Lucia
ルチア
Ruchia
How It Is Said
- ルru
- チchi
- アa
Ruchia: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | ルチア | Ruchia | |
| Spanish (Lucía) | ルシア | Rushia | |
| Portuguese (Lúcia) | ルシア | Rushia |
What Happens to the Sounds
- In Italian, c before e or i is said ch: チ (chi).
- 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, z and c before e or i are said s in Latin America (th in much of Spain); Japanese writes them with the s row: シ (shi); so in Spanish, Lucía is ルシア (Rushia).
- In Portuguese, Lúcia is written ルシア (Rushia), closer to how it is said there.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type ruchia, 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 ルチア 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
