Which romaji should I use for the name on a Japanese passport?

The basic rule is the Hepburn system set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It spells し = SHI, ち = CHI, つ = TSU, ふ = FU, じ = JI, doesn’t write long vowels, and writes ん before B, M, or P as M. Choose “Passport (Hepburn)” in this tool and enter the readings of the surname and given name, and the spelling with those rules applied is shown as is.

How are さとう and おおの written on a passport?

Hepburn doesn’t write long vowels, so さとう is SATO and おおの is ONO. The long “う” is also dropped, as in ゆうき (YUKI), しゅうじ (SHUJI), and こうたろう (KOTARO). If you wish, you can use non-Hepburn spellings SATOH and OHNO (OH) or SATOU and OONO (OU, OO), but you must note it on the application, and you’re generally expected to keep the same spelling afterward.

Is ん written N or M?

In passport Hepburn, only ん before B, M, or P becomes M; otherwise it’s N. なんば → NAMBA, ほんま → HOMMA, しゅんぺい → SHUMPEI, かんべ → KAMBE, while けんた → KENTA and しんご → SHINGO stay N. Modified Hepburn, used for station names and the like, always writes N, so “Other common spellings” also lists the N spelling.

How is っ written? What about はっちょう?

The small っ (sokuon) doubles the next consonant: べっぷ → BEPPU, はっとり → HATTORI, きっかわ → KIKKAWA. Only before CH is a T used instead, so はっちょう → HATCHO and えっちゅう → ETCHU (not CCHI).

Is けんいち KENICHI or KEN’ICHI?

On a passport it’s KENICHI because symbols can’t be used. In Hepburn with macrons and in Kunrei, there’s a style that puts an apostrophe after n, as in Ken’ichi, so it isn’t misread as “けにち”, and this tool also separates with n’ when you choose “Hepburn (macrons)” or “Kunrei”.

What’s the difference between Hepburn and Kunrei?

The spellings differ for し, ち, つ, ふ, じ and the しゃ, ちゃ, じゃ rows. Hepburn writes SHI, CHI, TSU, FU, JI, SHA, CHA, JA, close to English pronunciation, while Kunrei writes SI, TI, TU, HU, ZI, SYA, TYA, ZYA, consistent with the rows of the syllabary. Passports, station names, and road signs use Hepburn, while Japanese elementary schools mainly teach Kunrei. The “Hepburn & Kunrei chart” tab highlights where they differ.

When writing a Japanese name in English, which comes first, surname or given name?

Both “Given Surname” (Taro Yamada), following English-speaking custom, and “Surname Given” (YAMADA Taro), keeping the Japanese order, are used. Since 2020, the Japanese government’s official documents generally use “Surname Given”, and writing the surname in capitals makes the distinction clear. On forms such as airline tickets and visas, fill in the Surname and Given name fields separately with the same spelling as your passport.

Are the names I enter saved?

They’re neither saved nor sent. All conversion happens inside the browser, and what you entered disappears when you close the page.

Romaji Converter | Write Japanese Names in Hepburn for Passports

Just enter the reading of the surname and given name in hiragana or katakana, and it converts them into the Hepburn spelling written on a Japanese passport application. It automatically applies the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rules, such as “さとう → SATO (long vowels aren’t written)”, “なんば → NAMBA (ん before B, M, or P becomes M)”, and “はっちょう → HATCHO (っち becomes TCH)”, and shows in a breakdown which rule applied to which character. It also supports comparing non-Hepburn spellings (OHNO, SATOU), name order in English (Taro Yamada / YAMADA Taro), a list of spelling variants to check against reservation and card names, converting sentences and place names in Hepburn with macrons or Kunrei, and a romaji table of the Japanese syllabary.

Surname (hiragana / katakana)

Given name (hiragana / katakana)

Examples:

Style

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Hepburn. Long vowels aren’t written (さとう → SATO), ん before B, M, P is M, and っち is TCH.

How to write “おお / おう”

The passport default is Hepburn (long vowels aren’t written). OH, OO, and OU are “non-Hepburn” spellings noted on the application, and once used, later passports generally use the same spelling.

Enter the readings of the surname and given name to see the passport spelling and how to write the name in English together.

All conversion happens in your browser, and names you enter are never sent to a server or saved. For passport spellings, the guidance of the prefectural passport office where you apply takes priority.

ABOUT

About Romaji Converter | Write Japanese Names in Hepburn for Passports

The Romaji Converter (Hepburn) converts the reading of a Japanese name, entered in hiragana or katakana, into the Hepburn spelling written on a Japanese passport application. It automatically applies the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rules, such as not writing long vowels (さとう → SATO, おおの → ONO), writing ん before B, M, or P as M (なんば → NAMBA), writing っち as TCH (はっちょう → HATCHO), and not separating a vowel after ん (けんいち → KENICHI), and shows in a breakdown which rule applied to which character. You can also switch to non-Hepburn spellings (OHNO, OONO, SATOU), see name order in English, and get a list of spelling variants to check against reservation or card names. It also converts sentences and place names (Hepburn with macrons, Kunrei, or spelling out long vowels) and shows Hepburn and Kunrei syllabary charts.

How to use Romaji Converter | Write Japanese Names in Hepburn for Passports

1In the “Name (passport)” tab, enter the reading of the surname and given name in hiragana or katakana (convert kanji to their reading first)
2Choose “Passport (Hepburn)” as the style. If you plan to use a non-Hepburn spelling like OHNO, switch how “おお / おう” is written
3Check the Surname and Given name spellings, and see in the breakdown which rule for long vowels, ん, or っ applied
4For English business cards or forms, copy “Given Surname (English style)” or “Surname in capitals first”
5In “Other common spellings”, check that your airline reservation name or credit card spelling matches your passport
6To convert station names, place names, or sentences, use the “Text / place names” tab and choose Hepburn with macrons, Kunrei, etc.

Great for

Check the romaji spelling of a name to write on a Japanese passport application
Compare long-vowel spellings to see whether おおの becomes ONO or OHNO
Enter the same spelling as the passport when booking flights, ESTA, or overseas hotels
Decide the name order for English business cards, email signatures, or résumés
Check that a credit card or membership name doesn’t differ from the passport
Write station names, place names, or product names in Hepburn with macrons (ō) or in Kunrei
Compare in a table the Kunrei system taught in Japanese elementary schools and the Hepburn system used on passports and station signs

Good to know

Kanji aren’t converted because their reading isn’t fixed. Enter the readings of the surname and given name in hiragana or katakana.
Passport long vowels are judged as “おう / おお → O” and “うう → U”. “えい” and “いい” aren’t dropped as long vowels: けいこ → KEIKO, にいがた → NIIGATA.
In names, when “おう” is followed by “え” (いのうえ, おのうえ), it’s treated as the reading of 上 (うえ) and written INOUE, ONOUE. For names whose spelling depends on how the reading is divided, check with the passport office.
Non-Hepburn spellings using OH, OO, or OU are exceptions used when requested on the application. Once used, subsequent passports generally use the same spelling, and other spellings may be allowed if the family register name has a foreign reading.
In Hepburn with macrons and in Kunrei, ん followed by a vowel or Y is separated with n’ (しんいち → Shin’ichi). It isn’t separated in passport style or the “spell out long vowels” style.
Foreign sounds like ヴ, ティ, and ファ use common spellings (VU, TI, FA). Whether they can be used on a passport depends on the guidance of your prefecture’s passport office.
All conversion happens in your browser, and the names you enter are neither sent to a server nor saved.

Questions this tool answers

Use Romaji Converter | Write Japanese Names in Hepburn for Passports for searches like these:

I want to convert a Japanese name to Hepburn romaji for a passport
I want to know whether おおの is ONO or OHNO on a passport
I want to know whether さとう is written SATO or SATOU
I want to know whether ん is N or M in romaji (なんば, ほんま)
I want to know how to write っち in romaji (はっちょう)
I want to enter my flight reservation name with the same spelling as my passport
I want to see the difference between Hepburn and Kunrei in a table
I want to know the order for writing a Japanese name in English

FAQ

Which romaji should I use for the name on a Japanese passport?: The basic rule is the Hepburn system set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It spells し = SHI, ち = CHI, つ = TSU, ふ = FU, じ = JI, doesn’t write long vowels, and writes ん before B, M, or P as M. Choose “Passport (Hepburn)” in this tool and enter the readings of the surname and given name, and the spelling with those rules applied is shown as is.
How are さとう and おおの written on a passport?: Hepburn doesn’t write long vowels, so さとう is SATO and おおの is ONO. The long “う” is also dropped, as in ゆうき (YUKI), しゅうじ (SHUJI), and こうたろう (KOTARO). If you wish, you can use non-Hepburn spellings SATOH and OHNO (OH) or SATOU and OONO (OU, OO), but you must note it on the application, and you’re generally expected to keep the same spelling afterward.
Is ん written N or M?: In passport Hepburn, only ん before B, M, or P becomes M; otherwise it’s N. なんば → NAMBA, ほんま → HOMMA, しゅんぺい → SHUMPEI, かんべ → KAMBE, while けんた → KENTA and しんご → SHINGO stay N. Modified Hepburn, used for station names and the like, always writes N, so “Other common spellings” also lists the N spelling.
How is っ written? What about はっちょう?: The small っ (sokuon) doubles the next consonant: べっぷ → BEPPU, はっとり → HATTORI, きっかわ → KIKKAWA. Only before CH is a T used instead, so はっちょう → HATCHO and えっちゅう → ETCHU (not CCHI).
Is けんいち KENICHI or KEN’ICHI?: On a passport it’s KENICHI because symbols can’t be used. In Hepburn with macrons and in Kunrei, there’s a style that puts an apostrophe after n, as in Ken’ichi, so it isn’t misread as “けにち”, and this tool also separates with n’ when you choose “Hepburn (macrons)” or “Kunrei”.
What’s the difference between Hepburn and Kunrei?: The spellings differ for し, ち, つ, ふ, じ and the しゃ, ちゃ, じゃ rows. Hepburn writes SHI, CHI, TSU, FU, JI, SHA, CHA, JA, close to English pronunciation, while Kunrei writes SI, TI, TU, HU, ZI, SYA, TYA, ZYA, consistent with the rows of the syllabary. Passports, station names, and road signs use Hepburn, while Japanese elementary schools mainly teach Kunrei. The “Hepburn & Kunrei chart” tab highlights where they differ.
When writing a Japanese name in English, which comes first, surname or given name?: Both “Given Surname” (Taro Yamada), following English-speaking custom, and “Surname Given” (YAMADA Taro), keeping the Japanese order, are used. Since 2020, the Japanese government’s official documents generally use “Surname Given”, and writing the surname in capitals makes the distinction clear. On forms such as airline tickets and visas, fill in the Surname and Given name fields separately with the same spelling as your passport.
Are the names I enter saved?: They’re neither saved nor sent. All conversion happens inside the browser, and what you entered disappears when you close the page.

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