About My Name
I wrote this section for non-Japanese people. My name is "NISHIO Hirokazu" and "NISHIO" is the family name.
All Japanese people say their family name first when they are speaking Japanese language, but unfortunately many people are misunderstanding that we must say given name first when we speak English.
This stems from the historical context of English education in Japan.
Initially, there was an attempt to align with Western conventions by changing the name order. However, this decision was later revoked.
In the year 2000, the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs issued a directive to ministries and universities, recommending the use of the surname-first order.
My family name "NISHIO" is made of two characters "NISHI"(west) and "O"(tail). "O" has same origin with "WO"(fish) so my ancestor might be a fisher. "NISHIO" is pronounces like "knee see awe" but shorter. My given name "Hirokazu" is made of two characters "HIRO" and "KAZU". "HIRO" is pronounced like a hero. It means "big" and "calmful". (Wiktionary). "KAZU" is pronounced like a cousin without "n". It means "peace" and "harmony". (Wiktionary). Related:
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