1.
surname; family name; last name
A person's family name, as opposed to their given name. In Japanese culture, the surname comes first when writing or saying a full name.
苗字 and 名字 are variant spellings of the same word; both are common. The more formal synonym is 姓.
Common collocations
In Japan, married couples must share a single 苗字 by law, which in practice almost always means the wife takes the husband's name. The question of allowing 夫婦別姓 (separate surnames for married couples) is a recurring topic of social debate.
Related Words
Synonym:
姓 (formal)