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How to Write Your Name in
Basic Japanese
Katakana
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Amanda Holladay
Rosalyn Helps
Marie Stirk
Background Information
What is katakana?
Katakana is one of three Japanese writing systems. Katakana in particular is used
for transcribing foreign words, so it is useful for translating Western names.
What is a phonetic alphabet?
Katakana is a phonetic alphabet, meaning words are spelled according to their
pronunciation. Each character in katakana represents a different syllable, so if
you hear a word, you can figure out exactly how to spell it.
What sounds differ between Japanese and English?
Japanese letters often sound differently than non-native speakers expect. However, approximations of Japanese sounds can be found in English. Japanese does
not have as many consonants as English does, but the ones they share are similar.
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Writing Your Name in Katakana
1) Spell Your Name the Way It Is Pronounced
The key to writing your name in katakana is to think of its phonetic composition
instead of its English spelling.
On a practice sheet of paper, write out your name as if you were teaching someone how to pronounce it correctly. In other words, spell out the sounds in your
name.
Example:
Lisa
Lee sah
Rosalyn
Rah zuh lihn
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Smith
Smih th
2) Convert Vowels to Katakana Spelling
Find each of the vowel sounds in your name (e.g., ee, ah, ih) in the left-hand
columns of the following charts. Match the sounds with the corresponding
katakana spellings in the right-hand columns. Write the katakana spellings above
the vowel sounds in your name.
Example:
Lisa
i– a–
Lee sah
Sound Example
aa
eh
ih
aw/ah
uh
ay
bat
bet
bit
bot
but
bait
Rosalyn
a– u i
Rah zuh lihn
Katakana
Spelling
Smith
i
Smih th
Sound Example
a
e
i
o, a–
u
ei, e–
ee
aie
oh
oo
ow
oi
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beet
bite
boat
boot
cow
boy
Katakana
Spelling
i–
ai
ou, o–
u–
au, ao
oi
3) Convert Consonants to Katakana Spelling
If your name has any of the consonants that are in the left-hand column of the
following chart, replace them with the corresponding katakana spelling. Write
the katakana spelling above the consonants in your name. The rest of the consonants in your name will remain the same. Write them above your name.
Example:
Lisa
Li– sa–
Lee sah
c
f
Katakana
Spelling
k
h
j
l
z
r
Consonant
Rosalyn
Ra– zu ri n
Rah zuh lihn
Smith
Smi th
Smih th
Consonant
q
v
w
x
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Katakana
Spelling
ku
b
u
hus, kis
4) Make Final Conversions
If you have any of the sounds in your name that are in the left-hand column of
the following chart, replace them with their corresponding katana spelling. Write
the katakana spelling above the sounds in your name.
Example:
Lisa
Li– sa–
Lee sah
Rosalyn
Ra– zu ri n
Rah zuh lihn
Smith
Smi s
Smih th
Katakana
Spelling
a–
o–, oa
e–, ei
s, si, z
s, si
ti
Sound
ar, ur, er
or
ye
th
sh
ch
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5) Separate Name into Beats
The majority of katakana characters consist of 1 consonant + 1 vowel (e.g., ka, fu,
to). Break your converted name into consonant + vowel pairs and put parentheses
around them. Keep as separate beats consonants that are not followed by vowels
and vowels that are not preceded by consonants.
Example:
Lisa
(Li–)(sa–)
Lee sah
Rosalyn
(Ra–)(zu)(ri)(n)
Rah zuh lihn
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Smith
(S)(mi)(s)
Smih th
6) Add the Letter U
Put a letter u after every consonant that is not followed by a vowel, except for the
letter n.
Example:
Lisa
(Li–)(sa–)
Lee sah
Rosalyn
(Ra–)(zu)(ri)(n)
Rah zuh lihn
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Smith
(Su)(mi)(su)
Smih th
7) Replace Letters with Katakana Characters
You are now ready to write your converted name with katakana characters! Match
the beats from your name with the characters in the sidebar chart on the right. If
you have a vowel with a – symbol, write the – after the katakana character. If you
have a vowel that is not preceded by a consonant, replace it with the matching
character from the top row. If you have the letter n with no vowel following it,
replace it with the character on the bottom row (ン).
Example:
Lisa
リ–サ–
(Li–)(sa–)
Lee sah
Rosalyn
ラ–ズリン
(Ra–)(zu)(ri)(n)
Rah zuh lihn
Smith
スミス
(Su)(mi)(su)
Smih th
How to Do I Use the Chart?
Remember that most katakana characters are consonant + vowel pairs. In this
chart, the katakana characters are sorted by 1) consonants, down the left side of
the chart, and 2) vowels across the top, in the order a, i, u, e, o. Locate the consonant first, and then match it up with the appropriate vowel.
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FAQ
What do I do if a sound in my name isn’t on the side chart?
If the sound is a vowel, find the left side of the vowel chart in Step 2 and replace it with the corresponding
sound on the right. If the sound is a consonant, check the consonant chart in Step 3 for the letter that
you can’t find and replace it with the corresponding sound on the right.
What do I do if I don’t know which vowel sound to use?
If you’ve read the instructions and still aren’t sure which vowel is closest to the vowel in your name, there
might not be an exact equivalent. Instead, choose the closest sound. Remember, you can combine vowel
sounds. (See Index of example names: Brian)
How will I know if I translated my name correctly?
If you want to check your translation, ask a friend who speaks fluent Japanese. Or, you can use translating websites to check your accuracy.
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How do I write multiple consonants
in a row?
If you need to write multiple consonants in a row (with no vowel between
them), separate the consonants by
putting a u between them.
How do I write a vowel without a
consonant in front of it?
Use the top row of the conversion
chart. The top row is indicated by the
∅ character, which means that no
consonant precedes the vowel.
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More Example Names:
Name
Amanda
Pronunciation
A– ma n da–
ア–マンダ–
Brian
Bu– rai a– n
ブ–ライア–ン
Cassie
Ka– si–
カ–シ–
Daniel
Da ni– e– ru
ダニ–エ–ル
Emily
E mi– ri–
エミ–リ–
Fred
Fu re du
フレヅ
Gandalf
Voldemort
Katakana
Ga– n da– ru fu ガ–ンダ–ルフ
Vo– ru de–
ボ–ルデ–
mo– ru tu
モ–ルツ