| Japanese names (日本人の氏名、日本人の姓名、日本人の名前, Nihonjin no Shimei, Nihonjin no Seimei, Nihonjin no Namae) in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name. Japanese names are usually written in kanji. The pronunciation of Japanese kanji in names follows a special set of rules. Because parents are able to choose which pronunciations they want for certain kanji, the same written form of a name may have multiple readings, making it impossible to determine with certainty in some cases. However, most pronunciations chosen for names are common, making them easier to read. While any jōyō kanji (with some exceptions for readability) and jinmeiyō kanji may be used, names may be rejected if they are believed to fall outside what would be considered an acceptable name by measures of common sense.Parents also have the option of using hiragana or katakana when giving a name to their newborn child. Names written in hiragana or katakana are phonetic renderings; therefore, they lack the visual meaning of names expressed in logographic kanji. |
