Giving Your Name, Address and Number in Japanese

Saying your name so it is heard correctly

A foreign name said with its original pronunciation is often not parseable to a Japanese listener, because the sounds and rhythm do not map onto Japanese moras. The name that gets written down correctly is the katakana version, said in Japanese rhythm with each mora given equal length.

This feels wrong at first, as though you are mispronouncing your own name. It is not: you are giving the listener a version they can hear and write. Keep your natural pronunciation for conversation and use the katakana version when the name needs to be recorded.

Spelling it out, mora by mora

When asked to spell, break the name into moras and say them with a small pause between each. Japanese speakers do the same with unfamiliar names, so this is a normal procedure rather than a concession to your accent.

For sounds that need a small tsu, a long vowel or a combination like sha, name the feature. Nobasu means to lengthen, and chiisai tsu is the small tsu. These are the words a Japanese speaker would use, and using them makes the exchange fast.

Nakaguro is the middle dot used between a foreign first name and surname. Asking for it explicitly is normal and prevents your name being run together.

Reading a Japanese address aloud

Japanese addresses run from the largest unit to the smallest, which is the reverse of many conventions. Prefecture, then city, then ward, then the district name, then the block numbers, then the building and room. Reading it in that order is what lets the listener write as you speak.

The hyphenated numbers are the part that confuses learners. A district address written 3-12-5 is read san no jū-ni no go, with each no standing in for a hyphen. The three numbers are chōme, banchi and gō, and you can name them explicitly if the listener asks.

Numbers that survive a bad line

Japanese has two readings for four and seven, and one of each pair is dangerous on the phone. Shi sounds like ichi, and shichi sounds like ichi as well. The convention in any situation where accuracy matters is to use yon and nana instead, and everybody does this: delivery drivers, bank staff and call centres alike.

Zero is read either zero or rei, and in postcodes commonly maru. Nine is kyū rather than ku when reading digits. Getting into these habits removes a whole category of error.

Say the number in groups with a small pause at each no. Reading ten digits in one breath is the fastest way to be asked to repeat them.

Confirming what was written down

The exchange is not finished when you have spoken; it is finished when the other person has it right. Asking them to read it back is normal procedure at counters and on the phone, and it catches errors while they are still free to fix.

For a name, ask about the katakana specifically. For an address, ask about the numbers. For a phone number, ask for a full read-back. Each of these is a routine request and nobody will find it odd.

Where you will be asked for all of this

The list is long and it recurs. City hall registration, a bank account, a phone contract, a delivery redelivery, a clinic reception, a hotel check-in, a gym membership, a restaurant reservation. Each one asks for a subset of the same three items, and each one records them permanently.

Because these records are matched against each other later, consistency matters more than accuracy in any single instance. Use the same katakana spelling everywhere, including the order of your given name and surname, which Japanese forms often want in the opposite order from what you are used to.

• Use one katakana spelling of your name, everywhere, forever
• Note whether a form wants surname first; many do
• Keep your address written in Japanese on your phone
• Carry your residence card; it settles most identity questions instantly
• For reservations, a first name in katakana is usually enough
• For anything official, match your residence card exactly

Taking someone else's details

The reverse skill matters too, particularly at work. When taking a name you do not recognise, ask how it is written; Japanese surnames often have several possible readings and this question is asked between native speakers constantly.

For addresses and numbers, read back rather than asking whether you got it. Reading back gives them something concrete to correct and takes the same amount of time as a vague confirmation.

Asking for the postcode is a shortcut. It fills in the prefecture, city and district automatically in most systems, leaving only the block numbers to confirm.