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Strange name translated into Japanese? 2017/10/3 16:32
My Chinese name is 江毅華, but when I look up the on'yomi; gou takeshi hana, it sounds so strange and unnatural to me, I wonder if it does to a native Japanese speaker too.

Has anyone come across a strange translation before when they themselves or someone else had a Chinese name that translated oddly into Japanese? Did they just end up using their English name or Katakana instead to express the closest pronunciation?
by Emma (guest)  

Re: Strange name translated into Japanese? 2017/10/4 08:39
Sorry but you don't "translate" names. And what you have there is not on-yomi but it is kun-yomi for the second and the third characters. In full on-yomi it is Kou Ki Ka.
But you can take the original Chinese reading, and just have it written in katakana writing.
by ........ (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Strange name translated into Japanese? 2017/10/4 10:47
Takeshi and Hana are definitely kun-yomi, not on-yomi.
by Mai Bumai (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Strange name translated into Japanese? 2017/10/4 19:05
Take for instance the name of famous actor 金城 武 @Takeshi Kaneshiro or Jīnchéng Wǔ.
It would definitely sound weird if you call/read a Japanese person using Chinese pronounciation and the same also for Chinese person to be call/read in Japanese pronounciation.

I just don't understand why some foreigner insist on Japanese pronounciation for their foreign name, which just make it weird and may I say sound stupid. It would not make you Japanese and sure it would confuse people. Just pronounce it in your native language and have it written it in katakana alongside your Chinese name. Save everyone the trouble.

Unless you are trying to keep your Chinese kanji name when naturalize/become Japanese citizen, then maybe you can find the suitable Japanese reading, other than that I see no point.
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

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