How would a person named ネイサン properly introduce themselves?

16 comments

1. ネイ is not a common name. There is no chance that anyone will think you are attaching さん to your own name. Just introduce yourself as normal.

2. Don’t worry about that, just because your name ends with the sound – San it won’t be associated with the honorific ending.
   Just like a foreigner in English could be named Misterooney, without people (beyond kids under 10) pointing out that it sounds like two words.

   Know that there are Japanese surname that ends with san too: [佳山](https://myoji-yurai.net/searchResult.htm?myojiKanji=%E4%BD%B3%E5%B1%B1), [大参](https://myoji-yurai.net/searchResult.htm?myojiKanji=%E5%A4%A7%E5%8F%82), [安蒜](https://myoji-yurai.net/searchResult.htm?myojiKanji=%E5%AE%89%E8%92%9C)

3. I have a friend here with the surname “Fernandes” 「フェルナンデス」. Having the -です and -なんです endings makes for some interesting self intros.

4. There may be a laugh (oh you’re Nay-san-san!) and that’s bout it. You’re good.

5. Consider introducing yourself as “Nathan” and not “Neisan”, that is your name after all…

6. The サン is a part of your name, not an honorific. You say your name like anyone else would. Is this post a joke?

7. Lol there was a Japanese girl I introduced my friend Jonathan too and she fully was like “san is included in his name? How strange!” This was like in high school with a fully domestic Japanese girl though. I dunno, he could consider going by Nate. But hopefully most people who aren’t naive high schoolers will get it.

8. Because it is not natural to introduce yourself using the “san” prefix, Japanese people would assume you have the very well-know name Nathan.

   No problem at all.

9. I had a friend named “Peterson”. Japanese people used to refer to him in English as “Mr. Peter”. Great stuff.

10. you could also just pronounce サン as ファン

11. Say your last name, not your first name. So If it is “Smith” then say “Sumisu desu” Or say “Sumisu Neisan desu.” Japanese people don’t generally introduce themselves with their given name, they use their family name.

12. Japanese people are not stupid. They will understand that it’s your name.

13. Say that they can consider you their big sister and they can call you 姉さん

14. They know the name Nathan in English is ネイサン. As a French Nathan, they were always asking me what my name was in roumaji cause ナタン was unknown to them but ネイサン wasn’t.

15. This is your name. It will be recognized as such in speech, and especially in print. Don’t worry so much, you’ll be alright.

16. Nathan is common, but a friend’s last name is Nidess.

    Them:　名字は？
    Him:　ナイデス
    Them: え？名前が無いの？

    I suppose people that actually only have one name on their passport must have to deal with so much BS here.