Eve
イヴ
Ivu
Also written イブ.
How It Is Said
- イi
- ヴvu
Ivu: two 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 | イヴ | Ivu | the usual form |
| イブ | Ibu | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- Japanese has no v. It is written ヴ (vu) and its row, ヴァ ヴィ ヴェ ヴォ, or more simply with the b row, バ ビ ブ ベ ボ: you will see both, イヴ and イブ.
Eve is エバ in the Japanese Bible of 1987 and イブ in everyday Japanese: Christmas Eve is クリスマス・イブ.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type ivu, 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 イヴ 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
