Barbara
バーバラ
Bābara
How It Is Said
- バba
- ーa
- バba
- ラra
Bābara: 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 | バーバラ | Bābara | |
| German | バルバラ | Barubara | |
| Italian | バルバラ | Barubara |
What Happens to the Sounds
- An r after a vowel is not said in British English, and Japanese writes the vowel long instead: バー (bā).
- The Japanese r is a light tap of the tongue, like the quick t in an American "water": ラ (ra).
- In German and Italian, an r before a consonant is said, so it is written ル (ru): バルバラ; so in German and Italian, Barbara is バルバラ (Barubara).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type ba-bara (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 バーバラ 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
