Skip to content

Japan Know How archive

name order

Your Name in Japanese

How a Japanese Name Is Built and Read

Japanese names usually place the family name first, but their kanji may allow several possible readings. Learn how surnames, given names, furigana, and Japan’s 2025 name-reading rules fit together.

Megan Rothwell

Your Name in Japanese

Surname First or Last: What to Write Where

Japan flipped its own romanized name order in January 2020. What that means for the order you write, and where a swapped name creates a mismatch.

Megan Rothwell