Is there one correct katakana spelling for a foreign name?

Often there is more than one valid spelling. David can be written デイビッド or デイヴィッド. Well-known names have an established form, but for rarer names you can choose what you prefer.

Your Name in Japanese — Katakana Name Converter

名前をカタカナに変換 — Write any name in Japanese katakana

Type your name in English and instantly see it written in Japanese katakana — the script used for foreign names in Japan — plus hiragana and romaji pronunciation. Common names use their established spelling; others are converted phonetically. Free, no login required.

Your name (in English / romaji)

Katakana (カタカナ)

Hiragana

Romaji (how it sounds)

⚠ Part of this is a phonetic approximation. Foreign names can be spelled more than one way in katakana, and there is no single “correct” version. Well-known names use their established spelling.

Common Names in Katakana

John → ジョン

Mary → メアリー

Michael → マイケル

Jennifer → ジェニファー

David → デイビッド

Sarah → サラ

Robert → ロバート

Emma → エマ

Christopher → クリストファー

Elizabeth → エリザベス

Smith → スミス

Garcia → ガルシア

Why is my name written in katakana?

Japanese uses three writing systems: hiragana (for native Japanese words), kanji (characters that carry meaning), and katakana. Katakana is the script reserved for foreign loanwords and foreign names. So when your name is written in Japanese, it normally goes into katakana. This is a purely phonetic spelling — it records the sound of your name, not its meaning. For example, “Mike” becomes マイク (ma-i-ku), which simply reproduces the pronunciation.

It is possible to assign kanji to a foreign name (e.g. Mike → 麻衣久), but that is mostly for fun or nicknames. For official purposes — your residence card (在留カード), bank account, or business card (名刺) — katakana is the standard. This tool gives you the katakana spelling first, the way it is actually used in Japan.

How the conversion works (the sound rules)

Japanese syllables are built from a consonant + a vowel, and Japanese cannot stack consonants together the way English does. So a few predictable changes happen when a foreign name is “Japanised”. Knowing them explains why the katakana looks the way it does.

Rule	Why	Example
Add a vowel to lone consonants	A consonant can’t stand alone, so a vowel (often “u”) is added	David → Debiddo (デイビッド)
L and R merge	Japanese has no L/R distinction; both use the ra-row	Lisa → Risa, Rosa → Roza
TH → S / Z sound	The “th” sound doesn’t exist in Japanese	Smith → Sumisu (スミス)
V → B or ヴ	“V” becomes the b-row, or the special ヴ kana	Victor → Bikutā
Long vowel “ー”	Drawn-out sounds use the long-vowel mark	Peter → Pītā (ピーター)
Small “ッ” (sokuon)	A clipped/doubled stop uses the small tsu	Jack → Jakku (ジャック)

How to use this tool

Just type your name in the Latin alphabet and the katakana, hiragana, and romaji reading update live. Separate your given and family names with a space and each part is converted and joined with “・” (the middle dot used for foreign names, e.g. John Smith → ジョン・スミス). Use “Copy Katakana” to paste the result onto a business card, form, or social media profile.

Common names use an established spelling (the version most people actually use). Rarer names are converted phonetically, so more than one spelling may be valid — a yellow note appears in that case. Ultimately, you can choose how to spell your own name; there is no single official katakana for a foreign name.

Conversions follow standard Japanese orthography. This is a phonetic rendering and does not guarantee an official reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should my name be written in katakana or kanji?

For official situations in Japan — your residence card, bank, city hall, or business card — katakana is the standard. Assigning kanji to a foreign name is fun as a nickname but isn’t suitable for documents because the reading is ambiguous. This tool gives the katakana spelling.

Is there one “correct” katakana spelling?

Often there is more than one valid spelling. For example, “David” can be デイビッド or デイヴィッド, and “Sarah” can be サラ or セーラ. Well-known names have an established form, but for rarer names you can choose what you prefer. This tool suggests the most common spelling.

Which comes first, given name or family name?

On Japanese official documents the family-name-first order is common, but for foreign residents it’s safest to match your passport. This tool converts the words in the order you type them and joins them with “・” (a middle dot). Adjust the order in the input box as needed.

Can I get my name in hiragana too?

Yes — the result shows a hiragana version as well. However, foreign names are conventionally written in katakana; hiragana is rarely used for them. Use the hiragana form for design or personal purposes if you need it.

Why do L and R become the same katakana?

Japanese has no separate L and R sounds — both are written with the ra-row (ラ・リ・ル・レ・ロ). That is why both “Light” and “Right” become ライト in katakana. It’s a feature of Japanese pronunciation, not a mistake.