So ive diven right into learning japanese and i know that foreign names are to be written in katakana, but also can be written in kanji.
But if im to convert my “katakana” name into kanji, which pronounciation of kanji do i use, because i see that kanji have both a katakana and a hiragana pronounciation that sometimes doesnt match, so since my name is in katakana do i use the katakana pronounciation?
Also in a conversation, how do i easiest explain which kanji are present in my name.
3 comments
Foreigner’s names cannot be written in kanji, period. You will be looked at as a weirdo and people will avoid you if you try.
Of course many students of Japanese come up with a Kanji spelling of their name, maybe even get a coffee cup or T-shirt or something with their kanji name on it… just avoid sharing it with native Japanese people. If you do eventually share it with a Japanese friend or coworker, share it like it’s a silly joke not like you seriously expect anyone to use kanji for your name.
That said, there are kanji spellings for some western given names, either through coincidence of kana-ization of a western name overlapping an existing Japanese name, or because of Japanese children being given Western-derived names which are then given Kanji spellings.
You can search name databases or look up famous people with your given name, but family names you have to make up for yourself.
Name explanations generally go like, たなかは「田んぼ」の「た」と「中学」の「ちゅう」で書きます。 Not that you would need to explain 田中, but that’s the principle.
If an unusual kanji is involved you’d need to explain by components, and if an unusual kanji with unusual components is involved, well, sometimes writing an example is just easier.
you can pick anything you want but it’s not going to be taken seriously, it’s considered a variety of [キラキラネーム](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kira_kira_name) and will be treated with mixed response depending on the person. with friends it’s fine, but it’s never going to be official, and some strangers will find it odd. full disclosure, i did this, i use kanji for my western name, but i only share it with study friends, a couple close japanese friends, and with my senseis in class that put up with my nonsense.
you can use whatever the kanji you want to use when you name yourself. thats how japanese names are given too tho.