Chinese name in Japanese kanji
How does a Chinese name change in Japanese kanji?
Chinese and Japanese share many Han characters, but Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese character forms are not always identical. This is a character-form conversion—not a new Japanese name.
Convert my nameCharacter conversion is not renaming
For example, 张伟 becomes 張偉 in Japanese character forms, while 吴昊 becomes 呉昊. These changes reflect differences between Chinese simplification, traditional forms, and Japanese shinjitai conventions.
Characters with no mapped difference remain unchanged. The result helps with reading and searching Japanese text, but it does not invent a Japanese surname or given name for you.
Chinese-to-Japanese kanji examples
These examples use NameFerry’s current conversion rules; the reading column shows a Japanese on-reading reference.
| Chinese input | Japanese form | Japanese reading | Main change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 张伟 | 張偉 | チョウ イ | 张 → 張 |
| 刘洋 | 劉洋 | リュウ ヨウ | 刘 → 劉 |
| 陈杰 | 陳杰 | チン ケツ | 陈 → 陳 |
| 吴昊 | 呉昊 | ゴ コウ | 吴 → 呉 |
| 黄丽 | 黄麗 | コウ レイ | 丽 → 麗 |
| 欧阳娜娜 | 欧陽娜娜 | オウヨウ ダダ | 欧阳 → 欧陽 |
Three common conversion cases
The character stays the same
Characters such as 王, 小, and 明 usually remain unchanged, although their Japanese and Mandarin readings still differ.
Simplified Chinese changes
Characters such as 张, 刘, 陈, and 吴 map to 張, 劉, 陳, and 呉 for the Japanese display.
Traditional and Japanese forms differ
Traditional 黃, 吳, and 歐 may map to Japanese 黄, 呉, and 欧, so Traditional input is not always preserved verbatim.
Check both characters and pronunciation
Enter the original Chinese name
Simplified and Traditional characters are both supported.
Check the Japanese kanji field
See which character forms changed before considering pronunciation.
Compare the two reading systems
Japanese on-reading and Mandarin pronunciation serve different purposes.
Use the person’s established spelling and reading
A name may retain variant characters, older forms or a long-used personal spelling. Compare the converted forms, then keep the version the person normally uses.
When the person already uses a particular character form or reading, keeping that established form makes introductions and records more consistent.
Conversion reference
More ways to write a Chinese name in Japanese
How do you read a Chinese name in Japanese?
Start with the full guide to kanji, on-readings, katakana, and romaji.
How are common Chinese given-name characters read in Japanese?
Compare Japanese glyphs, on-readings and Mandarin Katakana for common given-name characters.
Why Japanese names cannot be read by on’yomi alone
Compare Chinese-name on-readings and learn how Katakana, Hiragana and Romaji differ.
How are common Chinese surnames read in Japanese?
Look up common Chinese surnames in Japanese glyphs, on-readings and Mandarin Katakana.
See how your name appears in Japanese kanji
Compare Japanese character forms, on-readings, Mandarin katakana, and Hanyu Pinyin in one result.