Kanapow!!

Free name converter

Your name
in Japanese.

Foreign names are written in katakana, by sound rather than spelling. Type your name to see it in katakana, hear it spoken, and read it back in romaji.

Why your name goes in katakana

Japanese uses three scripts. Hiragana is for native words and grammar, kanji are characters that carry meaning, and katakana is for words borrowed from other languages — including foreign names. Because a name like "Michael" has no Japanese meaning, it isn't written in kanji; it's spelled out by sound in katakana: マイケル (ma-i-ke-ru).

The key idea is that the conversion follows pronunciation, not spelling. Silent letters disappear, and sounds Japanese doesn't have are mapped to the nearest kana — which is why the same name can have more than one accepted katakana form.

Common names in katakana

A few you'll see often — type yours above for the rest.

NameKatakanaNameKatakana
MichaelマイケルMaryメアリー
DavidデイビッドSarahサラ
JamesジェームズJenniferジェニファー
JohnジョンJessicaジェシカ
ChristopherクリストファーEmilyエミリー
DanielダニエルEmmaエマ
MatthewマシューOliviaオリビア
AndrewアンドリューSophiaソフィア
RobertロバートGraceグレース
KevinケビンAnnaアンナ

How the conversion works

Japanese sounds come in mora — usually a consonant plus a vowel (ka, mi, to). To fit a foreign name, each sound is matched to the nearest mora, and a few patterns show up again and again:

  • A long vowel becomes a dash: David → デーイビッド uses ー-style lengthening for the stretched sound.
  • A consonant with no vowel after it gets a small "u" sound: the -l in Michael becomes ル (ru).
  • Sounds Japanese lacks are approximated — th, v, and l/r all shift to the closest kana.
  • A first and family name are joined with a middle dot: David Smith → デイビッド・スミス.

Keep going

Learn the katakana your name is built from, or convert whole words and signs.

Katakana Chart

Every katakana with audio and a printable PDF — the script your name is written in.

Kana Converter

Convert whole words: type romaji to get kana, or paste kana to get romaji.

Reading on Your Trip

Read menus and signs in Japan — once you can read katakana, a lot opens up.

Ready when you are

Read more than your name.

Kanapow breaks any Japanese word into mora with tap-to-hear pronunciation, so you can read signs, menus, and messages — not just katakana names. Free on iPhone.

Download on the App Store

Name in Japanese FAQ

How do you write an English name in Japanese?

Foreign names are written in katakana, the script for non-Japanese words. The name is converted by sound, not spelling — so Michael becomes マイケル (ma-i-ke-ru). Type your name above to see and hear it.

Why katakana and not hiragana or kanji?

Katakana signals a non-Japanese word. Hiragana is for native words and grammar, and kanji carry meaning — a foreign name has no Japanese meaning, so it's spelled phonetically in katakana.

Is the katakana version of my name exact?

For common names it follows the established convention (Sarah → サラ). For unusual names the tool gives a close phonetic approximation, since name spellings don't always follow strict rules — double-check an uncommon one.

Can I write my name in kanji instead?

Sometimes people pick kanji whose sounds match a name, but those are chosen for their readings (and sometimes meanings), not a standard rule. The reliable, conventional way to write a foreign name is katakana.