How to name a baby in Japan
When thinking about baby names in Japan, check out the basic rules and points that you should know to help you name your baby.
The following kanji and characters can be used in the Japanese name.
- common-use kanji
- Jinmeiyō kanji, , , ,
- Hiragana
- Katakana
- repeated character(々、ゞ)e.g. 菜々(nana)、みすゞ(misuzu)..
- long sound symbol(ー)マリー(mary)、ローラ(rola)、など
Some of the kanji that can be used include some of the old and variant characters e.g. 亜(a) to 亞(a), 真(ma) to 眞(ma), etc..
You can also use hiragana and katakana for "ゐ", "ゑ", "ヰ", "ヱ".
In Japan, letters other than those that can be used in the above names will not be accepted as names.
You must register the birth of your child within 14 days of delivery, so be sure to check to see if the kanji can be used in your name.
Some of the kanji that can be used, such as "弱(weak)", "(痛)pain", and "(殺)kill", are not appropriate for naming.
Avoid using kanji with a negative image and name your child after a kanji that is easy to write and familiar to you.
There are no restrictions on how the name can be read.
You can use "kirari(流星)", "runa(月)", or any other character that is not the original pronunciation.
While a phonetic equivalent can be original, it can also be inconvenient in everyday life, so think carefully before you name your child.
There is no limit to the number of characters.
However, if you have more than 5 characters, it may be difficult to write or for people to remember you, and this may cause some inconvenience, so keep the number of characters in moderation.