English to Japanese Transliteration
Type an English name or word and get it in Japanese script. Foreign words come back in katakana, Japanese words typed in romaji come back in hiragana, and words Japanese has already borrowed get the form it actually uses.
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This writes English sounds in Japanese script, so a whole sentence comes back as katakana of the English words. If you want what the sentence means in Japanese, that is translation — use the translator instead.
Why letter-by-letter conversion fails in Japanese
Japanese writes foreign words in katakana, and there is a regular system for it. Every consonant has to carry a vowel, because Japanese has no bare consonants: strike becomes ストライク, five syllables where English has one.
A converter can apply those rules mechanically and get something pronounceable. The problem is that for any word Japanese has actually borrowed, the real spelling was fixed decades ago and often does not match what the rules would produce. Nobody derives マクドナルド from McDonald's — you either know it or you get it wrong.
The same is true of names. Michael is マイケル in English but ミヒャエル in German and ミカエル as a biblical name. Which one is right depends on whose name it is, not how it is spelled. That is knowledge about the word, and a phonetic converter has none.
Where the difference shows
| You type | Correct | Common error | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael | マイケル | ミチャエル | name has a settled form |
| McDonald's | マクドナルド | マクドナルズ | borrowed decades ago, not derivable |
| strike | ストライク | ストリク | every consonant takes a vowel |
| coffee | コーヒー | コフィ | long vowels use the ー mark |
| cat | キャット | カット | small ャ, and ッ for the doubled sound |
| arigatou | ありがとう | アリガトウ | a Japanese word takes hiragana |
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Questions
How do I write my name in Japanese?
Type it in the box. English names are written in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign words. Well-known names have established forms — Michael is マイケル — and this tool uses the real one rather than spelling the letters out.
What is the difference between katakana and hiragana?
Both write the same sounds. Katakana is used for foreign words and names, hiragana for Japanese words. So an English name goes in katakana, while a Japanese word you typed in romaji comes back in hiragana.
Why is my short name so long in Japanese?
Japanese has no bare consonants, so each one needs a vowel after it. 'Smith' has one syllable in English and becomes スミス, three in Japanese. That is normal and correct, not an error.
Is it free?
Yes, and it needs no account. Pasting text is free and unlimited. Uploading whole books or PDFs is part of the paid packages.