History

• Up until the 1880s a Japanese person's surname, or his family name, was written preceding his given name. But in an attempt to conform to European and Western standards, the order was reversed for inclusion in written publications. However, what appeared to be "normal" to Americans and Europeans went against the practices of Asian cultures, including the Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese.
  
  

Significance

• In an attempt to preserve their culture, many Japanese began reverting to their natural order of names, and there has already been a movement to change the way Japanese names are printed in textbooks and newspapers. To reduce confusion among Westerners, especially during business transactions, some Japanese have opted to print their surnames in capital letters.
  
  

Types

• Most Japanese names are written in "kanji," the Chinese symbols that make up the Japanese language. Many kanji are similarly pronounced; likewise, a single kanji might vary in its pronunciation. When there is no kanji to represent a word, it is assigned a "hiragana." A hiragana is a writing system in which there is a symbol for every syllable in the language. Many female names are written using hiragana. Similar to hiragana, the "katakana" writing system uses symbols to represent syllables and words, and it is applied mostly to foreign words. In order to clarify the pronunciation or spelling of some Japanese names, small hiragana symbols are sometimes written above the word.
  
  

Geography

• Some Japanese names are indicative of, and exclusive to, a person's homeland. A family that lives along the river might have the surname "Ishikawa." Likewise, a family that resides at a mountain base might be called "Yamamoto." The popularity of some Japanese names can also vary according to what region the family lives. While a particular surname might be dominant in one region, it can be almost nonexistent in another.
  
  

Considerations

• Although now not as popular a practice, some Japanese boys' are named to indicate their birth order. Ichiro means "first son," and Jiro means "second son." The kanji "-ko" is sometimes added to a female name to indicate she is a child, as seen in the name "Akiko." When the child reaches adulthood, she may drop the kanji. Female names might also end in "-mi" to indicate beauty, such as "Ayumi."