1.
person's name; personal name
A name that identifies a person, including both given names and family names. Used especially in contexts discussing names as a category or system.
人名の読み方が難しい。
The reading of people's names is difficult.
日本の人名には漢字が使われることが多い。
Chinese characters are often used in Japanese personal names.
人名用漢字は法律で定められている。
The kanji permitted for use in personal names are determined by law.
Composed of 人 (person) + 名 (name). A formal, categorical term used when discussing names as a topic — in everyday conversation, 名前 (name) is far more common.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 人名辞典 — dictionary of personal names
- 人名用漢字 — kanji approved for use in names
- 人名録 — name register; directory of people
- 人名の由来 — origin of a person's name
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 名前 — name (everyday term; can refer to any name, not just people's)
- 氏名 — full name (formal; used on forms and documents)
- 姓名 — family name and given name (formal pair)
- 人命 — human life (same reading but different kanji and meaning)
CULTURAL NOTE:
In Japan, 人名用漢字 (name-use kanji) is a legally defined set of characters that can be used in given names. Parents must choose characters from this list or the 常用漢字 when registering a child's name.