East Asian cultural sphere
The "family name first" order follows the system of Chinese names and is common throughout the East Asian cultural sphere. However, it is different from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese names in the usage of "middle name," as they are less common in China and South Korea and do not even exist in Japan. Persons can be referred to by the whole name, the given name, or a hierarchic pronoun, which usually connotes a degree of family relationship or kinship in normal usage.