3Ways to Create Your Own Japanese-Style Name
If you’re visiting Japan, I highly recommend creating your own Japanese-style name.
At tourist attractions, you may find fun souvenirs you can personalized with your name. Having one made can be a wonderful memory of your trip and a unique souvenir to take home.
Today, I’ll share three simple ways to create your own Japanese-style name.
①Choose a word you love
First, choose a name based on a character you love or a Japanese word you like.
If you love Jujutsu Kaisen, why not use “悟(Satoru),” the name of your favorite character? If you love cherry blossoms, you could choose “桜(Sakura).” Or, if Kyoto is your favorite place in Japan, you could choose “都(Miyako)”.
The possibilities are endless, so why not choose a word that has a special meaning to you?
②Write your name in kanji
Second, why not write your name in kanji that sound like your original name?
For example, “Michael” could become 舞京流, while “Emily” could become 恵美里.
You can keep the sound of your name while giving it a Japanese touch.
I don’t recommend using “ひらがな(hiragana)”, especially for men’s names.
In Japan, it is quite uncommon for men to have names written in hiragana.
If possible, using kanji can make your name look more Japanese.
However, some names, such as James and Anthony, are difficult to represent perfectly with kanji. That’s why I recommend trying the next method instead.
③Turn part of your name
Third, take part of your name and turn it into a Japanese-style name.
For example, names like James and Anthony can be difficult to represent perfectly with kanji. Instead, you can take part of the sound and create a name that sounds more natural in Japanese.
| Original name | Japanese-style name |
|---|---|
| James | 承太郎(Jotaro) |
| Anthony | 安斗(Anto) |
These names don’t match the original pronunciation perfectly, but they sound more natural and can feel more like Japanese names.
If you want to make your name sound even more Japanese, you could choose a name like “丈(Jo)” or ”綾人(Ayato)“.
The sound is a little different from the original name, but the result feels more like a Japanese name.
Why not have fun creating your own Japanese-style name?
The third method can be a little tricky, so as a native Japanese speaker, I’m happy to help!
If you have a name you’d like me to turn into a Japanese-style name, leave a comment!
Thanks for reading!
