Ludwig
ルートヴィヒ
Rūtovihi
Also written ルートヴィッヒ and ルードヴィッヒ.
How It Is Said
- ルru
- ーu
- トto
- ヴィvi
- ヒhi
Rūtovihi: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| German | ルートヴィヒ | Rūtovihi | the usual form |
| ルートヴィッヒ | Rūtovihhi | also in use | |
| ルードヴィッヒ | Rūdovihhi | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- In German, w is said like an English v, so it is written ヴ (v): ルートヴィヒ.
- At the end of a German name, -ig is said like -ich, a breath: ヒ (hi).
- 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).
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: ルー (rū).
- A small kana joins the one before it into one beat: ヴィ (vi).
Ludwig van Beethoven is ルートヴィヒ・ヴァン・ベートーヴェン in Japanese.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type ru-tovihi (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 ルートヴィヒ 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
