Maja
マヤ
Maya
Also written マイヤ.
How It Is Said
- マma
- ヤya
Maya: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish | マヤ | Maya | the usual form |
| マイヤ | Maiya | also in use | |
| Danish | マヤ | Maya |
What Happens to the Sounds
- In Swedish, j is said like the y of yes, so it is written ヤ (ya).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type maya, 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 マヤ 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
