Luigi
ルイージ
Ruīji
How It Is Said
- ルru
- イi
- ーi
- ジji
Ruīji: four beats, each about the same length. Japanese has no strong stress, so the name is said evenly, beat by beat.
What Happens to the Sounds
- In Italian, g before e or i is said j: ジ (ji).
- The stressed vowel of an Italian name is often written long in katakana: イー (ī).
- 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).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type rui-ji (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 ルイージ 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
