"Is the correct translation of 横浜市 'Yokohama City' or 'Yokohama-shi'?"
This is one of the most frequent questions we receive.
Among the opinions we actually hear are views such as:
- "Since the English word for 市 is city, it should be translated as city."
- "American 'city' and Japanese 市 are institutionally different, so translating it as city is inappropriate."
To date, we have handled more than 10,000 translations of family registers and other certificates, repeatedly verifying our choices with embassies of various countries and with the universities and institutions where documents are submitted.
Based on that experience, our current conclusion is as follows:
- If documents have been submitted to the same recipient before, it is desirable to keep the wording consistent.
Example: If "Yokohama city" was used in last year's document, it is safer to use "city" again this year. - If the document is a standalone submission and will not be compared with others, either "city" or "shi" is fine.
In practice, either form has been accepted.
This approach applies not only to "市" but also to administrative units such as "県 (prefecture)" and "区 (ward)."
For our translations, unless the customer specifies otherwise, we generally use the "-shi" notation as our default. To date, there has never been a case where a document was rejected because of that notation.
At present, the Japanese government has not issued any clear official position stating that "city should be used" or that "shi is preferable." Therefore, the practical conclusion is that "either is acceptable."
If you are unsure which to choose, please feel free to contact us. Based on the receiving organization and past examples, we will propose the most suitable notation.
