Lisa
リサ
Risa
How It Is Said
- リri
- サsa
Risa: two 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 | リサ | Risa | |
| German | リーザ | Rīza | the usual form |
| リザ | Riza | 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: リ (ri).
- In German, Lisa is written リーザ (Rīza), closer to how it is said there.
Risa is a Japanese given name (理沙 and others), and to Japanese ears it is the same as Lisa: リサ.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type risa, 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 リサ 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
