Names

I have a very weird english name and was wondering how to pronounce it in Japanese (or just so that theyd understand me)
My name is (saying it in Japanese style last name first,first name last)
Van Der Westhuizen Zandria....
this is very daunting since not even Canadians and Americans get it right and it ends up being a physically painfull experience for them( yes the faces they pull,it looks like their in pain)
Maybe itll be best just topick a Japanese nickname ? What would be best?

I take it that you are of Dutch origin then. It is not weird, by the way.

"Zandria" is not that difficult (it might come out as za-n-do-ri-a), so when you introduce yourself you can just say that they can call you Zandria. The Japanese has this respectful/friendly suffix "-san," which can be added to either family or given name, and is common for Mr. or Ms., so probably you will be referred to as "Zandria-san."

I know someone from Europe whose family name starts with "Van den..." and the Japanese business counterparts make efforts to say the full family name, but when they are not in front of him, I've heard someone refer to him as Mr. Van Den. So the same could happen with your name.

You don't have to pick a Japanese nickname, just go with Zandria :)

thanx, Do I need to introduce myself with my last name?

P.S IM Belgium/British mix

I assume you are going to be speaking in English? Then you can simply say "I'm Zandria Van Der Westhuizen." Even if you got someone to write you an introductory phrase in Japanese, your name remains as it is :)

P.S. The European acquaintance I was writing about was from Belgium.

Zandria,

In business situations, yes, you should introduce yourself by your family name.
You mention that Americans and Canadians always pronounce your name wrongly without actually indicating how it should be correctly pronounced, but if it sounds like "fan der vesthaizen", it will be written/pronounced "ファン・デル・ヴェストハイゼン" (fan deru vesutohaizen) in Japanese.

... are you Japanese cause I have another really embaressing question to ask.

probably you will be called ヴェストハイゼンさん(best-hi-then-sun)

Hi,

Looking from a typical Japanese like me, your name sounds to be something intelligent, not weird at all.

Your name reminds me of van der Waals (Johannes Diderik van der Waals), the famous Dutch physicist discovering an equation of state of gas in the 19th century. So, don't hesitate in your future Japanese life.

As mentioned in the former answers, in Japan, when calling another person, you don't have to use any personal nickname except when talking with your family members or your best friends. In most business situations, just add "-san" (suffix) to the end of another person's family name. This suffix is a kind of respect words (implying "I respect you"). All persons using respect words will be respected by another person, while persons who don't use respect words will always be thought to be rude and uneducated, and ignored by another person.

Do not add "-san" to your name. Respect words can not be added to your name (it means "I'm superior to you").

Seriously, dont make it hard for yourself or your Japanese business partners, just go with your first name - It is that easy.

You'll hate yourself for picking something they have a hard time pronouncing, because it will only get worse when they introduce you time someone else.

I have a very short family name, but something they can not pronounce correctly and even have a very hard trying, since my first name is Alexander I just go with Alex.