Nishi

Nishi is a Japanese term meaning "west," commonly used in names and addresses. It is written with the kanji 西 and can be read as nishi in everyday usage. In addition to its directional sense, Nishi functions as a proper name in Japanese.

As a surname, Nishi is relatively common in Japan and among Japanese communities abroad. It is one of several toponymic and descriptive family names that historically indicated a person’s residence or origin. Although most often encountered as a surname, Nishi can also appear as a given name in rare cases.

In geography, Nishi appears in numerous place names, especially in ward designations. Examples include Nishi-ku in several Japanese cities, notably Sapporo, Osaka, Yokohama, Fukuoka, and Kobe. The term also appears in district and neighborhood names that indicate the western part of a city or area, such as Nishi-shinjuku in Tokyo, which denotes a western district of Shinjuku.

In transportation and urban planning, Nishi commonly appears in station and district names to reflect location on the western side of a system or city center. This use helps orient residents and travelers within large urban areas.

Outside Japan, Nishi may appear in the transliteration of Japanese names or in the names of Japanese communities abroad, but such usages are less common. For many readers, Nishi primarily signifies the western part of a place in Japanese geography and personal naming.