How Japanese names work
Family name first in Japan, often flipped in English, and almost always used with a title.
The order: family, then given
A Japanese name has two parts: the family name (myōji) and the given name. In Japanese they are always written family name first: Tanaka Hiroshi. There are no middle names.
In English the order varies. For most of the last century, Japanese people flipped their names for foreign readers, so Tanaka Hiroshi became Hiroshi Tanaka. Since 2020 the Japanese government writes names in official English documents family name first, often with the family name in capitals: TANAKA Hiroshi. In business email you will meet both orders, sometimes from the same company.
Address people by the family name
In Japan, adults at work are addressed by their family name. In English, write Dear Mr. Tanaka or Dear Ms. Tanaka. If you cannot tell which title fits, the full name is polite: Dear Hiroshi Tanaka.
When writing in a Japanese context, colleagues add -san to the family name: Tanaka-san. It works for men and women, which makes it a useful neutral option even in English email with Japanese partners. Never add -san to your own name.
Using the given name alone is reserved for family and close friends. Many Japanese people who work internationally are comfortable with it, but wait until they sign that way themselves.
Which order has this name been written in?
Japan has tens of thousands of family names, so a quick look at the most common ones does not always settle it. Useful clues:
- A word in capitals is the family name: WATANABE Kenji.
- A comma separates family name from given name: Watanabe, Kenji.
- Very common family names (below) are a strong hint; so are typical given-name endings such as -ko or -rō, though these are not reliable alone.
- Look at how the person signs and how colleagues address them in the thread.
The most common family names
Among Japanese people recorded in Wikidata:
| Family name | People in Wikidata | Share of the top 15 |
|---|---|---|
| Tanaka | 2,038 | 10.4% |
| Satō | 1,826 | 9.3% |
| Takahashi | 1,811 | 9.3% |
| Suzuki | 1,548 | 7.9% |
| Nakamura | 1,479 | 7.6% |
| Itō | 1,478 | 7.6% |
| Kobayashi | 1,451 | 7.4% |
| Katō | 1,246 | 6.4% |
| Yamamoto | 1,208 | 6.2% |
| Watanabe | 1,140 | 5.8% |
| Yoshida | 1,131 | 5.8% |
| Saitō | 847 | 4.3% |
| Inoue | 835 | 4.3% |
| Yamada | 810 | 4.1% |
| Sasaki | 721 | 3.7% |
Wikidata covers notable people (athletes, politicians, scientists, artists), so these counts show the ranking, not exact population shares.
Satō, Sato, Satoh, Satou
Long vowels are written several ways in the Latin alphabet. Satō, Sato, Satoh and Satou are the same name, as are Itō, Ito and Itoh. Copy the spelling the person uses.
Married names
Japanese law requires a married couple to share one family name, and in the large majority of marriages the wife takes the husband's. Many women keep using their birth name at work, so the name in a signature may differ from the one on official papers. Use the name they sign with.
Quick answers
Is Tanaka a first name or a last name?
Tanaka is a family name, one of the most common in Japan.
How do I address Kenji Watanabe in an email?
Dear Mr. Watanabe. In a Japanese setting, Watanabe-san.
Should I write the family name first?
Follow the person's own signature. Both orders are correct in English today.