Foreign names are written in katakana, spelled by how they sound, not how they are spelled in English. Type your name to see how it is normally written in Japan.
How names become katakana
Japanese has no separate consonants (except ん), so every sound becomes a syllable: Mark → マーク (māku), Anna → アンナ, Chris → クリス. A long vowel is a dash (ー). The result follows the sound, which is why the same name can have two accepted spellings.
| Name | Katakana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| Michael | マイケル | maikeru |
| Sarah | サラ | sara |
| David | デイビッド | deibiddo |
| Emma | エマ | ema |
| James | ジェームズ | jēmuzu |
| Olivia | オリビア | oribia |
| Daniel | ダニエル | danieru |
| Sophie | ソフィー | sofī |
| Alex | アレックス | arekkusu |
| Lucas | ルーカス | rūkasu |
Read it yourself in a week
Katakana is 46 characters. Learn them in short games and you will be able to read your own name — and every menu in Japan.
Start the free katakana quiz