Since 名前 can also mean full name, it would be nice to have a single word that is complimentary to 苗字. Is there one available for common use?
1 Answer
In spoken language, strange as it may sound, there is really no shorter way to say [下]{した}の[名前]{なまえ} to refer to one's given name. As a native speaker, I would surely know if there were such a word.
There are a couple of ways to ask for one's given name in spoken Japanese.
1) Direct: 「下のお名前を[教]{おし}えていただけますか。」
2) Indirect: 「[田中]{たなか}なに[様]{さま} (or [田中]{たなか}なにさん)とおっしゃいますか。」
In both cases, you already know the person's family name but not his given name.
In written language, however, a short word for "given name" exists, which is 名. On official forms, you often see two separate spaces for [姓]{せい} and [名]{めい}.