Names in Japanese

These beautiful designs, hand-lettered by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase, come in formats for personal and professional use. All designs are delivered digitally when your order is placed - there is no waiting.

by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

Over 4000 Names Meticulously Translated to Japanese

For each name, we start by giving the pronunciation of the name. This is important because names can be pronounced differently and this is the only way to know whether the translation is right for you. Then we cross check each name against Japanese dictionaries, and movie and entertainment databases. This way you know the translation is commonly used and we take it a step further because we then show which celebrities use the translation. And, finally, at Reference Materials we provide you with the resources to check our work if you would like.

About Translating Names to Japanese

Katakana is the standard way that names are translated to Japanese. Katakana preserves the pronunciation and is the option most likely to be recognized as a name. Katakana is also the way that non-Japanese names appear in Japanese dictionaries.

Hiragana can be used to write names in Japanese. Hiragana is considered more feminine as it was created by the poetesses of the Heian period. Like Katakana, hiragana preserves the pronunciation and is likely to be recognized as a name.

A literal translation to kanji translates the meaning of the name. Names have both a pronunciation and a meaning and so a complete translation is created by combining a phonetic translation and the literal translation to kanji.

For more information read Eri Takase's article How to Write Names in Japanese

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