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Words Kanji Guides About

名字 (みょうじ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

名みょう字じ

みょ

う

じ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

surname; family name; last name

Standard word for a person's family name. In Japanese, it typically comes before the given name.

See also: 名前

あなたの名みょう字じは何なんですか。
What is your surname?

田た

中なか

と

いう

名みょう

字じ

は

日本にほん

で

とても

多おお

い

。

The surname Tanaka is very common in Japan.

Written forms

名みょう字じUsage43%
Very common kanji spelling; 名 means 'name' and 字 means 'character'. This form is widely used in modern Japanese.
苗みょう字じUsage56%
Common kanji spelling; 苗 carries the meaning of 'lineage' or 'descendant'.
みょうじUsage1%

Kanji

苗seedling, sapling, shoot
字character, letter, word
名name, noted, distinguished

Similar words

名な前まえ
名前 is the general word for 'name', including both given names and full names. 名字 specifically refers to the family name.
姓せい
姓 is a more formal or written term for 'surname', often used in official documents. 名字 is the everyday spoken word.

Etymology

Compound of 名 (myō, 'name') + 字 (ji, 'character'). The reading myōji is a regular sound change from earlier myauji.