The most common company name in Japan is "Assist" with 1,603 companies - "Descriptive" and "Brand" types seen in 5.02 million corporate names

Compalyze Inc. (Headquarters: Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture, CEO: Takashi Suzuki), which operates the corporate database "Compalyze," conducted a survey analyzing trends in company names based on character count, character type, industry, and region, using public data from the National Tax Agency on approximately 5.02 million registered corporations in Japan.

The results showed that the average company name (excluding the corporate identifier) is 6.04 characters long (with 4 characters being the most common), and that 27.7% of company names consist solely of full-width katakana (more than 1 in 4 companies).

The most common company name (excluding the corporate identifier, exact match) was "Assist," with 1,603 companies nationwide.

Request for data citation

When quoting or using data from this survey, please cite the following URL and source:

URL: https://compalyze.co.jp/journal/company-name-stats

Source: How Companies Name Themselves - "Descriptive" and "Brand" Types Seen in 5.02 Million Company Names, The Most Common Company Name in Japan is "Assist"

Survey Summary

Company names (excluding corporate identifiers) average 6.04 characters, with 4 characters being the most common. 27.7% of company names consist solely of full-width katakana (more than 1 in 4 companies).

Looking at character types across five company categories, 46.8% are primarily kanji, 30.9% are katakana only, 17.2% include English letters, and 5.1% are hiragana. The "shift away from kanji" is not limited to katakana; nearly 20% of company names include English letters.

The most common company name in Japan (exact match of the name excluding corporate identifier) is "Assist" with 1,603 companies nationwide. Following are Rise (1,355), Sunrise (1,224), Advance (1,153), Trust (1,137), etc. The top names are overwhelmingly coined katakana words.

The percentage of katakana names is high in Information Technology (56.2%) and Advertising (53.0%), and low in Agriculture (19.0%), Logistics (20.2%), and Construction (21.3%).

By corporate type, stock companies account for 33.1% and limited liability companies for 27.8%. By region, Tokyo accounts for 37.9% and Kochi for 19.1%, a difference of about twofold. Companies in urban areas tend to use katakana, while companies in rural areas tend to use kanji.

1. The most common length is "4 characters"

When counting the number of characters in company names (excluding corporate identifiers), a distribution resembling a unimodal curve is observed. The most common length is 4 characters, with approximately 1.15 million companies. The range from 3 to 5 characters is substantial, with an average length of 6.04 characters. Names that are too short may not convey enough meaning or image, while names that are too long can be difficult to pronounce. There are also practical considerations for fitting names on signs, logos, business cards, and URLs. Kanji names like "○○ Shōji" or "○○ Kensetsu," and coined katakana words of 3 to 5 characters, fit well within this length.

Distribution of company name lengths (excluding corporate identifiers) (Source: Compalyze)

2. "Shift away from kanji" exceeds 40% - 27.7% are katakana only, and 17.2% are English letters

There are 1,389,945 companies whose names consist solely of full-width katakana (and long vowel marks "ー" and middle dots "・"), accounting for 27.7% of the total. This means more than 1 in 4 companies have a "katakana name." Katakana names do not need to be actual words; they can be established based on sound alone and are not tied to specific industries.

Proportion of katakana-only company names (Source: Compalyze)

Looking at character types across five company categories reveals the distribution of name choices. Kanji-dominant names account for 46.8%, katakana-only names for 30.9%, names including English letters for 17.2%, and names including hiragana for 5.1%. What is noteworthy is that the "shift away from kanji" is not limited to katakana. English names including alphabet characters account for 17.2%, which can be considered another "departure from kanji" alongside katakana. The number of companies using kanji to identify their business is now less than half. Company names are broadly distributed between names that "describe" what the company does and "brand" names that rely on sound and impression for recognition.

3. The most common company name in Japan is "Assist" with 1,603 companies

What words are actually chosen for brand-type katakana company names? Counting the most frequent names (exact match, excluding corporate identifiers) provides a concrete answer.

Top company names in Japan (excluding corporate identifiers) (Source: Compalyze)

The top name is "Assist" with 1,603 companies nationwide. Following are Rise (1,355 companies), Sunrise (1,224), Advance (1,153), Trust (1,137), Wise (950), Frontier (943), Next (875), Alpha (823), and Plus One (730).

The top names are almost entirely coined katakana words, featuring positive and auspicious terms such as "support" (Assist), "rise" (Rise), "advance" (Frontier, Next), and "trust" (Trust). Among kanji names, "Yamato" (703 companies), "Sakura," and "Himawari" appear only slightly.

Words that are easy to remember, sound good, and are not industry-specific are naturally chosen by many companies, resulting in the creation of thousands of companies with the same name nationwide. Even when chosen with the intention of being a "unique name," popular words lead to a concentration of companies with the same name.

4. Company names differ by industry - Construction describes, IT resonates

The character type of company names clearly reflects the industry. Looking at the proportion of katakana-only names by industry, Information Technology has the highest rate at 56.2%. Marketing/Advertising (53.0%), Professional Services (45.2%), and Media (44.4%) follow. In contrast, the rates are lower in Agriculture (19.0%), Logistics (20.2%), Construction (21.3%), and Energy (24.9%).

Proportion of katakana company names by industry (Source: Compalyze)

In industries like IT, Advertising, and Media, where companies aim to be remembered as brands by customers, coined katakana words are preferred. In industries like Construction, Logistics, and Agriculture, where it is important to clarify what the company does in its operations and transactions, descriptive kanji names such as "○○ Kensetsu" (Construction), "○○ Unyu" (Logistics), and "○○ Farm" remain common. It is thought that company names reflect how the industry interacts with its stakeholders.

5. Company names also differ by corporate type and region

The choice of company name also varies depending on the legal structure (corporate type) and location. By corporate type, the proportion of katakana-only names is 33.1% for stock companies (Kabushiki Kaisha) and 27.8% for limited liability companies (Godo Kaisha). This result indicates a lower katakana rate for limited liability companies, which are considered newer and more flexible structures. This may be due to the inclusion of many foreign subsidiaries in Japan (with English names) and asset management companies named after places or people within the limited liability company category.

Regional differences are also significant. The proportion of katakana-only names is high in urban areas such as Tokyo (37.9%), Osaka (34.0%), and Kanagawa (33.7%), and low in rural areas such as Kochi (19.1%), Kagoshima (20.0%), and Shimane (20.4%). There is a difference of approximately twofold between Tokyo and Kochi. Companies in urban areas tend to choose brand-oriented katakana names with consideration for their visibility nationwide and online, while companies in rural areas tend to choose descriptive kanji names that incorporate their location or industry.

Founders imbue their business aspirations and brand worldview into the concise framework of an average of 6 characters. The company names of approximately 5.02 million corporations are the result of countless "naming decisions," and these decisions clearly show different faces depending on the industry, corporate type, and region.

* This release only covers the main aspects. The full picture of the four quadrants of character types, the long tail of company name rankings, and details by industry, corporate type, and region are published in the Compalyze Journal article below.

▶ Details of all data and analysis here

How Companies Name Themselves - "Descriptive" and "Brand" Types Seen in 5.02 Million Company Names, The Most Common Company Name in Japan is "Assist"

Survey Overview

Survey Sponsor

Compalyze Inc.

Survey Target

Approximately 5.02 million registered corporations not officially closed, based on the National Tax Agency's Corporate Number public data (as of June 2026). For character type, industry, and region analysis, the base population consisted of 5 types of companies (stock, limited liability, limited partnership, general partnership, approximately 5.17 million companies) for which the company name (excluding corporate identifier) could be obtained. For readability in the text, "company" is used in some places.

Definition of "Company Name"

The main part of the trade name after excluding the corporate identifier (e.g., Co., Ltd., LLC).

Determination of Character Type

"Katakana only" refers to names consisting solely of full-width katakana, long vowel marks (ー), and middle dots (・). "Includes English letters" refers to names containing alphabet characters (full-width or half-width). "Includes hiragana" refers to names containing hiragana. The four quadrants are classified exclusively in the priority order of: English letters > Katakana only > Hiragana > Kanji dominant.

"Most Common Company Name"

Compiled based on exact matches of company names excluding corporate identifiers. Identical names are counted as separate legal entities. Suffixes such as "Service" or "Holdings" may be removed during normalization, and are not used for counting suffixes themselves.

Industry Classification

Uses Compalyze's industry classification (major categories). The tendency values are based on companies for which classification could be confirmed. Not all companies have a classification.

Regarding Time Series

While the "trend of company names changing over time" could be observed by cross-referencing establishment year and company name, the establishment date data in the corporate number database is less complete for older companies, leading to significant bias in the population before 2015 (when the corporate number system began). As there is no data to definitively assert a long-term "kanji to katakana" shift, this article avoids making claims about historical trends and focuses on the structure of the current distribution.

Notes

Character types and counts were determined mechanically and do not consider pronunciation or meaning. This release indicates the structural tendencies of company names and does not evaluate individual companies or the quality of their naming.

About Compalyze

Compalyze is a corporate database that integrates public data on all companies, including registration, financial statements, intellectual property, executives, licenses, and public procurement, to support decision-making in corporate analysis, sales, investment, and M&A. (https://compalyze.co.jp)

Inquiries regarding this release

Compalyze Public Relations Email: [email protected] URL: https://compalyze.co.jp High-resolution images for press use are available upon request.