How To Label Your Child's Clothes For Japanese Preschool: A Parent's Guide
Have you thought about how you will label your child's clothes for Japanese preschool. Will you write their name in English or Japanese, hiragana or katakana? Will you write it by hand or use stamps, tape or name tags?
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In hindsight, it seems ludicrous but I really did spend an inordinate amount of time worrying whether it was best to use English names in romanji, hiragana or katakana. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it right. Without any knowledge of what other children did, how could I know the "correct" choice?
Each way of writing an English name in Japanese had its pros and cons:
Romanji: This is how my British-Canadian children's names appear on their passports and how they would write them if we were living in mine or my husband's home countries. But then what if no one could read it at all?
Hiragana: Young children in Japan learn hiragana first. It's also how their classmates' clothes are labeled. But then wouldn't it be easier if they just learned their names in katakana which is how foreign names are written in Japanese?
Katakana: This seemed the most "correct" option for foreign names in Japanese. But at two years old, children can't read any script and they wouldn't be familiar with katakana for foreign names.
How To Chose The Right Name Format For Your Child in Japanese Daycare: Hiragana, Katakana or English?
I decided on katakana because it felt like the proper way to write foreign names in Japanese. I ordered these personalised name stamps for kids in Japan with my children's names in katakana in the Japanese order of family name, given name.
Initially, I stamped everything, even disposables like nappies and the plastic bags for dirty nappies because I was embarrassed about my untidy Japanese writing. But these days I usually just reach for the Japanese name labelling pen which I picked up at Daiso. It's faster and more flexible, my handwriting has improved too.
What I Learned About Labelling Belongings For Kindergarten in Japan
Now that both children are in nursery I have started labelling their clothes with only their surname. This saves time because it doesn't matter which child takes which hand towel and I don't have to redo labels if clothes are handed down. If I were buying the name stamps for Japanese daycare again I'd only include the family name.
How To Label Foreign Names In Japan: Tips For Nursery School Success
My daughter is in the last year of Japanese nursery school. By now, the students can read hiragana and many are starting to write it. She was able to recognise her friends' names early on. This year she requested that her name be written in hiragana too.
I was relieved she could articulate her preference, after all it is her name. She writes hiragana with more confidence than the English alphabet.
Insights From A Teacher Meeting
When the class teacher came for a home visit (家庭訪問 katei houmon) we discussed the name labelling situation. I don't think there are any right or wrong answers here. It comes down to personal preference and the teacher reassured us that this was the case.
Middle names often cause confusion. In Japanese, the order for names is family name, given name, there are no middle names. With a middle name the name order becomes family name, given name, middle name which made her middle name look like it was part of the first name. As a child, I only heard my full name when I was in trouble so it felt odd to hear hers used in that way. Additionally, her full name would get partly cut off from many forms and documents. We do still use full names on official documents including school registration forms.
Preparing For Elementary School
In April, my daughter will start elementary school and they recently contacted the nursery to ask how to write my daughter's name on her school pencils. I was glad that we had already discussed her name preferences with her class teacher.
Next year, my daughter will learn katakana. Perhaps, she will decide to write her name that way, maybe she will prefer to write her name in English. Ultimately, the decision will lie with her and I'm happy to support her in whatever she decides.
Have you faced similar challenges labelling your child's belongings for preschool in Japan? How did you decide to write your children's names in Japanese? Share your tips and experiences below.
You may also like this post featuring books about taking pride in your different name
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