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Your Name in Japanese

Type your name and you'll see how it's written in Japanese, in katakana, the script Japan uses for foreign names. We also show you how your name sounds and which katakana comes from each syllable.

Example: Michael
マイケル

Based on how it sounds

MichaelHow it sounds: /ˈmaɪkəl/

  1. Mimaɪマイ
  2. chaelkəlケル

Approximate result, not an official translation. Before getting it tattooed or using it for anything permanent, check it with someone who speaks Japanese or with a professional translator: many names have more than one correct form, and some katakana are easy to confuse when handwritten (シ and ツ, ソ and ン).

Results are estimates. Solvemis accepts no responsibility for the results obtained or for how they are used. The transcription is approximate and isn't a certified translation: a name can be written in several ways. Before using it in a tattoo, a document or anything permanent, check it with a native speaker or a professional translator.

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How it works

How to use it

  1. Type your first name as you usually write it.
  2. See the result in katakana, horizontal or vertical, as it's often written in Japan.
  3. Below you'll see how your name sounds in the phonetic alphabet and which katakana comes from each syllable.
  4. Press Copy to take it with you. If it's for a tattoo, check it first with someone who speaks Japanese.

How it is calculated

Two steps. First, the pronunciation of your name comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, shown in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Then each syllable is written in katakana with the usual conventions for English words within the «外来語の表記», the Japanese Government's standard for writing foreign words (1991): long vowels with ー, an r after a vowel that lengthens it (Peter, ピーター) and unstressed vowels that follow the spelling (Elizabeth, エリザベス). On top of that there's a list of about 1,800 names with the form most used in Japan for real people with that name, taken from Wikidata (Thomas, トーマス). Without that list, the rules alone give the most used form for 70 % of those names.

Name → pronunciation (IPA) → katakana

Sources

About this calculator

What katakana is

Japanese uses three scripts: kanji, of Chinese origin, which carry meaning; hiragana, for Japanese words; and katakana, for words and names that come from other languages. Each katakana is a syllable: カ is ka and ル is ru. That’s why a foreign name is written by how it sounds, not by how it’s spelled.

From your name to katakana, in two steps

1. How it sounds. English spelling is a poor guide to pronunciation, so the sounds of your name come from a pronunciation dictionary. Peter is /ˈpitɚ/: a long ee and an unstressed er at the end.

2. How that sound is written. Then each syllable is written with the katakana closest to it. The long ee becomes ピー, with the mark ー that lengthens a vowel, and the final er, which Japanese hears as a long a, ター. Result: ピーター.

What Japanese doesn’t have

Japanese doesn’t tell l from r: both are written with the same row (Laura, ローラ). Nor does it allow loose consonants, except n: a final consonant takes a vowel, and after a short vowel it’s doubled with ッ (Jack, ジャック). The th of Elizabeth is written with the s row (エリザベス), and the v, with ヴ (Kevin, ケヴィン), though you’ll also see ビ.

Forms set by usage

Some names are written in Japan in a way that doesn’t come from the rules: the vowel of Thomas is lengthened (トーマス) and James is ジェームズ, not ジェイムズ. For about 1,800 names we use the form most seen in Japan for real people with that name, and we also show you the other usual forms.

Names that aren’t on our list

Our list has more than seven thousand first names from England and Wales and the United States, from the official name statistics. If yours isn’t there, we say so rather than guess. If you want, we work out an approximation from similar names, clearly marked: it may not match how you say your name.

Frequently asked questions

Why katakana and not kanji?

Because in Japan foreign names are written in katakana, by how they sound. Kanji carry meaning: giving a foreign name kanji means picking characters that sound similar or mean something nice, and there's no correct answer. That's why we don't suggest them.

How do you know how my name sounds?

English spelling doesn't tell you how a name is pronounced: Stephen and Steven sound the same, and the ch is different in Charlotte and Christopher. So the pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which lists more than seven thousand first names, not from the spelling.

Why do some names have more than one form?

Because Japanese lacks some English sounds and there's more than one way to get close to them. Kevin is written ケヴィン and ケビン, and Thomas, トーマス and トマス. We give you the form most used in Japan for people with that name and show you the others.

What if my name isn't on your list?

We tell you, and if you want we work out an approximation from similar names: Kayleigh from Kayla and Leigh, ケイリー. It may not match how you say your name, so check it before you use it.

Can I get it tattooed?

You can, but bear in mind it's an approximate transcription, not a certified translation, and Solvemis isn't responsible for how it's used. Before getting any tattoo, check it with someone who speaks Japanese or a professional translator, who can also check the strokes: some katakana are easy to confuse when handwritten, like シ and ツ or ソ and ン, and a tattoo isn't easy to fix.

Updated October 8, 2026

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