Let your individuality shine! Recommended back-name ideas for class T-shirts at the sports festival

Last updated:2025/5/23

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

In the lead-up to sports day, it’s common for classes and friends to get matching T-shirts, right?

What kind of words do you put on the back of those T-shirts?

In this article, we’ve gathered recommended phrases for the back of sports day T-shirts—what we call “back names.”

We’ll introduce them in four categories: nicknames/titles, self-deprecating jokes, phrases that form a single saying when two or more people stand together, names of your faves, and famous quotes.

Find your favorite back-name phrase and make it a sports day to remember!

Epithets and self-deprecating jokes (1–10)

First, here are some ideas for nicknames or self-deprecating “back names”! Each one lets you freely include your personality or image, so try adding words people often say about you or phrases that really represent who you are.

It can also be fun to throw in a jokey word that doesn’t fit you at all! Another idea is for friends to secretly choose each other’s words, so you only find out your own back name when it’s finished—great for close friends.

At the sports festival, use your back name to show everyone, “This is the kind of person I am!”

In my next life, 〇〇

These are words that honestly express your ideal self—the way you wish to be.

By simply adding “in my next life” before the person you admire or the self you want to become, you convey a sense of resignation that you can’t achieve that in this life.

Expressing self-deprecation or resignation in bold lettering grabs attention and elicits laughter.

The size of the gap between your ideal and reality is also key; by setting the bar extremely high, you can hint at your ambition while also making it funny.

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kappamaki

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Height please.

A phrase I’d like to recommend to shorter people is “Please give me some height.” It’s a bit self-deprecating, but it has a sense of humor and is fun, right? For taller people, there’s also the phrase “I’ll give you some height.” It could be fun to use these two paired phrases for a close duo of a shorter and a taller person.

There are many other phrases that play on height differences, too.

Why not choose ones based on whether they’ll make people laugh?

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yamamoto

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Overwhelming ___

These are powerful words that further emphasize your selling points and convey them to others.

If you use them to assert that you’re superior to those around you, you can showcase your appeal while creating humor through overconfidence.

If you attach these words to negative traits, they can invite self-deprecating laughter and prompt people to question why you’d highlight that aspect in the first place.

Since these words emphasize individuality, adjust your choice of wording depending on whether you want to lean into self-deprecation or exaggerated confidence.

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kappamaki

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MBTI assessment

The MBTI test is a personality assessment that became popular on social media.

By answering questions, your personality is identified from among 16 types, and the results are expressed in four-letter Roman characters like INFP or ESTJ.

This idea is to use your MBTI result as the name on the back of a shirt.

Since just using the result might overlap with friends, it’s a good idea to make the back name “Your Name + the four-letter MBTI type.” It’s fun to do this with a close friend, and it could be an even more interesting idea for a larger group.

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Hane Keisuke

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Someone who thrives on praise

A phrase I’d like to introduce as something that gives a comical impression—or perhaps creates a warm atmosphere—is “I’m the type who thrives on praise.” You hear it a lot, right? It means “I grow more when I’m praised than when I’m scolded.” Whether that’s really true or not aside, if someone keeps this phrase in mind and gives you praise, you’ll probably enjoy the school festival with a warm feeling.

And of course, if you’re someone who does thrive on praise, feel free to choose this one!

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yamamoto

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Grade 1 ○○

“Number One in the Grade at ___” is a handy phrase when you want a jokey, meme-like vibe.

It’s like putting a nickname on your back that says “self-proclaimed ___,” and the funny part is how you’re bragging about how amazing you are.

Beyond writing things that show off your strengths, like “Number One Most Popular in the Grade” or “Number One Singing Ability in the Grade,” using self-deprecating lines like “Number One Troublemaker in the Grade” or “Number One Hates Studying in the Grade” will probably land well too (lol).

If you can’t think of something yourself, try asking people around you and come up with a fun phrase together!

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Yuuki

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tofu mental; overly sensitive/fragile mindset (like “having a fragile heart/mentality”)

The term “tofu mental” refers to someone as fragile as tofu—someone who gets easily depressed by even minor stress.

Incidentally, the original source is said to be a scene from the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, where Yami Yugi becomes utterly dejected after losing a game.

Used self-deprecatingly by the person themselves, this phrase can create a humorous vibe.

It might also be funny if someone who appears mentally tough to anyone looking on uses this as a name on their back, creating a gag that just begs for a witty retort.

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Yuuki

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