Ben_Nielson Wrote:Easiest name ever... "Ben"

Yeah, just pick the spelling you like and go with it. You should point out to your Japanese friend how bad Japanese names sound when pronounced in English due to Romaji not being a direct phonetic transliteration (wonder if that's the right terminology). And that making the same mistake when moving from English into Japanese is just silly.

Easiest example, Ichiro (often pronounced like "itcherow").

Some Japanese people have changed their names to have more accurate pronunciation. For example, Seattle Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima (Jojima -> Johjima)

Even better example: Dice-K (ダイスケ - daisuke - DAY SOOK?)

I don't know why no one else seems to think デイミエン would do it. Print it in out and ask a Japanese person to read it out with out telling them you are trying to spell "Damian". For one, the DA in DAmian isn't pronouned ダ. Nor is the ダ in AN at the end either pronounced this way. ダミアン will sound like DAH-MI-AHN. Totally not what you are after. And to the guy who thought デイ would sound weird, are you not considering the fact that when デイ is written, it sounds like english word "day"? DAY-MI-EN is how it should sound, and these are all possible with デイミエン.

In case you're confused, デイ is not pronounced DEH-II. I don't know why you would say it's weird.

ダミアン is the typical way of katakan-izing Damien/Damian:

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E...9%E3%83%88
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E...4%E3%82%B9

But that doesn't mean you have to stick with it. I agree that デイミエン/デーミエン is much closer to the actual pronunciation (and closer than デミアン too). ディミエン or any other combination starting with ディ would not make sense.

Smackle Wrote:Wouldn't it be ブロック?

No. It's not a long "O" sound.

activeaero Wrote:

Smackle Wrote:Wouldn't it be ブロック?

No. It's not a long "O" sound.

That is how "block" is in Japanese. It is also fairly standard for Brock. ブラク doesn't seem like it fits at all. Think of "rock", "lock", "sock", etc. when put into katakana.

smujohnson Wrote:And to the guy who thought デイ would sound weird, are you not considering the fact that when デイ is written, it sounds like english word "day"? DAY-MI-EN is how it should sound, and these are all possible with デイミエン.

In case you're confused, デイ is not pronounced DEH-II. I don't know why you would say it's weird.

To use JimmySeal's wikipedia examples, I can't find anyone in wikipedia that spells it デイミエン　either, and the one guy that shows up that way (http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E...0%E3%83%95) when you search, redirects to it being spelled the other way anyway.

Also, it seems that just based on google search results:

デイミエン = 260

デイミアン = 1,620

デミアン = 96,000

デミエン = 149

ダミアン = 354,000

ダミエン = 2,980

Take your pick for whether you want unique or more common. Either way, it's still katakana, and kind of open to interpretation.

You know, since we like to use Google as a guideline to which word is better to use, does Google or some site offer an "x Versus x" type service where you can compare to google terms. Maybe even allow refinement (dismiss same hits, limit type of sites such as .jp, etc.).

Nukemarine Wrote:You know, since we like to use Google as a guideline to which word is better to use, does Google or some site offer an "x Versus x" type service where you can compare to google terms. Maybe even allow refinement (dismiss same hits, limit type of sites such as .jp, etc.).

http://www.googlefight.com/

It should be noted that despite being labeled "keyword", the boxes take an entire Google search string; compare site-restricted versus general.

Of course, be aware that this is an extremely bad way of actually comparing frequency, as the results count is only an estimate using as little actual information as they can get away with. This effect is increased with non-single-word queries.

~J

what is my name in kana? my first name is phonetically "kurinto" but "Hatcher" is a little harder. i have seen it in many different forms. I want to know it because I need to chisel my name on a samurai sword that I made. thanks!

That you made huh?

ClintHatcher Wrote:what is my name in kana? my first name is phonetically "kurinto" but "Hatcher" is a little harder. i have seen it in many different forms. I want to know it because I need to chisel my name on a samurai sword that I made. thanks!

"ﾊｯﾁｬｰ" ? Anybody correct this please >.< it's my first shot.

yes, I made. i won't go as far as to say it is an actual samurai sword but it was made completely traditionally.

welldone101's transliteration is the one listed in my name dictionary. Assuming it is a properly made sword and not something made with a chunk of scrap metal and an angle-grinder (like I have seen numerous times before), I'd avoid carving anything into the blade, especially katakana (which is ugly).

If the piece is actually something that you care about, find a person who knows shodou, get them to write your name in brushwork using either hiragana or man'yougana, and then take that to a professional engraver to get it carved into the tang.

ポール

I don't think there is a definite rule. Some katakana versions of words seem to be based on the pronunciation while others on the foreign spelling.

Generally though, I'd say pronunciation is the way to go.

yes, thank you, I will try to find someone who knows about engraving to get it on the nagako or buy a stamp. do they make metal stamps that would fit for that or do I need the individual characters?

I do so hate writing my name in kana. My first name is simple enough, but my surname... 超面倒臭い...

アーネスカンス is how I usually transcribe it, but I don't know... </rant>

My name is　エッマ, but my Japanese teacher told me I should write it without the small tsu: エマ.

You hardly ever see ま~も with a っ in front of it. It is usually a ん. Your teacher is correct. You should transcribe it relative to how it's pronounced than how it's spelled in English.

Not sure, but I think is:

[kana]GIRIERUME[/kana]

Doesn't sound cool at all. And it's too long.

マルク

I could also go with the transcription of the American-style pronunciation マーク which is more common but it makes more sense to be closer to how my name is pronounced in my native language.

ディヴ

Although I've always been confused by the ヴ. I know it's supposed to be an approximation to "V" rather than "B" but I'm not sure if it's really used. My friend had a beauty of a last name for Japanese to pronounce: Ravenscroft; it just sounds weird.

Codexus Wrote:マルク

I could also go with the transcription of the American-style pronunciation マーク which is more common but it makes more sense to be closer to how my name is pronounced in my native language.

マーク is what i use. When i say my name in english you can barely hear the R anyway (probably just my accent) but saying it as Ma-ri-ku doesnt sound remotely correct to my ears. Unless your called Markus.

My surname i've hazarded a guess as
グレダヒル
Gleadhill (silent A) and its fairly close.. actually pronoucing it as that is closer than how most english people seem to read it as.. ><

マルク works. In languages other than English, sometimes the r after a will be turned into ル, because it is pronounced differently (I think Spanish and German are examples of this).

マルク is the transcription according to ENAMDICT. However, thanks to the weak u in Japanese, it often ends up sounding like マーク. Actually writing it as マーク is a transcription of the name "Maag", which I've never heard of.

In reality you can transcribe it however you want as long as natives pronounce it the way you like. I know a girl who transcribes her Japanese name as Liccako.