What is my name in Japanese?

How names are written in Japanese

Japanese uses three scripts. Hiragana is used for native grammar and words, kanji are characters borrowed from Chinese that carry meaning, and katakana is the angular script used mainly for foreign words and names. So when a Japanese person writes "Emma", "Rahul" or "Michael", they normally use katakana: エマ, ラフル, マイケル. Katakana spells sounds, not letters, which is why the same English spelling can be written differently depending on how the name is pronounced. There is no single official spelling for most foreign names; what matters is how the name sounds.

How this converter works

The tool first checks a list of more than 100 popular English, Indian, Spanish, Arabic and Indonesian names whose katakana spellings are well established in Japan, such as ジョン (John) or プリヤ (Priya). These are marked "common spelling". For any other name, it applies pronunciation rules offline, entirely in your browser: English letter combinations are simplified (ph → f, th → s, c before e/i → s), the word is split into consonant–vowel syllables, and each syllable is mapped to katakana. Japanese has no separate L sound, so L becomes the R row (ラ, リ, ル). A consonant that is not followed by a vowel usually gets an extra "u" (or "o" after t and d), so "Mark" becomes マーク and "David" becomes デイビッド. A final N becomes ン. Results for unusual names are marked "approximate" because spelling does not always tell the computer how a name is said.

Common katakana rules you will notice

• Long vowels are shown with the bar ー: Peter → ピーター, Lucy → ルーシー.
• Small tsu (ッ) marks a doubled consonant or a short stop: Jack → ジャック, Pizza → ピッツァ.
• Extended katakana such as ティ, ディ, ファ and ヴ represent sounds that do not exist in traditional Japanese: Aditya → アディティヤ, Victor → ヴィクトル.
• R and L both become the R row: Laura and Rolla look the same.
• TH usually becomes S or Z: Matthew → マシュー, Elizabeth → エリザベス.

What about kanji for my name?

Foreign names are not normally written in kanji in everyday Japan. However, people sometimes choose ateji, kanji picked for their sounds, with pleasant meanings. For some popular names the tool shows a playful suggestion, for example 恵真 for Emma (blessing + truth) or 沙羅 for Sara (sand + silk). Treat these as fun ideas, not official translations. If you want a kanji name for a tattoo, a seal (hanko) or a business card, ask a native speaker to check the reading and meaning first; some kanji combinations look odd or carry unintended meanings.

Worked examples

Where you'll use your katakana name

Visitors and residents in Japan see their names in katakana on hotel bookings, residence cards (alongside the Latin alphabet), bank accounts and phone contracts, as well as in anime-style games and fan communities. Japanese offices often write foreign names in katakana with a middle dot between given name and family name, for example ジョン・スミス. You can enter up to four words and the tool joins them the same way.

Share your result

After converting, tap "Copy share link". The link contains your name in the address so friends can open the page and see the same result. Nothing is stored on a server.

Family names and full names

Japanese order is family name first, but foreign names are usually written in their original order in katakana: ジョン・スミス for John Smith. Some people add the family name only on formal documents and use just the given name with friends. If your name contains sounds such as "v", "th" or "l", you may see two or more accepted spellings, for example ヴィクトル or ビクトル for Victor; both are understood.

Writing it yourself

Once you know your katakana, practise the stroke order: katakana are simple angular shapes and most learners can write their name within a few minutes. Free stroke-order charts are easy to find in textbooks, and writing your name by hand is a great first step in learning Japanese.

Hiragana version

Katakana is standard for foreign names, but in children's books, cute designs or handwritten cards you may sometimes see a name in hiragana, the rounder script. For example, エマ becomes えま. It reads the same; it simply feels softer and more playful.

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Frequently asked questions