THE FIELD NOTES
Family name first or given name first
In Japanese, the family name normally comes first, so Tanaka is the family name in Tanaka Haruto. English writing often reverses this, which would make it Haruto Tanaka. Choose the order that suits your story, and keep it consistent across your cast. The Any setting always puts the family name first, and it also mixes in single given names and family names.
Female and male given names
The given-name pool switches between names listed as feminine and names listed as masculine. Names listed under both were left out, so each pool stays clear. Real Japanese naming is more flexible than two lists can show, and some names here may be used by anyone.
Last names, shown with kanji
Choose Family name only for a surname with its kanji, such as Suzuki (鈴木). The pool holds 100 common family names. Two different family names can share a romanized spelling. Ono can be written 小野 or 大野, for example, so both appear as separate results.
Sources for the family and given names
Family names come from a published list of common surnames in Japan, based on 2008 estimates. Given names are selected from Wikipedia’s lists of feminine and masculine Japanese names. Long-vowel marks are removed for easy typing, so Satō appears as Sato.
What this tool leaves out
Pairings are random, so a full name is fictional and describes nobody in particular, though it could match a real person by chance. It does not show meanings or kanji for given names, because one spoken name can be written in many ways and those details have not been sourced. It does not reflect a name’s era, region or popularity, and it does not translate your own name into Japanese. Qualified human review is pending.