Match each Japanese name field
SMITHDAVIDスミスデイビッドDAVID SMITHUse the same identity spelling everywhere
For official applications, match the document named by the form. For an existing bank, phone, or membership account, use the spelling and Katakana already registered there. Consistency matters more than choosing a theoretically better transliteration.
How to handle character-width instructions
全角カタカナ means standard full-width Katakana. 全角英字 means full-width Latin letters such as ＤＡＶＩＤ. 半角英字 means ordinary Latin keyboard characters such as DAVID.
Common foreign-name mistakes
- Entering given name in the 姓 field
- Using Hiragana when the label says カタカナ
- Changing the registered Katakana spelling between services
- Letting autofill insert punctuation or spacing the form rejects
- Assuming every service handles middle names the same way
Frequently asked questions
Do I write my family name first in Japanese?
Many Japanese forms present family-name fields before given-name fields. Follow the labels 姓 and 名 rather than assuming an order from the page layout.
What if my name has a middle name?
Use the identity document or existing account the service asks you to match. If there is no middle-name field, follow that service’s instructions rather than silently dropping it.
Should フリガナ contain a space or ・?
Requirements vary. Start with the separator accepted by the form’s example, and remove it if the validation message says spaces or unsupported characters are present.