Editing Japanese name (section)

==Characters==
Japanese names are usually written in kanji, although some names use [[hiragana]] or even [[katakana]], or a mixture of kanji and [[kana]]. While most "traditional" names use {{transliteration|ja|[[kunyomi|kun'yomi]]}} (native Japanese) kanji readings, a large number of given names and surnames use {{transliteration|ja|[[onyomi|on'yomi]]}} (Japanese sound, often Chinese-based) kanji readings as well. Many others use readings which are only used in names ({{transliteration|ja|[[nanori]]}}), such as the female name {{nihongo|Nozomi|希}}.

The sound {{transliteration|ja|no}}, indicating possession (like the [[Saxon genitive]] in English), and corresponding to the character {{lang|ja|の}}, is often included in names but not written as a separate character, as in the common name {{nihongo3|well-(possessive)-top/above, top of the well|井上|i-no-ue}}, or historical figures such as [[Sen no Rikyū]].<ref>Otake, Tomoko, "[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20120122x1.html What to call baby?]", ''[[Japan Times]]'', 22 January 2012, p. 7.</ref>

===Difficulty of reading names===
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A name written in kanji may have more than one common pronunciation, only one of which is correct for a given individual. For example, the surname written in kanji as {{lang|ja|東海林}} may be read either {{Transliteration|ja|Tōkairin}} or {{Transliteration|ja|Shōji}}.<ref name=PowerpC4-2/> Conversely, any one name may have several possible written forms, and again, only one will be correct for a given individual. The character {{lang|ja|一}} when used as a male given name may be used as the written form for "Hajime", "Hitoshi", "Ichi-/-ichi" "Kazu-/-kazu", and many others. The name [[Hajime]] may be written with any of the following: {{lang|ja|始}}, {{lang|ja|治}}, {{lang|ja|初}}, {{lang|ja|一}}, {{lang|ja|元}}, {{lang|ja|肇}}, {{lang|ja|創}}, {{lang|ja|甫}}, {{lang|ja|基}}, {{lang|ja|哉}}, {{lang|ja|啓}}, {{lang|ja|本}}, {{lang|ja|源}}, {{lang|ja|東}}, {{lang|ja|大}}, {{lang|ja|孟}}, or {{lang|ja|祝}}. This many-to-many correspondence between names and the ways they are written is much more common with male given names than with surnames or female given names but can be observed in all these categories. The permutations of potential characters and sounds can become enormous, as some very overloaded sounds may be produced by over 500 distinct kanji and some kanji characters can stand for several dozen sounds. This can and does make the [[collation]], [[pronunciation]], and [[romanization]] of a Japanese name a very difficult problem. For this reason, business cards often include the pronunciation of the name as [[furigana]], and forms and documents often include spaces to write the reading of the name in kana (usually katakana).

A few Japanese names, particularly family names, include [[Kyuujitai|archaic versions of characters]]. For example, the very common character {{transliteration|ja|shima}}, "island", may be written as {{lang|ja|嶋}} or {{lang|ja|嶌}} instead of the usual {{lang|ja|島}}. Some names also feature very uncommon kanji, or even [[jinmeiyō kanji|kanji which no longer exist in modern Japanese]]. Japanese people who have such names are likely to compromise by substituting similar or simplified characters. This may be difficult for input of kanji in computers, as many kanji databases on computers only include common and regularly used kanji, and many archaic or mostly unused characters are not included.

An example of such a name is [[Saito (surname)|Saitō]]: there are two common kanji for {{transliteration|ja|sai}} here. The two {{transliteration|ja|sai}} characters have different meanings: {{lang|ja|斉}} means "together" or "parallel", but {{lang|ja|斎}} means "to purify". These names can also exist written in archaic forms, as {{lang|ja|齊藤}} and {{lang|ja|齋藤}} respectively.

A problem occurs when an elderly person forgets how to write their name in old kanji that is no longer used.

Family names are sometimes written with periphrastic readings, called {{transliteration|ja|[[jukujikun]]}}, in which the written characters relate indirectly to the name as spoken. For example, {{lang|ja|四月一日}} would normally be read as {{nihongo3|"April 1st"||shigatsu tsuitachi}}, but as a family name it is read {{nihongo3|"unpadded clothes"||watanuki}}, because the first day of the fourth lunar month (in the old lunar calendar, closer to 1 May) is the traditional date to switch from winter to summer clothes. In the same way {{lang|ja|小鳥遊}} would normally be read as {{nihongo3|"little birds play"||kotori asobi}} or {{transliteration|ja|shōchōyū}}, but is read {{Transliteration|ja|Takanashi}}, because little birds ({{transliteration|ja|kotori}}) play ({{transliteration|ja|asobi}}) where there are no ({{transliteration|ja|nashi}}) hawks ({{transliteration|ja|taka}}).

Most Japanese people and agencies have adopted customs to deal with these issues. [[Address book]]s, for instance, often contain furigana or [[ruby characters]] to clarify the pronunciation of the name. Japanese nationals are also required to give a [[romanized name]] for their [[passport]].

Not all names are complicated. Some common names are summarized by the phrase {{nihongo3|"the village in the middle of the rice fields"||tanakamura}}: the three kanji ({{nihongo3|"rice field"|田|ta}}, {{nihongo3|"middle"|中|naka}} and {{nihongo3|"village"|村|mura}}), together in any pair, form a simple, reasonably common surname: [[Tanaka]], [[Nakamura (surname)|Nakamura]], [[Murata (surname)|Murata]], [[Nakata (disambiguation)|Nakata]] (Nakada), [[Muranaka]], [[Tamura (surname)|Tamura]].

Despite these difficulties, there are enough patterns and recurring names that most native Japanese will be able to read virtually all family names they encounter and the majority of personal names.

===Regulations===
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Kanji names in Japan are governed by the Japanese Ministry of Justice's rules on kanji use in names. {{As of|2015|alt=As of January 2015}}, only the 843 "name kanji" ({{transliteration|ja|[[jinmeiyō kanji]]}}) and 2,136 "commonly used characters" ({{transliteration|ja|[[jōyō kanji]]}}) are permitted for use in personal names. This is intended to ensure that names can be readily written and read by those literate in Japanese. Names may be rejected if they are considered unacceptable; for example, in 1993 two parents who tried to name their child {{nihongo|Akuma|悪魔}}, which means "devil", were prohibited from doing so after a massive public outcry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nistep.go.jp/achiev/ftx/eng/pol001e/html/pol001ee.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060406095423/http://www.nistep.go.jp/achiev/ftx/eng/pol001e/html/pol001ee.html|url-status=dead|title=Legal Regulations on the Advanced Science and Technology 15|archive-date=April 6, 2006}}</ref>

Though there are regulations on the naming of children, many archaic characters can still be found in adults' names, particularly those born prior to the [[Second World War]]. Because the legal restrictions on use of such kanji cause inconvenience for those with such names and promote a proliferation of identical names, many recent changes have been made to increase rather than to reduce the number of kanji allowed for use in names. The Sapporo High Court held that it was unlawful for the government to deny registration of a child's name because it contained a kanji character that was relatively common but not included in the official list of name characters compiled by the Ministry of Justice. Subsequently, the Japanese government promulgated plans to increase the number of kanji "permitted" in names.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.sanseido-publ.co.jp/wp/2008/11/06/so/ |script-title=ja:人名用漢字の新字旧字：「曽」と「曾」|access-date=2014-10-09 |publisher=Sanseido Word-Wise Web |language=Japanese|date=6 November 2008}}</ref>

The use of a space in given names (to separate first and middle names) is not allowed in official documents, because technically, a space is not an allowed character. However, spaces are sometimes used on business cards and in correspondence.