Japanese Names: A Crash Course on Learning Japanese First and Last Names

By Clay Boutwell and Yumi Boutwell

Want to make Japanese friends? Having a thorough understanding of names will help. Want to enjoy Japanese movies, TV, or novels? If this fits your description, this book is for you.

FEATURES

* Learn the most common 100 family names today

* Over a hundred given names (male and female)

* Master the most common kanji and the most common readings found in Japanese names

* Download Anki decks, sound files, and worksheets for no extra charge.

Dedicating time to learning names might not seem as "cool" or enjoyable as mastering slang or Japanese proverbs, but a strong foundation in Japanese names will significantly enhance your understanding.

Japanese dramas and novels often introduce names without any consideration (or mercy!) for language learners, which can be frustrating. If you can't comprehend character names, it can dampen your enjoyment and leave you feeling lost, even if you understand most of the dialogue.

Surprisingly, not many textbooks or courses devote substantial attention to names, despite being a crucial aspect of achieving true linguistic and cultural fluency.

This book aims to change that once and for all by thoroughly studying the top 100 family and over a hundred given names (male and female) through kanji studies, worksheets, and Anki flashcard decks (see the last page for the download link).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kotoba Inc
• Release date: Apr 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890085719

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

The above graphic means, a difficult name (to understand).

This may not apply to Japanese names that use JLPT N5 kanji, 田中(たなか)or 中村(なかむら)for example. If you have a basic grasp of kanji, you shouldn't face any difficulties in this area, but the vast majority of Japanese names are a challenge even after years of learning Japanese.

Dedicating time to learning names might not seem as cool or enjoyable as mastering slang or Japanese proverbs, but a strong foundation in Japanese names will significantly enhance your understanding.

Japanese dramas and novels often introduce names without any consideration (or mercy!) for language learners, which can be frustrating. If you can't comprehend character names, it can dampen your enjoyment and leave you feeling lost, even if you understand most of the dialogue.

Surprisingly, not many textbooks or courses devote substantial attention to names, despite being a crucial aspect of achieving true linguistic and cultural fluency.

This book aims to change that once and for all.

A picture containing icon Description automatically generated

Imagine being introduced to Mr. Saitou. After going through this book, you ask him, Is that a Saitou with a 斉 or a 斎? Mr. Saitou (whether 斉藤 or 斎藤) will truly be impressed.

FORMAT OF THIS BOOK

In this book, we'll thoroughly study the top 100 family and over a hundred given names (male and female) through kanji studies, worksheets, and Anki flashcard decks (see the last page for the download link).

WHO IS THIS FOR?

Want to make Japanese friends? Having a thorough understanding of names will help. Want to enjoy Japanese movies, TV, or novels? If this fits your description, this book is for you.

FEATURES

Learn the most common 100 family names today

Over a hundred given names (male and female)

Master the most common kanji and the most common readings found in Japanese names

Download Anki decks, sound files, and worksheets for no extra charge.

This book is based on a much more in-depth online course at Makoto+. If you want extra practice plus hundreds of famous names (historical, actors, actresses, musicians, singers, and more), please check out the course here:

https://makotoplus.com/makoto-courses/japanese-names-course/

It’s free for Shogun and Lifetime members.

Samurai members can find a deeply discounted coupon in the members section. Or you can purchase the course without being a member.

ABOUT CLAY & YUMI

Yumi was a popular radio DJ in Japan for over ten years. She has extensive training in standard Japanese pronunciation which makes her perfect for creating these language instructional audio files.

Clay has been a passionate learner of Japanese for many years. His free language learning website, www.TheJapanesePage.com, got its start back in 1999 as a way to help other learners of Japanese as well as himself.

In 2002, they opened www.TheJapanShop.com to help students of Japanese get hard-to-find Japanese books.

Yumi and I are very grateful