Heinrich
ハインリヒ
Hainrihi
Also written ハインリッヒ.
How It Is Said
- ハha
- イi
- ンn
- リri
- ヒhi
Hainrihi: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| German | ハインリヒ | Hainrihi | the usual form |
| ハインリッヒ | Hainrihhi | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The German ch is a breath in the throat: written ヒ (hi) after e or i, and ハ, ホ or フ after a, o or u.
- German ei is said like the English word eye: two beats, アイ (ai).
- The Japanese r is a light tap of the tongue, like the quick t in an American "water": リ (ri).
- ン is a humming n, and it counts as a beat of its own.
The German kings and emperors named Heinrich are ハインリヒ in Japanese; the poet Heinrich Heine is ハインリヒ・ハイネ.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type hainnrihi (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 ハインリヒ 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
