Japanese business card: how to make a bilingual meishi
For meetings in Japan, foreign visitors commonly carry a double-sided card: English on one side, Japanese on the other. Getting the Japanese side right is mostly about your name, your company name and your job title, which are not word-for-word translations. This guide covers what goes on that side, what a native speaker must check, standard sizes, and a workflow to produce the Japanese side from the card design you already have, with notes for Chinese and Korean versions.
In short
- Layout: English front, Japanese back is the common choice. Keep the same design on both sides so they read as one card.
- What needs a native speaker: your name in katakana, the company name and the job title. These are choices, not translations.
- Workflow: translate your English card image into Japanese to keep the design, have the names and titles corrected, then prepare a print file and order a proof.
Why a Japanese side helps
Business cards, or meishi, are exchanged at the start of a first meeting in Japan, and the exchange has its own etiquette (see the last section). Wikipedia notes that Japanese executives often carry two cards: one in Japanese and one for foreigners, with the name in Western order. Visitors usually do the reverse with a single double-sided card, which The Japan School describes as common in international settings.
The practical benefit is simple. Not everyone knows how to pronounce a foreign name, and people may be too shy to ask, so a Japanese rendering of your name tells them (Japan Dev).
What goes on the Japanese side
| Element | What to do | Native speaker check? |
|---|---|---|
| Your name | Foreign names are written in katakana, a phonetic script. The spelling follows how the name is said: "Louis" is ルイ when said the French way or "Louie", and ルイス when said "Lewis". A middle dot often separates given name and family name: マイケル・スミス for Michael Smith. | Yes. Choose the version that matches how you say your name. |
| Company name | Use your company's official Japanese name if it has one (check its Japanese website or local documents). Otherwise keep the Latin name or use a katakana rendering. Never translate a brand name word by word. | Yes |
| Job title | Titles signal rank in Japan, and a literal translation can misstate yours: "VP" taken literally gives 副社長 (fukushachō, a company's vice-president), while Wiktionary compares 部長 (buchō, department head) to a vice president in an American company. Ask how your role compares with titles such as 部長 or 課長 (kachō, section manager). | Yes, ideally someone who knows your organization |
| Department | Translate it, keeping it short. | Yes |
| Address | In Japanese, addresses run from the largest unit to the smallest, postal code first (Wikipedia). Use that format for an office in Japan. An address abroad has to work for your local postal service, so keep it as on the English side. | For Japanese addresses |
| Phone, email, website | Unchanged. Write phone numbers in international format (+1 …) on both sides. | Check every digit |
| Logo and QR code | Unchanged. | Scan the QR code on the printed proof |
Standard card sizes
Card formats differ by country. From Wikipedia's business card article:
| Market | Standard size |
|---|---|
| Japan | 91 × 55 mm |
| United States and Canada | 3.5 × 2 in (88.9 × 50.8 mm) |
| China and Hong Kong | 90 × 54 mm |
| South Korea | 90 × 50 mm |
| Much of Western Europe | 85 × 55 mm |
A double-sided card has one size, so pick the format for the market where you will hand out most cards. The differences are a few millimeters, but they matter for card cases: Japanese cards are slightly larger than US ones, so check that your case holds the cards you will receive.
Layout options
- English front, Japanese back. The usual choice for visitors. Mirror the layout so both sides share the same grid, colors and logo position.
- Two separate cards. What many Japanese executives do in the other direction. Useful if you travel to Japan often and want a fully Japanese card.
- Both languages on one side. Saves printing a second side, but crowds a small card and makes both versions harder to read.
Japanese sides are often printed vertically (Wikipedia), but Japanese can also be written horizontally, left to right, which keeps the Japanese side's layout identical to the English one.
Workflow: turn your English card design into a Japanese side
If your card is an editable file and you already have the Japanese wording from a native speaker, typing it into your design tool is the most direct route. The workflow below is for the other common case: you have the card as an image (or a design you do not want to rebuild) and want a Japanese version in the same design to review and print.
- Export the English side as an image. PNG or JPG, at the highest resolution your design tool offers, under 10 MB.
- Translate it into Japanese. Upload it to TranslateMyImage (translate an image into Japanese, or the general image translator), with English as the source and Japanese as the target. On the Pro plan or higher, use the custom AI instructions to fix the parts that must not be guessed, for example: "Write the name Michael Smith as マイケル・スミス. Keep the company name in Latin letters. Translate the title as 営業部長."
- Compare it with the English side. An AI model generates a new image, digits and logo included, and generated results are not guaranteed to be exact. Check every character of the phone number, email and website, and confirm the logo is intact. Treat the QR code as decorative in the generated image: replace it with your original QR code before printing.
- Have a native speaker review it. Name, company name, title and any Japanese address. A Japanese colleague, a contact at a partner company or a professional translator can do this.
- Prepare the print file. The translated image is a raster image, so check your printer's requirements for resolution, bleed and file format. The safest route is to use the reviewed Japanese side as the reference and set its final text in your design tool, alongside your original logo and QR code. If your printer accepts images, check that the resolution is enough for the card size and that the proportions still match: generated images can come back at a different pixel size and with different proportions from the original.
- Order a printed proof of the double-sided card before the full run.
A note on plans: the free Basic plan is for personal use only, and commercial use of translated images requires the Pro plan or higher. Credit packs add credits but do not change these rights; see the plans.
Chinese and Korean versions
Chinese. Use Simplified characters for mainland China and Traditional characters for Taiwan and Hong Kong (Wikipedia). The uploader has a single Chinese option without a script selector, so on the Pro plan or higher, state the script in the custom AI instructions ("Use Traditional Chinese characters") and have a native reader confirm that the whole card uses that script. Foreign names are transcribed with Chinese characters chosen for their sound, and because many characters share a sound, the choice can also add meaning (Wikipedia), which is a decision for a native speaker. Standard size: 90 × 54 mm in mainland China and Hong Kong, 90 × 55 mm in Taiwan. To start from your design, translate an image into Chinese.
Korean. Names and titles are written in Hangul, and foreign names are transliterated by sound, with the same need for a native check as katakana. As with Japanese, ask a native speaker how your job title should be expressed. Standard size: 90 × 50 mm. To start from your design, translate an image into Korean.
Exchanging cards in Japan: the short version
- Giving: stand, hold the card with both hands where practical, Japanese side facing the other person, with a slight bow (Asian Business Cards).
- Receiving: take the card with both hands and read it for a moment, even when meeting a group.
- In the meeting: in a formal setting, place the cards face up on the table in front of you and refer to them when needed.
- Afterwards: do not write on a card you receive or put it in your pocket; keep cards in a card case (Wikipedia).
- Quantity: bring more cards than you expect to need. Cards are exchanged one by one with each person, even in a group.
Reading the cards you receive
Cards you receive may have a side in Japanese only. To read one, take a photo and use the Japanese image translator guide, or a phone camera app for a quick look. When you note the name in your contacts, keep the original characters as well as the reading, so you can address emails correctly.
Get a Japanese side in your existing design
Upload the English side of your card, translate it into Japanese, then have names and titles checked before you print.
Frequently asked questions
What is a meishi?
Meishi is the Japanese word for a business card. Cards are exchanged at the start of a first meeting with a few conventions: both hands, the text facing the other person, and a moment spent reading the card you receive.
Should my business card be in Japanese?
If you meet Japanese clients or partners, a Japanese side lets them read your details in Japanese and shows how to pronounce your name, which people may be too shy to ask. A double-sided card, English on one side and Japanese on the other, is the usual choice for foreign visitors.
How do I write my name in Japanese on a business card?
Foreign names are written in katakana, which follows pronunciation rather than spelling, so one name can have several renderings. Choose the one that matches how you say your name, and have a native speaker confirm it.
What size is a Japanese business card?
The standard Japanese size is 91 × 55 mm, slightly larger than the US standard of 3.5 × 2 inches (88.9 × 50.8 mm). Choose one size for both sides of a double-sided card.
Can I use a translation tool for my Japanese business card?
For a first version, yes. Your name, company name and job title are not literal translations, so a native speaker should check them before you print, along with every digit of your contact details.