symbol names name kanji has been controversial, largely japanese weapon names because Chinese characters meaning "cancer", "hemorrhoids", "corpse", and "excrement", as well as those used in jukugo (words which are compounds of kanji japanese students page names two or more kanji) meaning "curse", list of girl japanese names "prostitute", and "rape", are among the proposed additions to the list. This is because no measures were taken to determine the appropriateness of the list of japanese and english names kanji proposed. The government will seek input list of japanese girls names from the public before approving the list. Most Japanese people and agencies have adopted names and picutres japanese vegetables customs to deal with these issues. Address books, for instance, often contain furigana or ruby characters to clarify the pronunciation names of famous japanese artists of the name. Japanese nationals are also required to give a names of japanese ports romanized name for their passport. The recent use of Japanese names translated in japanese media using katakana when referring to Japanese celebrities who names translated into japanese have gained international fame has started a fad among young socialites attempting to invoke a cosmopolitan flair who use names translated to japanese katakana names as a badge of honor. All of names written in japanese these complications are also found in Japanese place names. Not all names are complicated. Some common names are summarized by the popular japanese boy names phrase tanakamura ("the village in the midst of the fields"): the three kanjis: spell names in japanese 田 (ta, rice traditional japanese first names field), 中 (naka, middle) and 村 (mura, village), together in translate english names to japanese any pair, form a simple, reasonably common surname: Tanaka, Nakamura, Murata, Nakata, Muranaka, Tamura. Customs In ancient uncommon japanese male names times, people in Japan were uncommon japanese names considered the property of the Emperor and their surname reflected the role in the government they served. An what do names mine in japanese example is Ōtomo (おおとも 'great attendant, companion'). Names would also be given in what names mean in japanese the recognition of a great achievement and contribution. Some surnames originated from Chinese and Korean who are some of the japanese american internees names names. Examples are Kaneshiro woman japanese names (金城) (Chinese) and Ō (王) (Chinese). Until the Meiji restoration, Japanese common words names written in japanese people (people other than kuge and samurai) had no surnames, and when necessary, used a substitute such as the name of their birthplace. For example, Ichirō born in Asahi mura (Asahi village) in the province of Musashi would say "Ichirō from Asahi-mura of Musashi". Merchants were named after their brands (for example, Denbei, the owner of Sagamiya, would be Sagamiya Denbei), and farmers were named after their fathers (for example, Fujida, whose father was Doiji, would be "Fujida son of Doiji"). After the Meiji restoration, the government ordered all commoners to assume surnames in addition to their given names: many people adopted historical names, while others simply made names up or had a local sage make up a surname. This explains, in part, the large number of surnames in Japan, as well as their great diversity of spellings and pronunciations. During the period when typical parents had several children, it was a common practice to name sons by numbers suffixed with rō (郎, "son"). The first son would be known as "Ichirō", the second as "Jirō", and so on. Girls were often named with ko (子, "child") at the end of the given name; this should not be confused with the less common male suffix hiko (彦). Both practices have become less common, although many children still have names along these lines. Speaking to and of others Main article: Japanese titles The way in which a name is used in conversation depends on the circumstances and the speaker's relationships with the listener and the bearer of the name. Typically the family name is used, with given names largely restricted to informal situations and cases where the speaker is older than, superior to, or very familiar with the named individual. When addressing someone, or referring to a member of one's out-group, a title such as さん -san is typically added. Japanese people avoid often referring to their seniors or superiors by name at all, using just a title: within a family this might be a kinship relation such as okāsan ("mother"), in a school it could be 先生 sensei ("teacher"), while a company president would be addressed as 社長 shachō. Nicknames Main article: Japanese abbreviated and contracted words The common Japanese practice of forming abbreviations by concatenating the first two morae of two words is sometimes applied to names (usually those of celebrities). For example, Takuya Kimura (木村 拓哉, Kimura Takuya?), a famous Japanese actor and singer, becomes Kimutaku (キムタク, Kimutaku?). This is sometimes applied even to non-Japanese celebrities: Brad Pitt, whose full name in Japanese is Buraddo Pitto (ブラッド ピット, Buraddo Pitto?) is commonly known as Burapi (ブラピ, Burapi?), Jimi Hendrix, who abbreviated as Jimihen (ジミヘン, Jimihen?). Some Japanese celebrities have also taken names combining kanji and katakana, such as Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano), Marcy (Masashi Tashiro), Martin (Masayuki Suzuki). Corresponding to any given name there are one or more hypocoristics, affectionate nicknames. These are formed by adding the suffix -chan ちゃん to a stem. There are two types of stem. One consists of the full given name. Examples of this type are Tarō-chan from Tarō, Kimikochan from Kimiko, and Yasunarichan from Yasunari. The other type of stem is a modified stem derived from the full given name. Examples of such names are: Taro-chan from Tarō, Kiichan from Kimiko, and Yā-chan from Yasunari. Hypochoristics with modified stems are more intimate than those based on the full given name. Hypochoristics with modified stems are derived by adding -chan to a stem consisting of an integral number, usually one but occasionally two, of feet, where a foot consists of two moras. A 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 Hanachan, Hanchan, and Hāchan. 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 Chinese characters used to write the name. For example, a girl named Keiko may be called Meguchan because the character used to write the /kei/ of Keiko, 恵 can also be read /megu/. In general, one may use a hypochoristic only if he or she has known the person since he or she was a child. Thus, they may be used for children or for adults whom one has known since they were children. Names from other ethnic groups in Japan Many ethnic minorities, mostly Korean and Chinese, living in Japan adopt Japanese names. The roots of this custom go back to the colonial-era policy of sōshi-kaimei, which in theory permitted and in practise compelled many Koreans to change their names to Japanese names. Nowadays, ethnic minorities take on Japanese names, sometimes called pass names, to ease communication and, more importantly, to avoid discrimination. A few of them still keep their native names. One Korean who keeps his original name is Chang Woo Han, a founder and chairman of Maruhan Corp., a large chain of pachinko parlors in Japan. Japanese citizenship requires adopting a Japanese name. In recent decades, the government has allowed individuals to simply adopt katakana versions of their native names when applying for citizenship: Parliament member "Tsurunen Marutei" (ツルネン マルテイ), originally Martti Turunen, is a famous example. Others transliterate their names into phonetically similar kanji compounds, such as immigrant's-rights activist David Aldwinckle, who became "Arudou Debito" (有道出人). Still others have abandoned their native names entirely in favor of traditional Japanese names, such as Lafcadio Hearn, who used the name "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. Ethnic Chinese and Koreans in Japan sometimes have to change the characters in their names to apply for citizenship, because of the restrictions on which kanji can be used. Individuals born overseas with Western given names and Japanese surnames are usually given a katakana name in Western order when referred to in Japanese. Eric Shinseki, for instance, is referred to as エリック シンセキ (Erikku Shinseki). There is a restriction (as of 2001) on the use of the "v" character in a name unless at least one of the parent is of foreign origin. The closest corresponding katakana is ヴ, which can be romanized as v or b. This affects issuing of Japanese passports or other documentation where a romaji representation of the name is given; the letter v is replaced with b. This affects names such as Kevin (ケヴィン), which would be written as Kebin. Imperial names Akishino-dera in Nara, from which Prince Akishino took his name See also: Imperial Household of Japan The Japanese emperor and his families have no surname for historical reasons, only a given name such as Hirohito (裕仁), which is rarely used in Japan: Japanese prefer to say "the Emperor" or "the Crown Prince", out of respect and as a measure of politeness. When children are born into the Imperial family, they are given a standard given name, as well as a special title. Akihito, for instance, was born as Tsugu-no-miya Akihito, and 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 (常陸宮 Hitachi-no-miya, 三笠宮 Mikasa-no-miya, 秋篠宮 Akishino-no-miya, etc.). Many members of the extended Imperial family became commoners after World War II, and adopted their Imperial surnames as regular surnames. An example is Asaka Yasuhiko. Historical names The current structure (family name + given name) did not materialize until the 1870s when the government made the new family registration system. In feudal Japan, names reflected a person's social status. They also reflect a person's affiliation to Buddhist, Shintō, feudatory-military, Confucian-scholarly, mercantile, peasant, slave and imperial orders. Before feudal times, Japanese clan names figured prominently in history: names with no fall into this category. (No means of, although the association is in the opposite order in Japanese, and is not generally explicitly written in this style of name.) Thus, Minamoto no Yoritomo (源 頼朝) was Yoritomo (頼朝) of the Minamoto (源) clan. Fujiwara no Kamatari, Ki no Tsurayuki (紀 貫之), and Taira no Kiyomori (平 清盛) are additional examples. Historically, a Japanese person could maintain several names to use in different occasions. Among those that were common are Azana, Imina or Okurina (either translate to posthumous name) and Gō (号) or Kagō (加号) (a pen name). It was not uncommon for one to have more than 10 names. [2] Imina is the same as one's real name and the real name would be called Imina posthumously. It is called so because after one's death, he would be referred by his Okurina while the pronunciation of Imina is being avoided. Azana, which is given at Genpuku (元服), is used by others and one himself uses his real name to refer to him. Kagō (加号) is commonly named after places or houses. In the late shogunate period, many anti-government activists used several false names to hide their activities from the shogunate. Examples are Saitani Umetarō (才谷梅太郎) for Sakamoto Ryōma (坂本 龍馬), Niibori Matsusuke (新堀松輔) for Kido Takayoshi (木戸 孝允) and Tani Umenosuke (谷梅之助) for Takasugi Shinsaku (高杉 晋作). The famous writer Kyokutei Bakin (曲亭 馬琴) is known to have had as many as 33 names. Professional names Actors and actresses in Western and Japanese dramatic forms, comedians, sumo wrestlers, and practitioners of traditional crafts often use professional names. Kabuki actors take one of the traditional surnames such as Nakamura (中村), Bandō or Onoe. 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, Kamatari Fujiwara (藤原 鎌足) chose the name of the aforementioned founder of the Fujiwara family, while Hino Yōjin (日野陽仁)'s name sounds like be careful with fire (although written differently). Many stand-up comics like the duo 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 shikona (醜名 or 四股名). While a shikona can be the wrestler's own surname, most upper-division rikishi have a shikona different from their surname. A typical shikona consists of one, two or three kanji. Often, part of the name comes from the wrestler's master, a place name (such as the name of a province, a river, or a sea), the name of a weapon, an item identified with Japanese tradition (like a koto or nishiki), or a term indicating superiority. Often, waka indicates a wrestler whose father was also in sumo; in this case, the meaning is junior. Wrestlers can change their shikona, as Takahanada did when he became Takanohana (貴ノ花) and then Takanohana (貴乃花). Another notable example is the wrestler Sentoryu, which means fighting war dragon but is also homophonous with St. Louis, his city of origin. Geisha and practitioners of traditional crafts and arts such as pottery, the tea ceremony, calligraphy, irezumi (tattooing) and ikebana (flower arranging) often take professional names. In many cases, these come from the master under whom they studied. Japanese names in English As is the case for other transliterations, writing Japanese names in English poses several issues, mainly romanization and name order issues. As this differs from the ordering used in many other parts of the world, some, particularly academics, adopt the convention of writing the family name in upper case when the name is romanized: for example, Takuya MURATA or MURATA Takuya. Artists whose works are distributed in English outside of Japan often opt for a Western ordering on the English editions of their works: e.g., Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本 龍一 Sakamoto Ryūichi), Shunji Iwai (岩井 俊二 Iwai Shunji), and Haruki Murakami (村上 春樹 Murakami Haruki). Japanese living overseas, such as Yoko Ono (小野 洋子 Ono Yōko) and Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一朗 Suzuki Ichirō), usually use the Western order as well. Manga translated into English and other Indo-European languages often use the Western naming order for Japanese characters. The character "Sugoroku Mutou" of Yu-Gi-Oh! would have his name read Mutō Sugoroku in Japanese order. The character is known as "Solomon Muto" in the English-language TV series. Most foreign scholars of Japanese history and literature use the Japanese order, so historical and literary figures are usually referred to in that order: e.g., Murasaki Shikibu (紫 式部) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康). However, English publications tend to prefer the Western order when discussing contemporary individuals, especially politicians, businessmen and athletes. In contrast, when written in kanji characters, the order of Japanese names is never reversed. The following English publications tend to use the western order to refer to Japanese figures: Newspapers: see List of newspapers in Japan Credits in movies Characters in comics (if the names of the characters have not been completely changed) Books concerning contemporary Japanese culture like J-pop The following tend to keep the original Japanese order: Scholastic articles Books concerning historical Japanese activities like Go and Waka Characters in translated Japanese manga, anime and video games are special cases. They are sometimes given new Western names (as in Pokémon for example), or they may keep their original Japanese names in either Japanese or Western name order. They may also have non-Hepburn transliterations of their names, or even different transliterations between different editions or between manga, anime and/or video game versions (as in Yu-Gi-Oh!, for example). See also For details on how to enter Japanese names on Wikipedia, please see Wikipedia:Manual of Style (Japan-related articles). List of most popular family names Researching Japanese names Chinese name Korean name Vietnamese name Names in world cultures Meishi art-name Chinese character tattoos References ^ [1] (.XLS file). Some materials taken from Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, article on "names" Further reading Koop, Albert J., Hogitaro Inada. Japanese Names and How to Read Them 2005 ISBN 0-7103-1102-8 Kegan Paul International Ltd. 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 ISBN 0-939329-02-6 Potboiler Press Society of Writers, Editors and Translators. Japan Style Sheet 1998 ISBN 1-880656-30-2 Stone Bridge Press External links Japanese names section of sci.lang.japan FAQ Japanese names at japan-guide.com. Japanorama: Japanese Names Japanese Given Names Japanese Baby Names Popular Japanese baby names 1994 to 2003. WWWJDIC online dictionary with over 400,000 Japanese names. (Tanaka Sample) Japanese names and their meaning An extensive resource for Japanese given names including their meaning. Search Term: "Japanese_name" Categories: Names by culture | Japanese names