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Japanese Names vs Korean vs Chinese Names (and American)
Japanese, Korean and Chinese names look similar at first because all three put the family name first and use characters from Chinese. The differences show up in length, sound and which surnames are common. American names differ in order and in how names change.
Order
Japanese, Korean and Chinese names put the family name first. American names put the given name first, then the family name, and often a middle name.
Length and structure
Chinese names usually have a one-character family name and a one or two character given name. Korean names usually have a one-syllable family name and a two-syllable given name. Japanese family names are often two characters, and given names vary in length and are often written with kanji or kana.
Common surnames
In Japan: Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi. In Korea: Kim, Lee, Park. In China: Wang, Li, Zhang.
Same characters, different sounds
The same character can be read very differently. 鐢颁腑 is Tanaka in Japanese and Tian Zhong in Chinese.
Male vs female in Japanese
Endings such as -ko and -mi are usually feminine and -ro and -suke usually masculine. Many modern names, such as Haru, Ren and Sora, are used for both.
Marriage and names
In Japan, married couples must share one surname, and in most cases the wife takes the husband's. In Korea and China, women usually keep their own family name after marriage. In the United States, many women change their surname, but it is a personal choice.
Writing systems
Japanese names are written in kanji, hiragana or katakana, and foreign names in katakana. Chinese names use hanzi and Korean names use hangul, with hanja in some formal cases. The same characters can therefore look alike but sound completely different.
Questions
Are Japanese names similar to Korean names?
They share the family-name-first order, but sounds, length and common surnames are different.
Do Japanese people have middle names?
No. A Japanese name has a family name and a given name only.
Related pages
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