Japanese Name Order and How to Address People: Surname First, Titles and San

Surname first: how a Japanese name is built

A Japanese name has two parts: the family name, myōji or sei, and the given name, namae or mei. They are said and written surname first, with no comma: Yamada Hanako. Forms have two boxes labelled sei and mei, and a row for the reading in kana, furigana, because the same kanji can be read several ways. Most surnames are two kanji, and there are no middle names.

Because the surname is the public part of the name, it is the part that takes san and the part you use in almost every situation. The given name is private; it belongs to the family, close friends and the person themselves. That is why asking a new acquaintance their first name feels intrusive, and why the answer to o-namae wa, what is your name, is usually just the surname.

Choosing between san, sama, kun and chan

The decision starts from san and moves up or down. San after the surname is right for colleagues, neighbours, shop owners, parents of your child's friends and almost any adult you are not close to. Move up to sama for customers, clients and anyone you serve, and in the address line of a letter. Move down to kun for boys and male juniors at school or work, and to chan for small children, girls and close female friends. A boss might call a young employee Tanaka-kun; the employee would never return it.

Never attach any suffix to your own name, and drop it when you speak about your own family or company to outsiders: uchi no Tanaka, our Tanaka, is how a receptionist refers to a colleague to a visitor. This dropping is humility, not rudeness, and calling your own boss Satō-san to a client is a common learner error. The suffix guide on this site covers each ending in depth; the point here is that the choice depends on who is listening as well as who is named.

Titles instead of names

In many settings the name disappears and a title takes its place. Teachers, doctors, lawyers and politicians are sensei, on its own or after the surname, and calling your doctor Yamada-san would sound oddly casual. In a company, people above you are addressed by rank: buchō, department head; kachō, section chief; shachō, president. You can say Suzuki-buchō or simply buchō, and colleagues will refer to the boss as buchō in his absence. A surname with san is for those at your level or people from outside.

Family words work the same way: older siblings and parents are called by their role, onii-chan or o-tō-san, while younger siblings are called by name. Customers use role words for staff too: tenin-san for a shop assistant, untenshu-san for a driver. When you learn someone's job, you have usually learnt what to call them.

When first names are used

First names appear in three situations. Children are called by first name plus chan or kun by everyone. Family use first names downward, from older to younger. And close friends, especially those who met at school or university, use first names or nicknames for life, sometimes with chan or kun, sometimes bare. Couples usually move to first names.

Foreigners are a special case. Japanese people often assume that Westerners prefer first names and will call you by your given name plus san, Jon-san, from the first meeting. That is a courtesy to your culture, not an invitation to use their first name in return. If you want to be called by your surname, say so plainly. If a Japanese person wants you to use their first name, they will tell you: Hanako de ii desu yo, Hanako is fine. Until then, stay with the surname.

Forms of address at a glance

The table gives the usual form for the people a learner meets most. Where two forms are listed, the first is the safer choice.

Business cards remove the guesswork: use the title printed on the card, or the surname plus san if there is none, and keep the card on the table during the meeting.

Introducing your own name and the romanised order

When you give your own name, decide the order once and keep it. Most foreigners say their name in Western order, Jon Sumisu desu, and then help the listener: Sumisu ga myōji desu, Smith is the surname. Japanese people are used to this and will call you Sumisu-san or, more often, Jon-san. If your name is long, offer the short form you want used. Writing it in katakana on a card or form helps everyone read it the same way.

The romanised order of Japanese names is unsettled. For a century most Japanese people wrote their names Western style in English, Hanako Yamada, and many company cards still do. The government now uses surname first in official English, sometimes with the surname in capitals, YAMADA Hanako, to make the order clear. Either is acceptable, but be consistent, and if you are unsure which part is the surname, ask rather than guess.

Regional and generational variation

Older speakers and traditional workplaces lean on titles and surnames, and a manager in his sixties may call every male junior surname plus kun for their whole careers. Younger companies, especially in technology and start-ups, have moved towards san for everyone regardless of rank, and some explicitly ask staff not to use titles. When you join a Japanese workplace, listen for a week before you settle on forms; the company's habit outranks any general rule.

Regionally, western Japan is a little warmer with names. In Kansai it is common to hear surname plus han among older speakers, and shop staff may address regular customers by name more freely. Schools everywhere have shifted from calling boys kun and girls san towards san for all pupils, so younger Japanese may find the old split odd.

Mistakes foreigners make

• Using a first name uninvited, especially with clients, doctors and older people
• Attaching san to your own name when you introduce yourself
• Calling your own boss or colleague with san when talking to an outsider
• Using san for a teacher or doctor when sensei is the expected title
• Guessing which part of a name is the surname and getting it backwards
• Calling a stranger o-jii-san or o-bā-san, which can offend
• Changing the katakana spelling of your name between documents

The recovery from a naming error is easy: say shitsurei shimashita, sorry, and use the right form from then on. Japanese people forgive foreigners almost anything here, but they notice when you learn, and using a colleague's correct title from the second meeting earns quiet respect.