Erika
エーリカ
Ērika
Also written エリカ.
How It Is Said
- エe
- ーe
- リri
- カka
Ērika: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| German | エーリカ | Ērika | the usual form |
| エリカ | Erika | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The Japanese r is a light tap of the tongue, like the quick t in an American "water": リ (ri).
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: エー (ē).
Erika is also a Japanese given name, written in kanji in many ways; a German Erika is エーリカ or エリカ.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type e-rika (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 エーリカ 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
