Isabel
イザベル
Izaberu
How It Is Said
- イi
- ザza
- ベbe
- ルru
Izaberu: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | イザベル | Izaberu | |
| Spanish | イサベル | Isaberu | the usual form |
| イザベル | Izaberu | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- Japanese has no l. It uses its one sound between l and r, a light tap of the tongue, written ラ リ ル レ ロ: ル (ru).
- In Spanish, Isabel is written イサベル (Isaberu), closer to how it is said there.
Queen Isabella I of Castile is イサベル1世 in Japanese, after the Spanish.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type izaberu, 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 イザベル 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
