Amy
エイミー
Eimī
Also written エイミ.
How It Is Said
- エe
- イi
- ミmi
- ーi
Eimī: four beats, each about the same length. Japanese has no strong stress, so the name is said evenly, beat by beat.
By Language
| Language | Katakana | Rōmaji | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | エイミー | Eimī | the usual form |
| エイミ | Eimi | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The English a of Amy is said ay, two beats in Japanese: エイ (ei).
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: ミー (mī).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type eimi- (the - key gives the bar ー), then press F7 on Windows or Control+K on a Mac to turn it into katakana. On a phone, type the same letters with the Japanese keyboard and choose エイミー among the suggestions.
Why Katakana
In Japan, names from abroad are written in katakana, the script for words from other languages. Kanji versions of Western names are mostly invented, and a Japanese reader often sees odd meanings in them; the katakana is what a Japanese person would really write. More on katakana and names
