Caroline
キャロライン
Kyarorain
How It Is Said
- キャkya
- ロro
- ラra
- イi
- ンn
Kyarorain: five 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 | キャロライン | Kyarorain | |
| French | カロリーヌ | Karorīnu |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The English long i, as in Caroline, is two beats in Japanese: アイ (ai).
- Japanese has one sound where English has two, l and r: a light tap of the tongue, written ラ リ ル レ ロ. So the l and the r of Caroline sound alike: ロ (ro), ラ (ra).
- A small kana joins the one before it into one beat: キャ (kya).
- ン is a humming n, and it counts as a beat of its own.
- The final e is not said, but Japanese gives the sound before it a light vowel: ヌ (nu); so in French, Caroline is カロリーヌ (Karorīnu).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type kyarorainn (nn gives ン), 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 キャロライン among the suggestions.
The Same Name in Other Languages
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
