Start Learning Japanese in the next 30 Seconds with
a Free Lifetime Account

Or sign up using Facebook

What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Moderators: Moderator Team, Admin Team

jdent1123200
New in Town
Posts: 1
Joined: May 2nd, 2013 11:34 pm

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby jdent1123200 » May 2nd, 2013 11:37 pm

Hello my name is Juan Dent. I am confused on how to write my name in Japanese. Can you show me my name in Japanese?

mmmason8967
Expert on Something
Posts: 758
Joined: January 7th, 2012 12:24 pm

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby mmmason8967 » May 3rd, 2013 6:35 am

jdent1123200 wrote:Hello my name is Juan Dent. I am confused on how to write my name in Japanese. Can you show me my name in Japanese?

I think that Juan will be フアン (fu-a-n) and Dent will be デント (De-n-to). The Japanese "fu" sound is somewhere between "hu" and "fu", so "fuan" will sound pretty close to "Juan" when said by a Japanese person.

You'd write your full name as フアン・デント (with a "・" between the names).

マイケル

Get 40% OFF
community.japanese
Expert on Something
Posts: 2704
Joined: November 16th, 2012 8:54 am

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby community.japanese » May 6th, 2013 3:23 am

Hello! フアンさん、マイケルさん!

マイケルさん、thank you for your answer!
You are right!
"Juan" sounds like "Fuan" "or sometime "Hoan", writing as  ”フアン”or ”ホアン”.
"Dent" is  ”デント”

Thank you!

Minako
Team japanesePod101.com

notyouraverageviking1989
New in Town
Posts: 1
Joined: April 4th, 2013 5:30 pm

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby notyouraverageviking1989 » May 22nd, 2013 1:33 pm

Konichiwa.
ごめンなさい、if this seems like too long a request, but I am genuinely concerned
and want to make SURE I am not being offensive in any way, while learning
this beautiful language, and I plan travel to Japan in future and am learning
to write in Nihongo as well.
I am fearful that I may have done something impolite in my posts.
(Not here on JapanesePod101, but on my blog.)
I have been learning about politeness and I fully understand it's importance.
(ex. better not to add an honorific after ones own name, it can seem arrogant.)
I went to a site that translated my surname, and found some Kanji but I also read somewhere
that I can use phonetics to spell my name as on a drivers' license etc.
My last name is McKee, and at first I thought MAKI マキwould be good, but it sounds to my ear
(and my family pronounces it so it sounds) more closely to MEKI.メキ
to make things worse I have at times used Hiragana to spell it
which now seems wrong as I have since learned that Hiragana is for Japanese
words and foreign words should use Katakana,
Long story; I found the Kanji for "me" 目and for "ki" 気 and liked the sound of "eye-spirit" as a name
(and I can more easily write the kanji) so I have been
using 目気 and identifying myself on my blog posts as "EyeSpritGuy".
Is this a really bad idea, partially bad, wrong, confusing or rude in any way?
I would like to use my last name first as I have seen done, but is this arrogant?
In short, does 目気 have any negative aspect or is it better to always write it in Katakana?
Then still have to worry about my first name, which I'll do later...
Please help. To confuse things even more. Gomenasai, but the literal translation of McKee is "Clan of Fire" can I do something with this phrase (or should I) with this phrasing. Sorry to be so wordy, but I really don't want to make dumb mistakes, -and after all it's my family name. Suggestions? i'll try hard not to be a 'problem student' after this :oops:

community.japanese
Expert on Something
Posts: 2704
Joined: November 16th, 2012 8:54 am

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby community.japanese » May 23rd, 2013 9:22 am

notyouraverageviking1989-san,
こんにちは!
Don't be upset much, you haven't done anything wrong; you're just wondering the common thing that many other people
might :) We're happy to help you!
It seems you've learnt about politeness and how Japanese language works. That's brilliant!

Your name, McKee, is usually written as マッキー, but of course, if you think メ sounds more appropriate, you can write
メキ or メッキー in katakana.
Now, giving kanji to your own name is totally up to you. As far as I'm concerned, you have to decide kanji only if you
obtain Japanese nationality (I think it's required). Otherwise, it's usually in katakana, and that's more official.
In your daily life, no one can complain even if you use kanji for your name, right? And to answer to your question,
"no", 目気 doesn't have negative or offensive connotation at all. It can be rude or blunt either.

I've never heard anyone "translate" own name according to the meaning...so I'm not very sure how.
If your name, McKee, means "clan of fire", it'd be literally translated as 火の一族 or 火の民族...?
But this sounds more like "a phrase" than "a name".

Just as an extra little note, using kanji for your name is considered more like you're having fun with Japanese, but
it's not officially required (maybe not even accepted...?). People can find it amuzing, and enjoy your creativity,
but it might not pass that level. I'm writing this littel note because you said you don't want to make any "dumb
mistakes", and I translated that also as "I don't want to be laughed at". Just keep it in your mind :wink:

Natsuko (奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

culpepperplace4666
New in Town
Posts: 1
Joined: May 23rd, 2013 8:02 pm

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby culpepperplace4666 » May 23rd, 2013 8:09 pm

Hello! Thank you for the work you are doing on this site. I am an absolute beginner and my name is Sarah Culpepper. My last name is a mouthful even in the US. I'm curious how it would be said in an introduction. Thank you for the assistance.

community.japanese
Expert on Something
Posts: 2704
Joined: November 16th, 2012 8:54 am

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby community.japanese » May 25th, 2013 12:19 am

Hello! Sarah san

Thank you for listening our lessons :D
My last name is a mouthful even in the US> I feel easier to pronounce in Japanese :mrgreen:
Sarah(sara)サラ Culpepper(carupeppaa)カルペッパー
So your self introduction will be..
Watashi no namae wa サラdesu. or サラ・カルペッパーdesu.(full name ver.)

Please feel free to ask us anytime :)

Minako
Team JapanesePod101.com

bamboopandashop3685
New in Town
Posts: 1
Joined: May 31st, 2013 6:53 pm

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby bamboopandashop3685 » May 31st, 2013 7:08 pm

I'm pretty sure I won't find the translation anywhere else but here.

My name is Cherrell Pieters, pronounce: sh - e (like in the word letter) - r - e (the same as before) - l and Pee -ters (letters)

HELP?!

mmmason8967
Expert on Something
Posts: 758
Joined: January 7th, 2012 12:24 pm

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby mmmason8967 » June 1st, 2013 10:05 am

bamboopandashop3685 wrote:My name is Cherrell Pieters, pronounce: sh - e (like in the word letter) - r - e (the same as before) - l and Pee -ters (letters)

I think your name will be:-
シェレル she-re-ru
ピータズ pi-i-ta-zu

マイケル

community.japanese
Expert on Something
Posts: 2704
Joined: November 16th, 2012 8:54 am

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby community.japanese » June 8th, 2013 9:56 am

Cherrell-san, マイケルさん、
kon'nichiwa :D
I think マイケルsan is right; Cherrell would be シェリル [she ri ru] or シェレル [she re ru] depeding on which on you think is proper.
Pieters can be ピータズ [pii ta zu] or ピーターズ [pii taa zu]. :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

ferrera0chan6191
New in Town
Posts: 1
Joined: June 8th, 2013 11:35 pm

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby ferrera0chan6191 » June 10th, 2013 1:43 am

Hi!

I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out my name (since there's an "L" in it). My name is Sesalee Harris and my first name is pronounced like: Seh - suh - lee. Could you help me please?

mmmason8967
Expert on Something
Posts: 758
Joined: January 7th, 2012 12:24 pm

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby mmmason8967 » June 10th, 2013 7:19 am

You use the Japanese R sound for both R and L (the Japanese R is roughly half way between the English R and L sounds). Taking this into account, I think your name will be like this:-

セサリー se-sa-ri-i
ハリス  ha-ri-su

マイケル

community.japanese
Expert on Something
Posts: 2704
Joined: November 16th, 2012 8:54 am

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby community.japanese » June 10th, 2013 10:52 am

セサリーsan, マイケルsan,
kon'nichiwa! :D
Nicely and perfectly done, マイケルさん :oiwai: Thank you very much!
Sesalee-san, now you can write your name in Japanese!! :D

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

jarrode28
New in Town
Posts: 1
Joined: August 16th, 2012 4:18 am

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby jarrode28 » June 11th, 2013 3:48 am

jaroto

community.japanese
Expert on Something
Posts: 2704
Joined: November 16th, 2012 8:54 am

Re: What's my name in Japanese? (make requests here!)

Postby community.japanese » June 11th, 2013 4:08 am

jaroto-san,
is your name pronounced as [ja ro to] as it's written?
If so, it'd be ジャロト :wink:

Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com

Return to “Learn All About Japanese”