Gustav
グスタフ
Gusutafu
Also written グスタヴ.
How It Is Said
- グgu
- スsu
- タta
- フfu
Gusutafu: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish | グスタフ | Gusutafu | the usual form |
| グスタヴ | Gusutavu | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- At the end of a Swedish name, v is said f: フ (fu).
King Gustav Vasa of Sweden is グスタフ・ヴァーサ in Japanese, and the composer Gustav Mahler グスタフ・マーラー.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type gusutafu, 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 グスタフ 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
