Hans
ハンス
Hansu
How It Is Said
- ハha
- ンn
- スsu
Hansu: three 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 | ハンス | Hansu | |
| Danish | ハンス | Hansu |
What Happens to the Sounds
- Japanese syllables end in a vowel or in ン, so the final s takes a light vowel: ス (su).
Hans Christian Andersen is アンデルセン in Japan, and Hansel of Hansel and Gretel is ヘンゼル.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type hannsu (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 ハンス 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
