Translation and Meaning of: 姓 - sei

On this page, we will study the meaning of the Japanese word 姓 (sei) and its translation into English. Let's see their different meanings, example phrases, explanations, etymology and the similar words.

Romaji: sei

Kana: せい

Type: noun

L: jlpt-n2

Translation / Meaning: surname; family's name

Meaning in English: surname;family name

Definition: A part of a person's name that represents their family or relatives.

Table of Content
- Etymology
- Writing
- Synonyms
- Example Phrases

Explanation and Etymology - (姓) sei

The Japanese word 姓 (sei) means "surname" or "family name". It is composed of the characters 女 (on'na), which means "woman", and 生 (sei), which means "life" or "to be born". The etymology of the word dates back to the Heian period (794-1185), when the Japanese nobility began adopting surnames to differentiate themselves from lower classes of society. Initially, the surnames were based on geographical locations or professions, but over time they became hereditary and began to be passed down from generation to generation. Currently, there are over 100,000 registered surnames in Japan.

How to Write in Japanese - (姓) sei

See below a step-by-step guide on how to write the word by hand in Japanese (姓) sei:

How do you say surname; family's name In japanese?

There are different ways of expressing the idea of "surname; family's name" in the Japanese language.

A way of saying "surname; family's name" é "(姓) sei".

See below a list of Japanese words that have the same meaning or is a variation of the word we are studying on this page:

苗字; 氏名; 名字; 姓氏; 姓名

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Words related to:

See also other related words from our dictionary:

姓名

Kana: せいめい

Romaji: seimei

Meaning:

full name

名字

Kana: みょうじ

Romaji: myouji

Meaning:

surname; family's name

夫婦

Kana: ふうふ

Romaji: fuufu

Meaning:

married couple; spouses; husband and wife; pair.

氏名

Kana: しめい

Romaji: shimei

Meaning:

full name; identity

Kana: うじ

Romaji: uji

Meaning:

family's name

Words with the same pronunciation: せい sei

Example Sentences - (姓) sei

Below are some example sentences:

私の姓は山田です。

Watashi no sei wa Yamada desu

My last name is Yamada.

  • 私 - personal pronoun meaning "I"
  • の - possession particle, indicating that the next term is an object of possession
  • 姓 - noun meaning "surname"
  • は - topic particle, indicating that the next term is the subject of the sentence
  • 山田 - common Japanese surname
  • です - verb "to be" in polite form

私の姓名は山田です。

Watashi no seimei wa Yamada desu

My full name is Yamada.

My first name is Yamada.

  • 私 - personal pronoun meaning "I" in Japanese
  • の - particle that indicates possession or belonging
  • 姓名 - noun meaning "full name" in Japanese
  • は - particle that indicates the topic of the sentence
  • 山田 - common Japanese surname
  • です - verb "to be" in Japanese, used to indicate a statement or description

Other words of the same type: noun

See other words from our dictionary that are also: noun

痺れる

Kana: しびれる

Romaji: shibireru

Meaning:

become numb; go to sleep (i.e. a member)

応対

Kana: おうたい

Romaji: outai

Meaning:

receiving; dealing with

Kana: に

Romaji: ni

Meaning:

(num) two

姓