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Japanese name? 2007/12/16 10:19
Hello! I am imagrating to Japan soon. Although I am not asian, my name is REALLY English, so it would be hard for them to pronounce. When you migrate do they give you a new name? ie "Japanize you". Sort of the way they did to foreigners coming to America?
Thanks so much!!
by RainyDays  

... 2007/12/16 12:22
I am assuming you are coming to Japan soon. Perhaps you have decided to live here soon. But you have no concrete plans of becoming a Japanese citizen within a year (because you need to at least live in Japan for several years to become one).

If so, people usually use their name given by birth. If you think it's hard to pronounce, you can let people use a nickname.

Hope it helps.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Normal 2007/12/16 14:17
Can i ask what your English name is? Because as Uco said, they usually use the name that you were given at birth but just change some of the sounds if they're not common in Japanese tongue. For example, my name Tom.. is Tomu, my friends name Catherine is Kyasurin. So if you could tell me what your name is i might be able to tell you what the Japanese would most likely call you, but as Uco also said, if it is too hard for them to say and you can see them struggling, just tell them they can call you a nickname.
by Tom rate this post as useful

no need to change 2007/12/16 21:37
No, they don't give you a new name, and it would be odd for a foreigner to have a Japanese name.

Most Japanese people are familiar with the more common English names and although the pronunciation may be modified people aren't likely to have that much trouble with your name.

My real name is also very English, but because all the sounds in it also exist in Japanese and it is a fairly common name, people have no trouble with it at all.

It's only if you become a Japanese citizen (after many years here, and even then most people don't go to all the trouble) that you might have to think about taking a Japanese name.
by Sira rate this post as useful

well, 2007/12/17 05:58
well my english name is Heather. But having my name pronounced "hezza" sounds unflattering for a girl.
by RainyDays rate this post as useful

Re: Japanese name? 2007/12/17 06:15
When you migrate do they give you a new name? ie "Japanize you". Sort of the way they did to foreigners coming to America?
Officially, no, nobody will change your name when you move to Japan. However, the sounds that make up the Japanese lanuage are relatively limited and that's why every name and foreign word gets 'katakana-nized' and pushed into the mould of the Japanese language making it at times difficult to recognize.
by Kappa rate this post as useful

. 2007/12/17 07:04
Heather,

I'm afraid you're going to be called "Hezah." But it doesn't sound unflattering or funny in anyway to Japanese ears.
by Tokyonet rate this post as useful

names 2007/12/17 08:14
You'll get used to hearing Japanese pronunciation of English words after a while- it's just one of the things that makes living in Japan an interesting experience. I don't think Hezza sounds unflattering. You will have to make a lot of compromises and change some of your ways of thinking if you want to live in a foreign country, so don't worry too much about how your name will be pronounced.

My father's name is Graham but that is quite difficult for people to say so when he visits people call him "Gura-hamu"- he thinks it's amusing to have his name so mangled, he considers that to be his "Japanese name". At least you don't have any Ls in your name- people called Laurel and Laurence get their names much more mangled than yours!
by Sira rate this post as useful

use a nickname 2007/12/17 09:24
RainyDays, "hezza" doesn't sound unflattering to me, but if it does to you we have to understand that.

As mentioned, simply let them use a nickname of your choice. Beth or Yoko or whatever comes to your mind. Your official papers must show your real name, but I can't think of a place, be it a school or office, where you are not allowed to have others call you by nicknames even by the teacher.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Heather 2007/12/17 10:50
RainyDays,

As others have already said, your name would be pronounced "Heza-" in Japanese, which doesn't sound particularly unflattering. Just be grateful your name isn't Gary, Ben, Danny, or even Dave. ;-)
by Dave in Saitama rate this post as useful

name 2007/12/17 17:11
my name is Stanislav, :)
some people from UK and USA have realy big problems calling me Stanislav :P

Don't know how in japan it will sound,

so you see your name is not so bad, it iz short, and short namez usually are easy to pronounce :)
I don't think some one is going to have problems with your name in any language, or maybe I am wrong :)
by Stanislav rate this post as useful

Australianization of Heather 2007/12/17 18:03
Hezah shouldn't be unflattering.

My sister is named Cheryll and her "Australian" nickname is Chezza.

To stanislav: I have more of a problem pronouncing heather. I have a speech defect that would make me pronounce heather as "header" which I would believe to be more unflattering.

by Very Fat Bastard rate this post as useful

Sounds German 2007/12/17 23:03
Is your name German? (Stainslav?)*oops.. i spelled it wrong. Sorry!*

Thanks for the encouragement. Hmm.. although I wonder: When I sign leagle documents (ie renting an apartment ect) would I sin my name in English or Katakana?
by RainyDays rate this post as useful

both 2007/12/18 08:03
Possibly both, Heather, as in Japan there are always 2 lines on forms for people to write their names- one for the kanji they use, and the next line to give the phonetic spelling (furigana) of their name since that isn't always clear from the kanji.

I write the romaji for my name on the kanji line and the katakana on the furigana line.
by Sira rate this post as useful

family name 2007/12/18 11:23
Btw RainyDays, I hope you are aware that in official situations, people are usually refered to by their family names. It's quite useless to worry about your real first name when, in the situations you might use them, you have no problem using nicknames instead.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Stamps? 2007/12/18 13:39
I also heard that you could get "seals" or "stamps" of your name made which would replace your signature and had believed it was used more.

Or is this a dying tradition?
by Very Fat Bastard rate this post as useful

... 2007/12/18 16:21
It's called a "hanko" or "inkan" are are used in place of signatures. To be used officially they are registered with your city office.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanko_%28stamp%29
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

hanko vs. writing name 2007/12/18 16:25
Hanko are still widely used, but if you fill out a form, you must still write your full name somewhere on the form, just as we do in English speaking countries. The hanko replaces the signature, not the writing out of your full name.
by Sira rate this post as useful

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