Yanai

Yanai is a Japanese toponym and surname. The name is commonly written in kanji as 柳井, which combines the characters for “willow” (柳) and “well” (井). The reading Yanai is the standard pronunciation for these characters in Japanese.

As a place name, Yanai most prominently refers to Yanai City (柳井市), a municipality in Yamaguchi Prefecture on the western coast of Honshu along the Seto Inland Sea. The city is part of the Chugoku region and has a coastal setting that historically supported fishing, trade, and related industries. Its geography and history reflect broader patterns of coastal communities in western Honshu.

As a surname, Yanai is used by various families in Japan. It is one of several Japanese surnames derived from place names or natural features, and bearers of the surname can be found in different parts of Japan and among Japanese communities abroad. The name may appear in historical documents, literature, and contemporary contexts.

In summary, Yanai functions as both a surname and a placename in Japan, most notably identifying a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and serving as a recognizable kanji form for the name.