5/16/2023 0 Comments Kanji stylizer![]() ![]() On the whole, foreigners, even overseas Japanese, very often have katakana attached to their names rather than kanji, even if they do have a version of their name that uses kanji - the two examples that come to mind are Yoko Ono (known as オノ・ヨーコ rather than 小野洋子) and Michio Kaku (ミチオ・カク rather than 加來道雄 - he even gets his name put in the Western order) Overall, I do believe that it's totally down to the individual how they write their name, especially so in Japanese. I'll migrate my answer from the comments and add a bit. Your name is your identity, and if you think a kanji version of it represents your identity better, go for it! So really, it is up to you, whether you are going to live in Japan or are just studying in different country. In your specific case, having a Japanese-sounding name like that in katakana will most likely signal that you are a nisei of some sort, or that you actually have a kanji name but are stylizing it in katakana for coolness or pseudonymity. This is one reason why some foreigners here adopt a Japanese-looking common name, or settle on a kanji transliteration upon naturalization. Some of us have kanji versions of our names, so we use them along with the Japanese parent’s surname whenever that is possible and more convenient. People read out your name like it’s a question, you have very little anonymity since your name is so conspicuous, and in the worst case you get picked on or mildly discriminated against. Of course, once in a while someone will compliment you on your cool katakana or otherwise foreign name, but in day-to-day life, it can be pretty inconvenient. Growing up among many haafu and other mixed-race kids, I know first-hand how annoying it can be. ![]() A big question is whether you want to be broadcasting this signal. This sounds tautological, but the fact is, having a foreign-looking name in this largely homogeneous country strongly signals that you are foreign. ![]()
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