Kari
カーリ
Kāri
Also written カリ.
How It Is Said
- カka
- ーa
- リri
Kāri: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norwegian | カーリ | Kāri | the usual form |
| カリ | Kari | also in use | |
| Finnish | カリ | Kari |
What Happens to the Sounds
- 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: カー (kā).
- In Finnish, Kari is written カリ (Kari), closer to how it is said there.
In Norway, Kari is a woman's name; in Finland, a man's.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type ka-ri (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 カーリ 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
