Ida
イーダ
Īda
How It Is Said
- イi
- ーi
- ダda
Īda: 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 | イーダ | Īda | |
| Danish | イーダ | Īda | the usual form |
| イダ | Ida | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: イー (ī).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type i-da (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 イーダ 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
