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The Complete Guide to Nanori: What It Is, How to Use It and More

Most likely, you already know that being able to read kanji ( 漢字 – かんじ) adds tremendous value to your Japanese studies.

But now, it’s time to take it a step further and learn how to read Japanese names specifically.

That’s where 名乗り (なのり)— nanori, or the unique reading for names in kanji, comes in. 

In this blog post, we’ll get into nanori and see what name readings for kanji are really all about.

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What Is Nanori?

Simply put, nanori is a way to read kanji in relation to the names of people and places. The characters for nanori literally mean “to give a name.”

There are so many possible name readings for kanji that it makes no sense to try to remember them all. 

Plus, Japanese names can’t show their meanings when we use ローマ字  (ろーまじ)— romaji, a way to write Japanese that makes it readable for those who use the Latin or Roman alphabet (hence the name “romaji”).

In other words, knowing how to read nanori allows us to know that, for example, a name like Ryūichi can be written as 龍 一 (りゅういち)— “the Dragon.”

Keep in mind that the order of Japanese names is different from Western ones. In the United States, the standard formula for a name is:

First name + last name (e.g. John Smith)

But in Japan, it’s:

名字 (みょうじ)— family name + 名前 (なまえ)— given name

Given names in Japanese culture commonly express positive personality traits. For example:

(よし)— Yoshi or “good fortune”

歩美 (あゆみ)— Ayumi or “progress” and “beauty”

Last names, on the other hand, may contain nature-related elements, like these two examples:

鈴木 (すずき)— Suzuki or “bell tree”

浜崎 (はまさき)— Hamasaki or “beach” and “cape” (the geographical one, not the one that heroes wear!)

What’s the Difference Between Nanori, Kun’yomi and On’yomi?

Sometimes, nanori shares readings with 訓読み (くんよみ)— kun’yomi and 音読み (おんよみ)— on’yomi. Kun’yomi are native Japanese readings, while on’yomi are native Chinese readings.

It’s important to know that nanori is separate from kun’yomi and on’yomi. However, knowing the other readings can sometimes help.

Take this name, for example:

松本 (まつもと)— Matsumoto

It uses the kun’yomi of (まつ)— matsu or “pine tree,” and the kun’yomi of (もと)— moto or “origin.”

But the kanji for also has another meaning:

(ほん)— hon or “book”

In the case of names, it takes on a different reading—such as in the name for Japan:

日本 (にほん・にっぽん)— nihon or nippon “origin of the sun” (Japan)

How Can Nanori Readings Take on Different Kanji?

Earlier I mentioned the name (よし)— Yoshi, which means “good fortune.”

But the reading よし can also appear for (よし) or  (よし) which can convey a similar meaning.

Kanji name readings for simple kanji like (いち)— ichi or “one,” can also be read as kazu or かず .

For example:

一仁 (かずひと)— Kazuhito, which is also written as 和仁(かずひと)

Remember, you don’t have to memorize these name readings. There might be just as many as there are people in Japan!

What Are Ateji and Kira Kira Names?

Ateji and Nanori

The Japanese language may refer to borrowed words with 当て字 (あてじ)— ateji. Essentially, ateji are kanji that correspond to sound, not meaning. It was how the Japanese language incorporated non-Japanese words before katakana became more widely used.

While this may not be the same as nanori, it’s still a good way to think about how Japanese syllables correspond to kanji.

For example, my friend Michael is a dancer. In katakana, his name is:

マイケル (まいける)— maikeru

The kanji he chose to represent his name are:

舞気流(まいける)— “Dance,” “Spirit” and “Flow.”

You can even find the phonetic equivalents of your own name! I’ll share resources on this later.

Kira Kira and Nanori

キラキラネーム (きらきらねーむ)— Kira Kira names are non-traditional names. They may come from popular キャラ (きゃら)— characters or brand names.

For example:

ビオレ (びおれ)— Biore (yes, the lotion)

光宙(ぴかちゅう)— Pikachu

Where Can I Practice Nanori?

Now that you know what nanori is, don’t let that knowledge slip away! To really master nanori, you need to practice it in real-world environments, like the following.

Diversify Your Nanori Knowledge By Networking

Want to know the ultimate secret to reading nanori?

Connect with native speakers and ask them how to pronounce their names!

nanoriFor example, you can find language partners online through language exchange apps like HelloTalk or Tandem

 

You can ask your language partner:

お名前は何と読みますか?
おなまえはなんとよみますか?
What’s the reading of your name?

nanori

Once they’ve answered, you can reply with:

素敵な名前ですね。
すてきななまえですね。
That’s a nice name.

Or you can say:

珍しい名前ですね。
めずらしいなまえですね。
What a unique name!

If your name isn’t easy to read in Japanese like mine, you’ll probably hear the second one more often. 

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And if you want more examples of nanori in action, you can watch authentic Japanese videos on a language-learning platform like FluentU.

Look Up Nanori via Online Resources

Japanese Kanji Names Dictionary nanori

This frequently-updated database of nanori offers 手書き漢字入力 (てがきかんじにゅうりょく)— tegaki kanji nyuryoku or handwritten kanji lookup.

It also has 小話 (こばなし) — kobanashi, short stories to help you remember name readings!

And what’s even more awesome about this dictionary is it gives you a short daily list of kanji used in names for you to practice!

Japanese Names .info japanese names info

Want your own Japanese name? This adorable Japanese name directory includes names ranked by popularity and a few other criteria. Plus, this one is more user-friendly if you’re not very familiar with kanji yet!

WWWJDIC nanori

Save this great online dictionary to your bookmarks! It includes real-life examples of people and places. Celebrities, temple names, landmarks—you name it! And the lookup tool is really simple, too.

 

Now that you’ve gotten some insight into the world of Japanese names, go out there and give yourself one!

And One More Thing...

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU.

FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:

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FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

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All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

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And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.

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The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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