Learn all about Japanese Names

We’ll be honest with you—one of the questions we get asked the most on JapanesePod101 is on — yes, you guessed it — names. The most frequently asked questions include:

• “How do you write an English name in Japanese?”
• “Is it possible to make a nickname up and ask native Japanese speakers to use it?”
• “Are there any Japanese names that sound like English names?”

For those who want to have their name in Japanese, we have made it simple for you to write your name today. Yes, today! This post is your one-stop guide regarding Japanese names!
 

1. How to Write Your Name in Japanese
2. How to Make Up Your Japanese Nickname
   • Japanese First Names
     • Female Names
     • Male Names
   • Japanese Last Names
3. Related Lessons

The easiest way is to find a Katakana letter that corresponds to the pronunciation of your Japanese name. For example, if your name is “Maya,” look for the Katakana character for ma, which is マ, then the other character for ya, which is ヤ. You just need to put them together and write マヤ for “Maya.”

Here are some English names in Katakana.

• Noah ノア (Noa)
• Jacob ジェイコブ (Jeikobu)
• Micheael マイケル (Maikeru)
• Daniel ダニエル (Danieru)
• Olivia オリビア (Oribia)
• George ジョージ (Jōji)
• Thomas トーマス (Tōmasu)
• Kimberly キンバリー (Kinbarī)

If you cannot find your name on this list or want to make your name in Katakana by yourself, here’s our video series for you. Check out How to Write in Japanese: Hiragana & Katakana and learn how to write Katakana for your English name.

This will help you learn the Japanese alphabet and start writing your name in Japanese by yourself!