Editing Japanese name (section)

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{{Distinguish|Names of Japan}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Cleanup|date=September 2020|reason=The grammar, as well as some of the terminology used, are incorrect to the point that parts of the article become almost unintelligible.}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2023}}
}}[[File:Yamada-vertical.svg|thumbnail|upright=0.55|right|{{nihongo|[[Yamada]] [[Tarō (given name)|Tarō]]|山田太郎}}, a Japanese [[placeholder name#People|placeholder name]] (male), equivalent to ''John Smith'' in English.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ja:山田太郎から進化を続ける「名前例」|url=http://www.excite.co.jp/News/bit/E1328764726320.html|work=Excite Bit|publisher=Excite News|access-date=6 December 2012|language=Japanese|date=20 February 2012|trans-title='Example Names' Continue to Evolve beyond Yamada Tarō}}</ref> The equivalent of ''Jane Smith'' would be {{nihongo|[[Yamada]] [[Hanako (given name)|Hanako]]|山田花子}}.]]

{{nihongo|'''Japanese names'''|日本人の氏名、日本人の姓名、日本人の名前|Nihonjin no shimei, Nihonjin no seimei, Nihonjin no namae}} in modern times consist of a [[family name]] (surname) followed by a [[given name]]. Japanese names are usually written in [[kanji]], where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adopting a Japanese name, are able to choose which pronunciations they want for certain kanji, the same written form of a name may have multiple readings. In exceptional cases, this makes it impossible to determine the intended pronunciation of a name with certainty. Even so, most pronunciations chosen for names are common, making them easier to read. While any [[jōyō kanji]] (with some exceptions for readability) and {{lang|ja-latn|[[jinmeiyō kanji]]}} may be used as part of a name, names may be rejected if they are believed to fall outside what would be considered an acceptable name by measures of common sense.<ref>{{cite web |last= |date=2017-05-04 |title=【命名権濫用（非常識な命名）と出生届不受理と名の変更】 |url=https://www.mc-law.jp/rikon/25650/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=東京・埼玉の理系弁護士 |language=ja}}</ref>

Japanese names may be written in [[hiragana]] or [[katakana]], the Japanese language syllabaries for words of Japanese or foreign origin, respectively. As such, names written in hiragana or katakana are phonetic rendering and lack meanings that are expressed by names written in the [[Logogram|logographic]] kanji.