How to say 'Surname' in Japanese | 姓

Wondering how to say 'Surname' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Surname is 'Sei', written as 姓 in Japanese.'Surname' in hiragana is せい.

word

姓

Meaning

Surname

Reading

せい

sei

Kanji

姓Surname, Family name

Explanation

The Japanese noun '姓 (せい)' refers to a person's surname or family name. It is used in formal contexts, such as legal documents, official records, or when addressing someone respectfully. For example: What is your surname?「あなたの姓は何ですか？」(あなたのせいなんですか). His surname is Tanaka「彼の姓は田中です」(かれのせいはたなかです). The word '姓' is often paired with '名 (めい)', which means 'given name', to refer to a person's full name, as in '姓名 (せいめい)'. This term is more formal than the casual word for surname, '名字 (みょうじ)'.

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

6625

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 姓

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

姓

Meaning

Surname, Family name

Words Related to 姓 Through the Kanji 姓

These 2 Words contain the Kanji 姓 as well.

word

百姓

Meaning

Farmer

word

同姓

Meaning

Same surname

Learn the Word 姓

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What does 'Sei' (姓) mean?

'Sei' means 'Surname' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.