Identify family and given names in Japanese order and choose a respectful way to address someone or fill in a form.

The idea

姓 means family name and 名 means given name; 名前 may ask for the full name depending on the form. フリガナ normally asks for katakana, while ふりがな asks for hiragana. Follow the form's own instructions for name order and spelling. Japanese names are commonly given family name first, as in 山田 花. Address another person by the name they prefer, often a family name followed by さん.

Patterns to compare
FieldExample entry
姓せい山田やまだ
名めい花はな
フリガナヤマダ　ハナ
ふりがなやまだ　はな

Examples

  • 名前なまえを書かいてください。Please write your name.
  • 姓せいは「ヤマダ」です。The family name is Yamada.
  • 名めいは「ハナ」です。The given name is Hana.
  • 「フリガナ」はカタカナで書かきます。Write the reading in katakana in the “furigana” field.
  • 「ふりがな」はひらがなで書かきます。Write the reading in hiragana in the “furigana” field.
  • 私わたしの名前なまえはアナです。My name is Ana.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not add さん to your own name in a form. Do not invent a kanji spelling; use the name and script requested, checking official documents where relevant.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose and fill the blank: 名前：山田 花。姓は＿。（ヤマダ／ハナ）

    Show answer or example answer

    ヤマダ

    For 山田 花, 山田 is the family name, written ヤマダ in this example.

  2. Choose and fill the blank: 名前：山田 花。名は＿。（ヤマダ／ハナ）

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    ハナ

    For 山田 花, 花 is the given name, written ハナ in this example.

  3. Choose and fill the blank: はじめまして。アナ＿。（です／を）

    Show answer or example answer

    です

    です follows the name in a polite introduction: アナです.

Use it today

Practise with the fictional name 山田 花: place each part in the correct field and write its reading in the requested script.