[madmax96]

The whole situation is really confusing.

Some people already ``adjust'' their names for a Western audience, and others don't. So, given the <name 1> <name 2> of a Japanese person, I don't know if <name 1> is the family name or given name. Some people already make the adjustment so that Westerners get it right, some don't.

I don't care either way -- I'd just prefer things be consistent so that when I recognize a Japanese name I can call them by the proper name faster :).

[paulddraper]

FWIW, family name is almost one syllable (Li, Yang, Wu, etc.)

Though that only helps a little because loads of given names are also one syllable.

Fun Fact: 300,000 people have the name "Zhang Wei" [1]

[1] https://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-01/20/c_138721082.htm

[numpad0]

Modern Chinese family names are often one syllable, but China and Japan do not share language nor have much ancestral connections, and Japanese family names are usually not one syllable.

[anotheruser13]

You could look up the n most common Japanese family names (myoji ,名字). You probably would get a list like Yamaha, Suzuki, Watanabe, Tanaka, etc. Of course, this wouldn't cover every case, but it might help. 頑張ってください！