Kyoto and Osaka: What problems have you had with your name in Japan?

Sajjad Ahmed

Lecturer (Pakistani)

Once, I called City Hall and an old guy picked up. He couldn't pronounce my name. First he said "ahemado," then "ahomado." It was really funny and a little bit humiliating, as aho means a "stupid person."

Lissu

Researcher (Finnish)

When I say that my name is Lissu, people often hear the word risu, which is Japanese for "squirrel."

Sindre Berg

Graduate student (Norwegian)

My first name is pronounced sin-dre, but in Japan it's often pronounced shinderu, which is the verb meaning "to die."

Anu

Student (Finnish)

My name is Anu, but many Japanese people hear ano, as in "well" or "er," so I make a point now of saying Anu — elongating the "oo" sound at the end.

Kim Thorbjörnsson

(Danish/Swedish)

Kim is fine, but my family name has an umlaut over the second "o." Once I was hospitalized and the staff tried to figure out my surname. What they came up with made absolutely no sense to them, or me.

Peter Damashek

Former NYC taxi driver (American)

My middle name is William, but I dropped it from my passport because it's just a hassle in Japan. Middle names confuse people here.

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