Can names be Kanji

[Bradsan]

well i wanted to know can some foreign names be translated into kanji like my name Brad
any help please
also my name Brad
ブラツド
BU RA D DO how would i pronounce it

 

[Chidoriashi]

Yes, you can usually attach Kanji to the sound of your name. In fact foreign nationals who become Japanese citizens are required to do so I believe.

 

[Bradsan]

Yes, you can usually attach Kanji to the sound of your name. In fact foreign nationals who become Japanese citizens are required to do so I believe.

really so what could i add to Brad

 

[Ben Bullock]

really so what could i add to Brad

武楽道

 

[Bradsan]

武楽道

im sorry i cant really read kanji at the moment im learning what does that kanji mean on google translate it says Takeshi easy way ? also can a last name be in kanji

 

[Ben Bullock]

im sorry i cant really read kanji at the moment im learning what does that kanji mean on google translate it says Takeshi easy way ? also can a last name be in kanji

It says "武 bu 楽 ra 道 do", well, sort of. This is something called "ateji". Brad Pitt's first name in Chinese is 孛拉特 but that first kanji is not so common in Japanese.

 

[nice gaijin]

names can be tricky. I'd stick to katakana to save yourself the headache. If this is for anything other than your own edification, I'd highly recommend it.

 

[Bradsan]

It says "武 bu 楽 ra 道 do", well, sort of. This is something called "ateji". Brad Pitt's first name in Chinese is 孛拉特 but that first kanji is not so common in Japanese.

thank you so do Japanese do ateji when writing a foreign name but if i became a citizen of japan would they make my name into kanji ?

 

[Toritoribe]

thank you so do Japanese do ateji when writing a foreign name but if i became a citizen of japan would they make my name into kanji ?

No. Katakana is mainly used to write foreign names as in ブラッド for Brad. When foreigners become a naturalized citizen of Japan, they can basically choose any kind of katakana, hiragana, jouyou kanji or jinmeiyou kanji for their Japanese names.
e.g.
Santos Alessandro --> 三都主アレサンドロ(kanji for given name, katakana for family name)
Ramos Ruy --> ラモス瑠偉(katakana for given name, kanji for family name)
Chad George Haaheo Rowan --> 曙太郎(kanji for both given name and family name)

 

[nice gaijin]

Brad, are you just curious about how this all works, or are you planning your naturalization already?

 

[Bradsan]

Brad, are you just curious about how this all works, or are you planning your naturalization already?

im just wondering how it works i would love to live in japan i want to be fluent in Japanese i just wanted to know if there is a way i can get a kanji name without living there ?

 

[AJBryant]

I'm facepalming. You can't see it, but I am.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

The short answer is no, you can't.

The only way you can really get a kanji name in Japan is to become a naturalized citizen of a country that only uses Chinese characters for names.

Even the nikkei overseas no longer have kanji names, because legally their names are written in another script. Sometimes you see them using kanji, but technically this is just ateji, also. When I changed my name to that of my ex-wife in Japan, I signed my name in kanji because it was easier, but that was ateji as well, even though I knew and could prove that the kanji I used were the same as my wife with the same sounding name.

Become a citizen of Taiwan or China or Japan, and things are different, of course.

 

[Bradsan]

The short answer is no, you can't.
The only way you can really get a kanji name in Japan is to become a naturalized citizen of a country that only uses Chinese characters for names.
Even the nikkei overseas no longer have kanji names, because legally their names are written in another script. Sometimes you see them using kanji, but technically this is just ateji, also. When I changed my name to that of my ex-wife in Japan, I signed my name in kanji because it was easier, but that was ateji as well, even though I knew and could prove that the kanji I used were the same as my wife with the same sounding name.
Become a citizen of Taiwan or China or Japan, and things are different, of course.

thank you's for the help

 

[Putrefaction]

It says "武 bu 楽 ra 道 do", well, sort of. This is something called "ateji". Brad Pitt's first name in Chinese is 孛拉特 but that first kanji is not so common in Japanese.

Well, I learned something new! I read it as ぶらくどう. I also translated it as "military pleasure road" which...yeah, haha. Anyways, Brad, hope it works out!

 

[Ben Bullock]

Well, I learned something new! I read it as ぶらくどう. I also translated it as "military pleasure road".

So you read 俱楽部 as kurakubu?

 

[Bradsan]

thanks for the help again guys ^_^