Japanese name

A modern Japanese name (????) consists of a family name, or surname, followed by a given name. There are no middle names.

Related Topics:
Family name - Given name - Middle name

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Common surnames in Japan include Aoki (??), Sat? (??), Kat? (加藤), Suzuki (鈴?) and Takahashi (高橋). According to estimates, there are as many as 100,000 different surnames in use today in Japan. Surnames occur with varying frequency in different regions; for example, the names Tamagusuku (玉城), Higa (比嘉), and Shimabukuro (島袋) are common in Okinawa but not in other parts of Japan. Many Japanese family names derive from features of the rural landscape; for example, Ishikawa (石川) means "stony brook", Yamamoto (山本) means "the base of the mountain", and Inoue (井上) means "above the well".

Related Topics:
Japan - Aoki - Sat? - Kat? - Suzuki - Takahashi - Tamagusuku - Higa - Shimabukuro - Okinawa - Ishikawa - Yamamoto - Inoue

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Given names are much more diverse in pronunciation and character usage. Male names often end in -r? (? "son", but also ? "clear, bright") or -ta (? "great, thick"), or contain ichi (? "first ", also ? "market, city"), kazu (also written with ? "first ", along with several other possible characters), ji (? "second " or ? "next"), or dai (? "great, large") while female names often end in -ko (? "child") or -mi (? "beauty"). (Since 1980, the popularity of female names ending in -ko has dramatically fallen for new baby names and some women drop the -ko upon adulthood.) Other popular endings for female names include -ka (? "scent, perfume" or ? / ? "flower" etc) and -na (?).

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