The Japanese surname “saito” is quite common, yet it boasts a multitude of kanji representations. According to recent media reports, the names “齋藤” and “齊藤,” both pronounced “saito,” highlight this phenomenon. Despite sharing the same pronunciation, many people—even Japanese individuals—often find it challenging to determine the correct character to use, as there are over 80 other variations in addition to these two.
In a recent post on social media platform X, manga artist Bonro Aoki humorously illustrated his experiences with this conundrum. He found that when typing “saito,” he often encountered several similar but different options, such as “齋藤,” “斎藤,” “齊藤,” and “斉藤.” This led him to wonder which one was correct and why some of the characters even included a “Y.”
Upon investigation, he discovered that the pronunciation “saito” can be represented by as many as 85 different kanji forms. This variety stems from the historical context of Japan’s household registration system, where clerks occasionally faced difficulties knowing the correct way to write the character for “齋.” As a result, numerous similar yet subtly different versions emerged.
Responses from netizens have been lively, with comments like “I can’t believe there are 85 variations!” and “Names like ‘斉藤’ and ‘渡边’ really need to be standardized.” Others chimed in, saying, “If bureaucrats made mistakes, they should own up to them,” and “I totally relate to the confusion around the ‘Y’.” Some pointed out that even the character “藤” has subtle differences in its strokes, such as variations in the grass and bamboo components or the angles of the dots.
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