+- kanji koohii FORUM (http://forum.koohii.com)
+-- Forum: Learning Japanese (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: General discussion (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-8.html)
+--- Thread: How should westerners with Chinese last names write them in Japanese? (/thread-10448.html)
How should westerners with Chinese last names write them in Japanese? - hituiuc - 2013-01-28
If an American had a Chinese last name, should katakana and kanji be combined when writing his/her name? Or, is the convention to keep everything in katakana?
How should westerners with Chinese last names write them in Japanese? - vonPeterhof - 2013-01-28
If even Japanese-Americans have their names written entirely in katakana, I believe the same applies to Chinese Americans, unless they naturalize in Japan.
How should westerners with Chinese last names write them in Japanese? - JimmySeal - 2013-01-28
Prominent Chinese political figures will usually have their names written in their original characters, and read with on-yomi:
毛沢東 - もうたくとう
胡錦濤 - こきんとう
On the other hand, celebrities (especially those using a westernized given name) usually have their names written in a katakana-ized version of the original pronunciation - ジャッキーチェン, ジェットリー, チョウ・ユンファ, チャン・ツィイー.
So maybe the typical thing for an American with a Chinese last name would be to use katakana for everything.
How should westerners with Chinese last names write them in Japanese? - yudantaiteki - 2013-01-29
hituiuc Wrote:If an American had a Chinese last name, should katakana and kanji be combined when writing his/her name? Or, is the convention to keep everything in katakana?In my experience, Chinese-Americans use katakana whereas Chinese use the kanji. But I've gotten different answers from native speakers on what should be done.