Irene
アイリーン
Airīn
How It Is Said
- アa
- イi
- リri
- ーi
- ンn
Airīn: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | アイリーン | Airīn | |
| Spanish | イレーネ | Irēne |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The English long i, as in Irene, is two beats in Japanese: アイ (ai).
- The Japanese r is a light tap of the tongue, like the quick t in an American "water": リ (ri).
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: リー (rī).
- ン is a humming n, and it counts as a beat of its own.
- In Spanish, Irene is written イレーネ (Irēne), closer to how it is said there.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type airi-nn (the - key gives the bar ー and 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 アイリーン 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
