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 it sounds and which katakana comes from each syllable.
Based on how it sounds
JavierHow it sounds: /xaˈbjeɾ/
- Jaxaハ
- vierbjeɾビエル
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
- Type your name as you always write it, with its accents if it has any.
- See the result in katakana, horizontal or vertical, as it's often written in Japan.
- Below you'll see how your name sounds in the phonetic alphabet and which katakana comes from each syllable.
- 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 name is turned into its pronunciation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) with the rules of Spanish, which is written as it sounds, or with those of Catalan, Galician or Basque if the name comes from those languages; for names with x, j or g, that's decided by where the people with the name were born, according to Spain's statistics office (INE). Then each syllable is written in katakana with the conventions of the «外来語の表記», the Japanese Government's standard for writing foreign words (1991). On top of that there's a list of almost a thousand names with the form most used in Japan for real people with that name, taken from Wikidata: lengthened vowels (Hugo, ウーゴ), Catalan forms the rules don't produce (Josep, ジュゼップ) and names from other countries that people in Spain have, according to the INE (Chloe, クロエ; Youssef, ユセフ).
Name → pronunciation (IPA) → katakana
Sources
- 外来語の表記 (平成3年内閣告示第2号) — Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan (文化庁)
- The International Phonetic Alphabet and the IPA Chart — International Phonetic Association
- Apellidos y nombres más frecuentes — National Statistics Institute of Spain (INE)
- Wikidata: data licensing (CC0) — Wikimedia Foundation
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. First the name is turned into its pronunciation in the International Phonetic Alphabet. In Spanish this is almost automatic, because it’s pronounced as it’s written: Javier is /xaˈbjeɾ/, with the j that sounds /x/ and the v that sounds /b/.
2. How that sound is written. Then each syllable is written with the katakana closest to it: xa is ハ and bje is ビエ. The final r, which can’t stand alone in Japanese, takes a support vowel: ル. Result: ハビエル.
What Japanese doesn’t have
Japanese doesn’t tell l from r: both are written with the same row (Luis, ルイス). Nor does it allow loose consonants, except n: the final s of Carlos is written ス (su) and the d of David, ド (do). The Spanish j, and the g in ge and gi, go with the h row (Jorge, ホルヘ), and ll with ジャ and ジェ (Guillermo, ギジェルモ).
Forms set by usage
Some names are written in Japan in a way that doesn’t come from the rules: the stressed vowel is lengthened (Hugo, ウーゴ; Salvador, サルバドール) or a trait of the name’s language that the rules don’t see is kept (Josep, ジュゼップ; Jaume, ジャウマ). For almost a thousand names we use the form most seen in Japan for real people with that name, and we also show you the other usual forms.
Catalan, Galician and Basque names
Many names in Spain are Catalan, Galician or Basque, and we read them in their own language, whichever page you type them on. Only a few letters change: x, which in all three usually sounds sh (Xosé, ショセ; Uxue, ウシュエ), and in Catalan j and g before e or i, which sound like the French j (Jan, ジャン; Sergi, セルジ). To know which language each name with x, j or g is read in, we look at where the people with that name were born, according to the INE: if at least two in three were born in Galicia, in the Basque Country and Navarre, or in the Catalan-speaking regions, it’s read in that language. If the name isn’t on that list, we work it out from the spelling: an x at the start or after n, r or i sounds sh (Xiana, シアナ; Breixo, ブレイショ), and anywhere else, as in Spanish (Alexandra, アレクサンドラ).
Names from other countries
More and more people in Spain and Latin America are called Chloe, Liam, Mohamed or Youssef. For names from other countries that people in Spain have, according to the INE’s register of names, we use the form they’re written with in Japan for people all over the world: Chloe is クロエ and Youssef, ユセフ. If the name is also Spanish, like Juliana or Laura, we read it in Spanish and show you separately how it’s written if it’s pronounced as in another language: Laura is ラウラ, and the English way, ローラ.
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.
Why do some names have more than one form?
Because Japanese lacks some Spanish sounds and there's more than one way to get close to them. Guillermo is seen written ギジェルモ, ギレルモ and ギリェルモ. 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 Spanish?
It works too. For names from other countries that people in Spain have, we use the form they're written with in Japan: Chloe is クロエ and Mohamed, モハメド. If the name also exists in Spanish, like Juliana, we read it in Spanish (フリアナ) and show you the form from another language separately (ジュリアナ), in case you say it that way. If a name isn't on our list, it comes from the Spanish rules, and we tell you so under the result.
What if my name is Catalan, Galician or Basque?
We read it in its own language, whichever page you type it on. Only a few letters change: x, which in Galician, Basque and Catalan usually sounds sh (Uxue, ウシュエ), and in Catalan j and g before e or i (Jan, ジャン). To know which language each name is read in, we look at where the people with that name were born, according to Spain's statistics office (INE).
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 7 October 2026
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