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I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/16 23:31
I am half japanese and have been living in another country so my name isnft japanese. Now, 19, came here in Japan and was asked to change my name into a japanese one to make my life probably easier so I am thinking about changing ny name into something cool or meaningful. Since I was a kid I really loved the moon so I wanted to incorporate that into my name. Would ‰¤ŒŽ be a weird name to have? Does that mean king of the moon or moon king? I really donft want my name to be tsuki-yomi as the japanese have that moon god. Do you have any suggestions? Although I am a girl, I wanted something masculine that has either ‰¤ or _. I am also open that has lightning or thunder on it. I am considering Raijin but I am still not sure. I really wanted that moon god or moon king. Please help.
by Mekori (guest)  

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/17 13:12
Let me get this straight. And I'm a Japanese resident, if that helps.

I am half japanese and have been living in another country so my name isnft japanese.

Are you saying that one of your parents is Japanese, but you don't have Japanese nationality? Because if you do have Japanese nationality (it is possible to have dual nationality, especially at your age), you would most likely already have an official Japanese name that is written on your koseki as well as on your passport. So, in terms of "making your life easier", you should use that official Japanese name.

Now, 19, came here in Japan and was asked to change my name into a japanese

Who asked you to change your name? And do you mean first name or family name?

Would ‰¤ŒŽ be a weird name to have?

Whether it is a first name or family name, I don't think it's weird, but it certainly is uncommon. Meanwhile, to me, it looks better than ŒŽ‰¤. And there is nothing wrong with being uncommon, but uncommon names don't really make your life "easier" (I know, because I had an uncommon name by birth).

Does that mean king of the moon or moon king?

To me it doesn't mean either, but one might assume that it can mean "king-like moon" such as a big moon or graceful moon. If it were a first name, one might think it's a Chinese name. Some might think you are a manga/anime nerd.

I really donft want my name to be tsuki-yomi as the japanese have that moon god.

What do you mean by "tsuki-yomi"? And what do you mean by "that moon god"?

I am considering Raijin but I am still not sure.

To me that sounds like one of those so-called "kirakira-name"s that uneducated young families might prefer. But again, there's nothing wrong about being a member of an uneducated young family.
by Uco rate this post as useful

To Uco 2019/9/17 14:30
Hello. My aunt suggested that I should change my name if I wanted to. Ifm currently in the process of claiming my citizenship so I am planning to change my name since the name that was put on my fatherfs koseki is Mitsurika and my name in the Philippines is Mitzirika. In which I donft really like. On the other hand, I also donft want a common name like Mitsuki, Kaori, Aya, or some sorts so Ifm looking for a name that incorporates my love for moon. What I mean for Tsukuyomi is that moon god in shinto and japanese mythology. My grandma was the one who introduced me into japanese mythology when I was 6. She said some name that she wanted me to have but I couldnft remember it and the only thing I remember is that she said the name means king of the moon. My grandma is Japanese if that helps. So Ifm just out here remembering and finding kanji that reads what my grandma wanted to be my name.
by Mekori (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/17 14:49
You don't "claim" citizenship; either you have it or you don't have it. If you don't have it, there are ways to obtain it, such as naturalisation. What is it exactly that you are doing?
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

To ... 2019/9/17 15:51
I donft think naturalization is what I am going for. I am half-japanese and by the time I was born my father was a japanese national and I was included in his koseki in which I only knew recently when I came here few months ago. So in the Nationality Law of Japan, I was told that I could acquire or claim my japanese citizenship if I would inform the Minister of Justice which is what I am doing right now. Also, the employees in the Shiyakusho also said that I met the requirements for acquiring citizenship. I donft really know my answer satisfies your concern but thatfs what basically is happening. I just wanted to change my name in honor of my grandma thatfs all.
by Mekori (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/17 16:06
Right, what you are referring to is "reacquisition of nationality" (Art. 17 of the Nationality Law); it is indeed not the same thing as naturalization.

So when you (re-)become a Japanese citizen, you can choose basically any name to be recorded in your koseki, just like people who naturalized. So you won't be really changing your name, just choosing a new one.
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/17 16:42
Other than that, we cannot guess what name your grandmother had in mind, but if you like the moon, how about just ŒŽ? There happens to be a somewhat famous Japanese-Filipina thus named.

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BB%8A%E4%BA%95%E6%9C%88
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/17 18:44
Thank you for your feedback. You 're probably talking about the god that can either be read "tsukuyomi" or "tsukiyomi". I'd never heard of this god, but here it is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto

If you're already in Japan, why not discuss your name with one of the Tsukiyomi shrines listed below?
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%88%E8%AA%AD%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE

In Japan, when a baby is born, people often discuss his/her name with a shrine, and a priest would come up with a name.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/17 19:28
Thank you for your feedbacks. I really appreciate that you took the time to help me. But can I ask one more favor? If you would give me a name based on my story, what would it be?
by Mekori (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/17 19:36
If you would give me a name based on my story, what would it be?

Kaguyahime?
by Saru Bob rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/18 04:43
Can you read Japanese?

https://happyterrace.net/archives/1893

A lot of names with the moon are posted here.

As Bob says, it's a good name u‚©‚®‚âv.

I think ŒŽ–é and ŒŽ”Tare wonderful.
by “~ (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/18 09:17
I second the comment that using ‰¤ in your name is likely to give it more of a Chinese feel, at least to native Japanese speakers. In addition, a name meaning, essentially "moon king" or evoking thoughts of thunder and lightning, has a high chance of making people think that you sound like an anime character. While that might win you some popularity points among people who are hard-core anime fans, to most other people (i.e. the majority of the people in Japan) it's going to come off sounding a little silly.

Also, as Uco mentioned, changing your name to something unusual isn't really going to make your daily life "easier" in Japan. If it's unusual, it won't initially register as a person's name when you're communicating, which is going to result in many times where you'll have to repeat/clarify what you've said. In particular, you're likely to have a difficult time when answering phones or introducing yourself. For example, if you wanted your name to be written as ‰¤ŒŽ, and read as "Otsuki," I can imagine this being a pretty common scenario, when you say "Otsuki desu" (Intended meaning "This is Otsuki/I'm Otsuki").

You: "Otsuki desu"
Other person: <What? Are you from a town called Otsuki>
You: "No. Otsuki desu."
Other person: <Oh...so, you're from my company's Otsuki division? Sorry, I'm not familiar with that part of our company.>
You: "No, no. Otsuki desu!"
Other person: <Oh, I get it! Otsuki is the name of YOUR company. Sorry, we don't have any business with your organization.>

It's for this exact reason that my wife, who took my Arabic last name when we got married, still uses her Japanese maiden name at work. It saves her a huge amount of time every day.

I'm sorry if this is presumptuous, but the fact that you're considering changing your name to something like ‰¤ŒŽ or Raijin makes me think that you haven't spent much time interacting with Japanese people in Japan, and thus that you're still in the process of learning the language too. That language barrier will make it even more difficult to clarify that you're talking about your personal name.

Again, if you want to have an unusual name, that's entirely within your rights. However, if your reason for changing your name is to make your life in Japan easier, you should probably be aware that changing it to something like ‰¤ŒŽ or Raijin is going to result in at least as much time explaining/clarifying your name as using your birth name in katakana.

If you really do have your heart set on having ŒŽ as part of your name, there are a lot of normal, easily understood Japanese names that use the kanji, and I'm sure your aunt, being the one who suggested a name change in the first place, would be able to help you out. There's also the kanji •ü, which shows up in names like •üŽq/Tomoko.
by . . . . (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/18 09:48
Naming a real-life person is a very important task, and I personally can't carry that burden. Again, I insist you ask a priest. In fact, any local shinto priest will do, and that would make your grandma happy.

Meanwhile, I'd just like to add, from experience, that using an uncommon combination of kanji already makes your life difficult. Again, there's nothing wrong with having a difficult life, but whenever you make purchases of various kinds, either by phone or over the counter, you are asked your full name. Unlike, say, the U.S. where they don't ask the spelling any more, here in Japan they always ask how you write it.

I'd say "Kana is fine." and they'd still insist on writing it in kanji. So I'd take a few minutes explaining this and that, and they'd end up sending me a receipt or envelope in wrong kanji. Quite often, they're kanji that don't even exist. Once in a while, they'd say, "I got it! You use THAT kanji, right?" and it would be wrong, and frankly it doesn't really feel nice to have your kanji assumed the wrong way. You'd rather have it in kana.

So, for example, the downside of names like ‰¤ŒŽ is that about 90% of people are likely to say, "Oh, I understand your kanji!" and they'd write it ‘匎 or even ‘å’Î, which are much more common as names of places.

While I mentioned that naming a person is a huge responsibility, I don't think that •ü is a bad idea. You can have it read as "Tomo" which is an uncommon unisex name, and when explaining it, all you have to say is "tsuki o futatsu naraberu tomo desu." And again, you can always register that in kana, and know in your heart that it is related to the moon.

Bottom line: Ask real experts or relatives instead of anonymous internet users like me.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/18 11:53
You: "Otsuki desu"
Other person: <What? Are you from a town called Otsuki>
You: "No. Otsuki desu."
Other person: <Oh...so, you're from my company's Otsuki division? Sorry, I'm not familiar with that part of our company.>
You: "No, no. Otsuki desu!"
Other person: <Oh, I get it! Otsuki is the name of YOUR company. Sorry, we don't have any business with your organization.>


That is complete nonsense.
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/18 14:40
That is complete nonsense.

Exaggerated? Maybe. But I've experienced something very similar.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/18 20:27
I cannot imagine that happening between competent users of Japanese; to me it sounds like something taken out of a comedy show. Firstly, you don't just give your name at the start of a conversation, but also your affiliation ("››‚Ì¢¢‚Å‚·"), and then ¢¢ is unmistakably your name. (Or you can give just your name if the other person already knows who you are, in which case the point is moot.) And even assuming that the other person doesn't get it, you add some clarifying information instead of just repeating yourself like a robot.

by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/9/20 00:20
Thank you everyone for helping me. Ifll try and go talk to a shinto priest, Uco.

Also, thank you Bob for the suggestion but everytime I hear Kaguya as a name, I remember my brother screaming about Naruto so I think Ifll pass on that.

For ... and . . . thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. I think my grandma would be happy either way whether or not I will find that name she gave me or find the name that I actually like for myself.

You all gave me a lot of in depth explanations about thinking carefully in terms of choosing a right name that would actually make it easier in Japan whilst respecting my decision to include the moon in my name in honor of my grandma. I am truly grateful.
by Mekori (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: I am changing my name into a japanese name 2019/10/3 12:51
What are you changing exactly?
by Cotoneph rate this post as useful

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