How to Write Your Name in Romaji on a Japanese Passport: Hepburn Rules for Long Vowels, N, and Double Consonants

Japanese passports use Hepburn: four things to know first

The spelling of the name on a Japanese passport is, as a rule, written in the Hepburn romanization specified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Passport Act's enforcement regulations. In the romaji name box of the application, you apply the Hepburn rules to the reading of your name as recorded in the family register (koseki) and write it in capital letters. Unlike an email address or a social media handle, you can't simply pick whatever spelling you like.

• The reading comes from the family register: the reading of the kanji is based on the reading recorded in the koseki, not on what you like to be called. Since May 2025, the readings of names have been recorded in the family register.
• Long vowels aren't written: Satō → SATO, Ōno → ONO, Yūki → YUKI. Not writing the lengthened o or u is the most distinctive feature of passport Hepburn.
• The syllabic n and double consonants have fixed spellings: n before B, M, or P becomes M (Nanba → NAMBA), and a small tsu doubles the next consonant, except before chi, where it becomes T (Hatchō → HATCHO).
• Once chosen, the spelling carries over: in principle, the same spelling is used on your next passport, so it pays to decide carefully the first time.

Hepburn romaji chart: spellings of the Japanese syllabary

Start with the spelling of each syllable. The places where Hepburn differs from Kunrei (shi, chi, tsu, fu, ji, and the combined sounds that contain them) are the ones most often written wrong on passports. The Kunrei column is included for comparison with what is taught in Japanese schools.

The object particle wo is written O, and the kana pronounced ji and zu in the D row are written JI and ZU. So Chizuru → CHIZURU and Tsuzuki → TSUZUKI are spelled exactly as if they used the Z-row kana. If you want the full syllabary chart in a spreadsheet, the “Hepburn & Kunrei chart” tab of the Romaji Converter lets you copy it as TSV.

Long vowels: Satō is SATO, Ōno is ONO, Yūki is YUKI

Long vowels are the most confusing part of passport Hepburn. The rule is that a long o (spelled o-u or o-o in kana) is written O, and a long u (u-u) is written U. The lengthened part isn't written at all. People who write satou or oono in their email addresses are the ones most likely to hesitate on the application.

On the other hand, e-i and i-i are not dropped as long vowels. Write them as they are spelled in kana: Keiko → KEIKO, Keita → KEITA, Mei → MEI, Niigata → NIIGATA. Shortening e-i to just E (KEKO, for example) is a surprisingly common mistake.

Names written in katakana with a long-vowel mark (such as Jōji, “George”) also drop the long vowel in passport Hepburn and become JOJI. If you want to use the original foreign spelling, for example because the name comes from a parent who is not Japanese, see the next section on non-Hepburn spellings.

The syllabic n and small tsu: NAMBA, HOMMA, HATCHO, KENICHI

The syllabic n and the small tsu (which marks a doubled consonant) have fixed spellings on passports. Getting them wrong can mean being asked to correct the application at the counter.

Writing the syllabic n as M before B, M, or P is a feature of Hepburn that follows English pronunciation habits. Station names and road signs often use a style that always writes n as N (Shinbashi, for example), but names on passports use M. If your name contains the syllabic n, check whether the next sound is B, M, or P.

Written as KENICHI, the name Ken'ichi may be read by English speakers as “Ke-nichi.” Even so, the rule on passports is to write it joined, with no apostrophe or hyphen. If you want to show the pronunciation, adding Ken-ichi on business cards or email signatures, outside the passport, is enough.

Commonly misspelled names

Here are the rules so far applied to common surnames and given names. The left column shows spellings people often come up with on their own; the middle shows passport Hepburn.

Even within one family with the same surname, the passport spelling is decided by each person's application. If a parent used the non-Hepburn OHNO on an old passport, a child's first passport will still be ONO by default, so spellings can differ within a family. To match them, request a non-Hepburn spelling when applying for the child's passport (see the next section).

Using non-Hepburn spellings (OHNO, SATOH): conditions and cautions

If you want a spelling other than Hepburn, such as OHNO for Ōno or SATOH for Satō, you can submit a request form with your application to use a “non-Hepburn” romanization. The choices are limited, though, and once you use one, the same spelling is in principle kept on later passports.

• OH can only be used for a long o. Yūki can’t become YUHKI.
• Once you have a passport issued with a non-Hepburn spelling, the same spelling is in principle kept on renewal. Changing it back and forth would break the match with airline tickets, visas, overseas bank accounts, and other records.
• If you want to change the spelling on a passport that has already been issued, the office will check whether there is an accepted reason. Assume that simply preferring how a spelling looks isn’t enough.
• If you’re unsure about a child’s name, starting from Hepburn is the safe choice. Consider non-Hepburn only when there is a clear reason, such as matching a parent’s spelling or a spelling already used abroad for years.

Name order in English: YAMADA TARO or Taro Yamada?

A passport prints the Surname and Given name in separate fields, so order isn’t an issue there. The confusion comes when you write your name yourself: flight booking forms, English documents, business cards, and email signatures.

Since January 2020, the Japanese government has, as a rule, written Japanese names in romaji in surname-first order in official documents. Writing given name first, following English-speaking customs, isn’t wrong either. What matters is keeping the order consistent within a document or site and making it clear which part is the surname. The “YAMADA Taro” format, with the surname in capitals, shows the surname whichever way it is read, which makes it handy when you’re unsure.

Flight and hotel booking forms almost always have separate fields for “Last name / Family name” and “First name / Given name.” Check the field labels and enter the passport's Surname as the last name and its Given name as the first name, without changing a single letter. If your passport has no middle name, leave the middle name field empty.

Checking spelling against flight tickets, ESTA, and credit cards

Most name problems when traveling abroad come from a mismatch between the passport and other records. Flight tickets in particular: if the name differs from the passport, you may be stopped at check-in, and depending on the airline, correcting the name can cost a fee or require buying a new ticket.

1. 1

   Look at the passport's photo page

   If the passport is still being processed, keep a note of the spelling you wrote on the application. Also check that it matches your old passport before renewal.

2. 2

   List the spellings you booked or registered

   Write down the names on flight tickets, travel authorizations such as ESTA, hotels, car rentals, and credit cards, and compare them with the passport letter by letter.

3. 3

   Focus on long vowels, n, and double consonants

   The usual mismatches are SATO / SATOU / SATOH, NAMBA / NANBA, and HATCHO / HACCHO. The Romaji Converter's “Other common spellings” lists the spellings that can come from the same reading.

4. 4

   Correct mismatches early

   The closer you get to departure, the fewer options there are for correcting a flight ticket. Contact the airline or booking site as soon as you notice.

Hepburn vs. Kunrei: how passport romaji differs from what schools teach

The romaji taught in Japanese elementary schools is mainly Kunrei (Table 1 of the Cabinet notice on romanization). Passports, station signs, and most public signage use Hepburn. That is why a child may learn “si” at school and then write “SHI” on a passport. The Cabinet notice that defines romanization has been under review, with discussions moving toward making Hepburn the basis.

Dictionaries, academic books, and English introductions to Japan often use Hepburn with macrons (ō, ū) for long vowels. Kunrei uses the circumflex (ô, û). Neither mark can be used on a passport, so don’t write them on the application. To write place names or text in these styles, switch the style in the “Text / place names” tab of the Romaji Converter.

Checking your passport spelling with the tool

1. 1

   Enter the surname and given name readings in the “Name (passport)” tab

   Open the Romaji Converter and type the readings of your surname and given name in hiragana or katakana. Kanji can’t be converted because their reading isn’t fixed, so enter the reading recorded in your family register.

2. 2

   Set the style to “Passport (Hepburn)”

   The Surname and Given name appear in capitals. If you’re considering a non-Hepburn spelling, switch “How to write long vowels on the passport” to OH or OO / OU to compare.

3. 3

   See which rules applied in the breakdown

   The “Surname breakdown” and “Given name breakdown” show which long vowel, n, or small tsu rule applied to which character, so you can confirm the reason for your spelling before filling in the form.

4. 4

   Copy the English formats and spelling variants

   Four formats appear: “SURNAME GIVEN (capitals)”, “Given Surname (English style)”, “Surname in capitals first”, and “Email-address style”. Use “Other common spellings” to check your booking names and card name against the passport.

All conversion happens inside your browser; the names you enter are never sent to or stored on a server. For passport photo requirements, see passport photo rules and common rejections, and for how to read times on flight tickets, see are flight ticket times in local time?.

FAQ

Is Satō written SATO or SATOU on a Japanese passport?

Under the Hepburn rule, it’s SATO. Japanese passports don’t write long o (spelled o-u or o-o in kana); it becomes a single O. SATOU and SATOH are non-Hepburn spellings that can only be used if you submit a request form with the application. Once a passport is issued with a non-Hepburn spelling, the same spelling is in principle kept on later passports.

Is the syllabic n written N or M?

It’s normally N, and becomes M only before B, M, or P: Nanba → NAMBA, Honma → HOMMA, Junpei → JUMPEI. When anything other than B, M, or P follows, as in Kanno → KANNO and Shin'ya → SHINYA, it stays N.

Is Shin'ichi written SHINICHI or SHIN'ICHI?

On a passport, it’s SHINICHI. Even when a vowel or Y follows the syllabic n, no separator such as an apostrophe or hyphen is used. The same goes for Ken'ichi → KENICHI and Jun'ichi → JUNICHI.

Is Keiko written KEKO or KEIKO?

It’s KEIKO. Passport Hepburn drops only the long vowels o-u, o-o, and u-u; e-i and i-i are not dropped. Write them as spelled in kana, as in Mei → MEI and Niigata → NIIGATA.

Can I change the romaji spelling on my passport later?

In principle, the spelling on your passport carries over to the next application. Changes are allowed only for limited reasons, such as a change in the reading recorded in the family register or documents showing the name has a foreign spelling. If you have a reason to change it, consult your prefecture’s passport center before applying.

What happens if my flight ticket name differs from my passport by one letter?

On international flights, your name is checked against your passport at check-in and at immigration, so you may not be allowed to board. Whether it can be corrected, and for what fee, depends on the airline and fare, and you may need a new ticket. After booking, compare the name with your passport letter by letter, focusing on long vowels (SATO vs. SATOU) and the syllabic n (NAMBA vs. NANBA).

Should a Japanese name in English be written surname first or given name first?

Both are used. Since January 2020, the Japanese government has, as a rule, written names surname first in official documents, while given name first is also common in English emails and on business cards. Keep the order consistent within a document, and when in doubt, write the surname in capitals, as in “YAMADA Taro”, so it can’t be mistaken.

Should I use Hepburn or Kunrei?

Use Hepburn for passports, flight tickets, and documents for use abroad. Kunrei is the system mainly taught in Japanese elementary schools, writing si, ti, tu, and hu for shi, chi, tsu, and fu. Outside school assignments, writing in Hepburn will almost never cause problems.