Can you have "exotic" characters in your name?

[ this post contains some Japanese characters that are either very modern or very old. Older computers, and mobile and smaller devices with limited fonts, may not be able to display all the characters in it despite being able to input & output normal Japanese ]

Many foreigners, prior to naturalizing, use a Japanese name for day-to-day life in in Japan. This Japanese name may be a combination of ひらがな {hiragana }／カタカナ {katakana } (Japanese syllabet) or 漢字 {kanji } (sinograms). There are guidelines and common practices regarding how to do this, but most people generally choose a name that roughly sounds like — or less commonly, spells like when transliterated into Latin letters (ローマ字 {rōmaji }) — their original name.

How close ones gets to their original name depends on a balance they everybody chooses between pragmatism and authenticity. If you attempt to make your name transliterate too authentically, it's possible you may create a Japanese "tongue twister" or "memory buster" due to the name's length or it's unusual combination of letters that do not resemble or have a mnemonic to native words.

Compared to many western languages, Japanese doesn't have many consonants and vowels and tones. However, modern Japanese does sometimes get creative — there is actually a way to write syllables that begin with the consonant "v" despite the fact that the sound does not exist in Japanese. Nevertheless, at least following combinations, often found only in foreign words and names, are permitted:

† not all characters can be used in both scripts on a Japanese family register

unofficial Hepburn (ヘボン式 {Hebon-shiki})-like romanizations	Japanese syllabet (hiragana or katakana†)
ye/whi (wi)/whe (we)/who (wo)/va/vi/vu/ve/vo/vyu	イェ／ウィ／ウェ／ウォ／ヴァ／ヴィ／ヴ／ヴェ／ヴォ／ヴュ
kwa (qa)/kwi (qi)/kwe (qe)/kwo (qo)/gwa	クァ／クィ／クェ／クォ／グァ
she/je	シェ／ジェ
tsa/thi (t'i)/tse/tso/che/dhi (d'i)/dhu (du)/thu (t'yu)/twu (t'u)/dwu (d'u)/thi/dhi	ツァ／ツィ／ツェ／ツォ／チェ／ディ／デュ／テュ／トゥ／ドゥ／ティ／ディ
fa/fi/fe/fo/fyu	ファ／フィ／フェ／フォ／フュ

Other combinations are possible, but the above are the most common non-standard syllabet sequences. There is no right or wrong way to pronounce the above non-standard sequences, but most people will probably pronounce them close to how they are "romanized".

There are some caveats, exceptions, and restrictions regarding some characters:

1. You can't have 変体仮名 {hentaigana } (archaic Japanese syllabets) in your name.
   
   Examples of these characters are: 『𛀀』 {'e' } (archaic katakana syllabet 'e') and 『𛀁』 {ye } (archaic hiragana syllabet 'ye')
   
   The ability to display these characters on most Unicode personal computers only appeared a couple of years ago. These characters haven't been in use in the language since the early 1900s. You may occasionally seen a restaurant sign using these characters for nostalgic effect.
2. You can't use special small カタカナ {katakana } that was made for transcribing アイヌ語 {Ainu-go } (the Ainu language). This is sometimes called "katakana phonetic extensions" in Unicode jargon.
   
   Examples of these characters are: フナㇰ {hunak }　タ {ta }　エ・アㇻパ {e⋅arpa }？ (in Ainu: "Where are you going?")
   
   The Ainu are the indigenous people of Japan. They did not have a written language, but both Latin letters and カタカナ {katakana } (Japanese syllabet) are used to represent their language. To represent sounds and tones that did not exist in Japanese, people used smaller versions of the 仮名 {kana} characters using font size tricks and WYSIWYG word processors. Again, the ability for computers to actually display these characters (due to evolving Unicode standards and fonts) only appeared recently. There are only a couple dozen people left in the world that understand Ainu; it is considered to be an endangered language. Mac OS's Japanese support has one of the few Japanese IMEs that can actually input these characters.
3. You can't use the old style "va" "vi" "ve" "vo" characters: ヷ {va }　ヸ {vi }　ヹ {ve }　ヺ {vo }.
   
   Again, the ability to display and process these characters with computers only appeared recently. You can use the more modern forms, which are accepted: ヴァ {va }　ヴィ {vi }　ヴ {vu}　ヴェ {ve }　ヴォ {vo }
4. You can't have the punctuation characters such as 中黒 {nakaguro } (aka 中ぽつ {nakapotsu } or 中点 {chūten } or 黒丸 {kuromaru }; full-width mid-dot or bullet; 『・』) or the full-width 仮名 {kana } (Japanese syllabet) double-hyphen: 『゠』
   
   Both of these characters are common in foreign names that have been transliterated into カタカナ {katakana }. Because Japanese doesn't normally have spaces in the text, it can be difficult to tell where multiple foreign names stringed together begin and end and there relationship with one another. The full-width mid-dot is often used between the first and last names, and the sinogram-width double hyphen is often used when one name has multiple parts separated by spaces, or when the relationship between two names is strong enough that one name should not be present without another. Examples include キャサリン・ゼタ゠ジョーンズ {Kyasarin·Zeta Jōnzu } (Catherine Zeta‐Jones) and ラ・ガレンヌ＝コロンブ {Ra·Garennu Koronbu } （La Garenne-Colombes）
   
   Note that on 戸籍 {koseki } (Japanese family registers), foreign names (such as non-Japanese spouses, fathers and mothers) with a sinogram-width comma (『，』) separating the family name from the given name(s), with no spaces or punctuation.
   
   The full-width double-hyphen is also used for writing the Ainu language.
5. You can't use the ひらがな {hiragana } form of the "vu" character: 『ゔ』 {'vu' }. The reasons for this is technical oversight. When the method for writing "vu" was devised, it was written in カタカナ {katakana} form: 『ヴ』 {'vu' } — because foreign words that used it were almost always written in カタカナ {katakana }. Computers added support for this near the end of the 20th century, but they didn't add the ひらがな {hiragana } form into computer standards and then fonts until much later, simply because it wasn't used much in real text.
6. You can't use the small ひらがな {hiragana } 『ゕ』 {'ka' } or the small 『ゖ』 {'ke' } for the same reason can't use the ひらがな {hiragana } 『ゔ』 {'vu' }: when the computer standards were made, the need for a ひらがな {hiragana } versions didn't exist. Unlike the "vu" case, the small カタカナ {katakana } 『ヵ』 {'ka' } and 『ヶ』 {'ke' } don't exist to represent modern foreign words; they exist to bridge between pre-modern Japanese and modern Japanese.
7. You can't use the ひらがな {hiragana } digraph 『ゟ』 {'yori' } or the カタカナ {katakana } digraph 『ヿ』 {'koto' }. These were handwriting shortcuts used in vertical text, but sometimes you see them in horizontal text.
8. You can't use the 濁点 {dakuten } (voiced syllabet mark: 『゛』) or the 半濁点 {handakuten } (half voiced syllabet mark: 『゜』) by themselves, and you can't combine the marks with any arbitrary 仮名 {kana } (Japanese syllabet) consonant+vowel. Sometimes 漫画 {manga } (Japanese graphic novels/comics) will do this to represent sounds that can't be produced by humans — animals or space aliens, for example.
9. You can't use 半角カタカナ {hankaku katakana } (half-width katakana). Half-width katakana was an early 8-bit computer invention which squeezed the "wide" syllabet into the same space as the alphabet for monospaced primitive computer terminals of the day. It still is used on cash registers, and other simple electronic devices (and some cell phones) that have limited memory or screen space, and Microsoft Windows for the purpose of backwards compatibility with this late seventies / early eighties technology. These days, it's used on the internet for effects, for example, to indicate strangely pronounced Japanese or very soft/diminutive speech.
10. You can't use the two kana repetition mark (くの字点 {ku no jiten }), with or without a 濁点 {dakuten } (voiced mark), which is used only in vertical text as a form of shorthand.
11. You can't use 仮名 {kana } iteration characters (『ゝゞヽヾ』 ex. いすゞ {Isuzu }), the 長音符 {chōonpu } (long vowel mark: 『ー』), the 漢字 {kanji } (sinogram) iteration character (『々』 ex. 人々 {hitobito }) or any of the small versions of the 仮名 {kana } (syllabet) as the first character of a name. You are permitted to use them, however, so long as it makes sense — you can't put a sinogram repetition character after a syllabet character or vice versa. You can't use the older sinogram repetition mark 『仝』.
    
    You can use the 『ん／ン』 {n' / n' } character as the first character of a name, even though it is illegal in the timeless children's Japanese vocabulary game of しりとり {shiritori }. In fact, not only are there foreign place names (usually in Africa) that begin with 『ン』 {n' }, there are actually a few native Japanese proper names that begin with 『ん』 {n' } such as 兼坂 {nnezaka } and 篠崎 {nnozaki }
12. You can use the obsolete "ye" and "yi" characters that aren't used in modern Japanese, either in ひらがな {hiragana } or カタカナ {katakana } form: 『ゐ／ゑ／ヰ／ヱ』 {yi / ye / yi / ye }. Modern Japanese pronounces these as "i" and "e", making the "w/y" silent. Examples: いのうゑ {Inouye}→いのうえ {Inoue}, 円 {yen}→円 {en} (¥), ヱビス {Yebisu}→エビス {Ebisu}.

These character rules do not apply just to foreigners who naturalize. They apply to all Japanese.

It should be warned again that just because you can create a "unique" name by taking advantage of "exotic" characters and sequences, you should remember that you can create names that are:

• Very hard to remember and recall. Remember, most people remember names by mnemonic devices. Especially Japanese, who associate names with common patterns and sinograms.
• Difficult, or depending on the technology, impossible to input into computers. Just because the local ward office computer can store your name doesn't mean your local video store, or even bank, will be able to input a special character. And even if the technology can input it, the staff may not know how to input it.
  
  Quick pop quiz: What's the standard (JIS X 4063:2000) ローマ字 sequence to type the characters 『ゐ』 {'yi' } and 『ゑ』 {'ye' }? Even if you knew that the answer is "wyi" & "wye", there's no guarantee that the low wage employee or primitive computer program processing your name will know, and they may just substitute the characters with 『い』 {'i' } & 『え』 {'e' }, thinking "close enough... as those are the modern forms anyway."
• For Japanese who are older and/or have little foreign language (like English) experience, unnatural combinations of sounds may be difficult or impossible for them to pronounce, even though it's written in a syllabet.
  
  In fact, some older Japanese can't pronounce double "d" or double "g" sounds (examples: ベッド {beddo } ("bed") and ホットドッグ {hotto doggu } ("hot dog"), as those sounds don't appear in native Japanese words. So don't be surprised if people see the character 『ヴ』 {'vu' } and either:
  1. change it or pronounce the consonant as 'b' instead of 'v', which is the usual substitute.
  2. Assume it's "free English sound pronunciation lesson/challenge time" and hopelessly repeat the sound over and over asking if they're doing it right.
  3. Panic and tell you "just a moment please" while they search for an English speaker who can pronounce your foreign sounds. They could be afraid of offending you if they don't feel confident that they can pronounce your "Japanese" name properly. Or they may be afraid that the hint of a alien sound may mean that even more foreign sounds (like a foreign language like English) may be forthcoming from you.

To find out for yourself if any character (syllabet, sinogram, or Japanese punctuation) is allowed or not, the 法務省 {hōmushō } (Japan Ministry of Justice) created a web tool, labeled 『戸籍統一文字情報』 {"koseki tōitsu moji jōhō" } ("family register unified character information"). It can be searched in many ways, from geeky (knowing the computer Unicode or JIS character code) to standard ideographic dictionary ordering: 画数 {kakusū } (strokes) and 部首 {bushu } (radical).

If the character you search for is labeled 『子の名に使える文字』 {"ko no na ni tsukaeru moji" } ("character that can be used for a child") then you may use it for your name (or any of your Japanese children) on a modern 戸籍 {koseki } (Japanese family register).

You can try this tool yourself with the some of the characters mentioned above by selecting the radio check button for "UNICODE" in the 文字コード {moji kōdo} (character code) section, inputting for four digit hexadecimal code number, then pressing 検索 {kensaku} (Search) for then selecting the following characters:

• ○　U+4E00　【一】: the sinogram for "one" (1)
• ×　U+4E25　【严 {Yán}】: the sinogram for the common 簡体字 {kantaiji} (simplified Chinese hanxi) name "Yán"
• ○　U+56B4　【嚴 {Gen}】: same "Yán" as above, but in 繁体字 {hantaiji} (traditional Chinese sinogram) form
• ×　U+BC15　【박 {Bak}】: the hangul for the common Korean name "Park"
• ○　U+6734　【朴 {Boku}】: same "Park" as above, but in Korean hanja sinogram form
• △　U+3041　【ぁ】: hiragana syllabet small 'a'
• △　U+308E　【ゎ】: hiragana syllabet small 'wa'
• ×　U+3094　【ゔ】: hiragana syllabet 'vu'
• ×　U+3095　【ゕ】: hiragana syllabet small 'ka'
• ×　U+30A0　【゠】: katakana-hiragana double hyphen
• △　U+30A1　【ァ】: katakana syllabet small 'a'
• △　U+30F5　【ヵ】: katakana syllabet small 'ka'
• ○　U+30F4　【ヴ】: katakana syllabet 'vu'
• ×　U+30F7　【ヷ】: katakana syllabet 'va'
• ×　U+30FB　【・】: katakana middle dot
• △　U+30FC　【ー】: katakana-hiragana prolonged sound mark
• ×　U+FF21　【Ａ {ei}】: sinogram-width Latin capital letter 'A'
• ×　U+FF71　【ｱ】: katakana half-width syllabet 'a'
• △　U+3005　【々】: sinogram iteration mark
• ×　U+3006　【〆 {shime}】: sinogram closing mark
• ×　U+3013　【〓 {geta}】: sinogram replacement/undefined/unknown/not-displayable mark
• ×　U+FF0C　【，】: sinogram-width comma
• △　U+30FD　【ヽ】: katakana syllabet iteration mark
• △　U+309E　【ゞ】: hiragana syllabet voiced iteration mark
• ○　U+3090　【ゐ】: obsolete hiragana syllabet wi
• ○　U+30F1　【ヱ】: obsolete katakana syllabet we

(the triangle means the character is allowed, but not as the first character of a name and some other non-logical combinations)

You should be aware that the choice to give somebody absolutely any name they want has been a point of debate over the years that has been battled in the courts: the constitutional right related to freedom of expression vs the welfare of the child or person and the effect on society. If you choose a name that is intentionally or unintentionally vulgar or offensive, designed for fraud (identity theft, etc), or confusion, you may encounter resistance to the assignment of the name. This is not just a challenge that naturalized Japanese face, but one that parents who name their children have faced (for example, the one parent who attempted to name their child "demon").