How to say American names

TokyoSnowBunny · (#1 (**permalink**))

Is there different ways to pronounce American names in Japanese? I know that some would just say the regular name with an accent but I was wondering if American names can actually be translated into Japanese.

Maku · (#2 (**permalink**))

There's a thread around here that translates names into Japanese.
I used it to find out that my whole name was Ritchimondo Maku Robaato Igumashu.

TokyoSnowBunny · (#3 (**permalink**))

Thanks, I'll use the search function and see if I can find it.

82riceballs · (#4 (**permalink**))

my friend's name is "ERICA" but her parents (she's japanese) call her "ELICA".
same with "ARISA" = "ALISA"

Seiryuu · (#5 (**permalink**))

You can't really "translate" American names; you transliterate them.

Unless you know the meaning of your name, of course.

MMM · (#6 (**permalink**))

R and L aren't "mixed" so much as they share the same sound, which is a sound in between the two. (Where on L you put your tongue at the tip of your top teeth, and R your tongue doesn't move...for the Japanese R/L sound your tongue taps the top back part of yor front teeth.

Japanese has fewer individual sounds than English names must be "morphed" to fit into the sounds available, and so they can be spelled using Japanese writing.

The "meaning" of an American name won't make any difference because foreign names are written in the katakana "alphabet" reserved for foreign names and loan-words, among other things. Only native Japanese get to use kanji in their names.

Jsleazoid · (#7 (**permalink**))

oOoOo
that is really interesting!

Jsleazoid · (#8 (**permalink**))

lol that's a good point
most "american" names aren't really american even though they are popular in america
my name is allison, and it is uber popular here,
but it's orgin is Germany.

fara7 · (#9 (**permalink**))

Koreans are opposite to japanese they have problems in pronouncing R not L, there was that Kpop singer called Rain, He was introducing himself and said "hello, I am Lain" lol.

MMM · (#10 (**permalink**))

That's a little over-simplifying, I think. Japanese studying in Japan tend to use the same sound for both R and L, so it sounds (to a native English speaker) like they are switching the sounds.

I understand there is no "Z" sound in Korean, so Koreans have a hard time getting used to that sound.