Is "夛" an alias for "多"?


Is "夛" an alias for "多"? For example, I suppose that "夛田" is one of family
names in Japan, is it the same as "多田"?




While dictionaries say 夛 is a variant of 多, there are virtually no occasion
where they are interchangeable. In fact, I have just learned 夛 is a variant of
多. (They look so different!)

When you construct a normal sentence, you always have to use 多, which is a
very basic kanji all children learn at school. If you used 夛い, people would
just think you made some strange mistake.

夛 is a rare kanji which is found only in some family names. 夛 is not a 常用漢字,
and it is not even included in 人名用漢字, which means it is illegal to name a new
baby using 夛. FWIW, the _only_ person I know who has 夛 in their name is [Ken
Kutaragi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Kutaragi).

In general, you should not change the appearance of kanji used in person
names. 久夛良木 is 久夛良木 and not 久多良木. 多田 is not 夛田. For details, see: [Use of 旧字体
in Japanese names](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/30507/5010)

