Japanese Names Pronunciation
Pronounced by native speakers.
Japanese names pronunciation. It s not nearly as hard as you think it would be. Japanese names are usually written in kanji which are characters usually chinese in origin but japanese in pronunciation. That s because one japanese name can have a plethora of meanings. Admittedly it s in japanese pronunciation so that smith becomes スミス.
In this dictionary i have opted for the spelling closest to the actual pronunciation. Taro for instance means the first born male. Japanese is not like english it does not have stress or emphasis that determines how to pronounce each word. S s ra will match names which have two syllables and then the sound rah.
The vowels only have one way to pronounce them and the rest is like standard english. For example the name phoenix is often pronounced fen ix instead of the more accurate fee nix. Based on information provided by the japan times we ve compiled the pronunciations of the 100 most common japanese family names. Languages include mandarin spanish french hindi greek arabic japanese russian and more.
Parents also have the option of using hiragana or katakana when giving a birth name to their newborn child. A is pronounced like the a. Well for foreigners living in japan the practice of writing non japanese names in katakana script has the advantage of providing a consistent pronunciation guide. Nor is it like mandarin as it does not have tones that denote meaning.
Thank you for helping build the largest language community on the internet. Lee will match names which end with the sound lee s will match exactly one syllable in the pronunciation. The use of an accented u to represent the sound of the letter. Have you ever found yourself having trouble pronouncing someone s name.
When a name is written in katakana japanese people can look at it and know exactly how to pronounce it. Some names also reflect the birth order. The pronunciation of kanji japanese names follow a special set of rules. Whether you re planning a trip for business or pleasure or just anticipating being on the phone with a japanese client it s always important to be capable of pronouncing japanese names right.
New names and languages are added to the site everyday. Traditionally some names have unusual pronunciations in japanese. But it s not a flat language either which seems to be a common assumption and mistake even among teachers. Sign in to disable all ads.
Pronouncekiwi how to pronounce nao. Japanese pronunciation is fairly simple. But whether you select a traditional japanese name or a modern one its meaning in japanese is a lot likely to be complex.