Japan Know How archive
How American and English names are written in katakana, and why the spelling that stuck is often not the one the rules predict. Syllable breakdowns, ateji kanji, vertical writing, and the difference between an established spelling and a calculated one. Start here if you came for your own name.
Your Name in Japanese
Japan did not ban creative baby names. It changed what parents must prove. Since May 26, 2025, a newborn’s registered pronunciation must have a recognizable connection to the kanji chosen for the name.
Your Name in Japanese
Sato and Suzuki lead Japan’s surname rankings, yet even the national top ten account for only about one person in ten. This worked example follows Sato from a national survey to Okinawa, where Higa, Kinjo and Oshiro reveal a different historical and regional layer.
Your Name in Japanese
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.
Your Name in Japanese
Spanish names enter Japanese through their original pronunciation, not an English reading of their spelling. Learn why José becomes ホセ, how Japanese handles ñ, ll, and rolled r, and which name terms matter on forms, cards, and bookings.
Your Name in Japanese
Japan’s residence card normally follows the name in your passport and prints it in Latin letters. Kanji can be added only when officially documented, while a commonly used alias belongs to the resident-record system and requires evidence of real-world use.
Your Name in Japanese
Flights, rail pass exchange and hotel reservations are all checked against the passport. Which mismatches get fixed at the counter and which cost money.
Your Name in Japanese
Japanese forms have two name fields and your passport has three names. Where the middle name goes, when to drop it, and when dropping it breaks a booking.
Your Name in Japanese
Japanese law makes hotels copy a foreign guest's passport. What each line of the check-in card wants, and why the address field trips travelers up.
Your Name in Japanese
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.
Your Name in Japanese
A hanko is not a signature and not always required any more. What a katakana seal costs, where banks still ask for one, and which shops carve them.
