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ArchivesDoes anyone know why Japanese people in Japan do not have middle names?
Is the name kanji confusing enough to prevent middle or is this middle name thing never gotten to Japan?
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You are correct; Japanese do not have middle names. It has nothing to do with kanji being "confusing"; middle names are simply not part of their culture. I don't think there is any reason beyond that.
ETA--One will occasionally encounter a Japanese national who seems to have a middle name, but this will not have been given in Japan at birth. Some Japanese Catholics take a Christian name as a middle name at confirmation, just as some American Catholics do. Also, sometimes when a baby is born to Japanese parents in the USA or another country, he or she will be given a middle name or middle initial because it seems to be "expected" (i.e. there is a space for it on the birth certificate). I know of one case in which Japanese parents, living in the USA temporarily, gave their baby the middle initial "C". It was just C on the birth certificate, not short for any name, but the parents explained that they chose C because the baby was born by Caesarian section.
ETA--One will occasionally encounter a Japanese national who seems to have a middle name, but this will not have been given in Japan at birth. Some Japanese Catholics take a Christian name as a middle name at confirmation, just as some American Catholics do. Also, sometimes when a baby is born to Japanese parents in the USA or another country, he or she will be given a middle name or middle initial because it seems to be "expected" (i.e. there is a space for it on the birth certificate). I know of one case in which Japanese parents, living in the USA temporarily, gave their baby the middle initial "C". It was just C on the birth certificate, not short for any name, but the parents explained that they chose C because the baby was born by Caesarian section.
This message was edited 6/18/2010, 9:30 PM
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