Mary
メアリー
Mearī
Also written メアリ and メリー.
How It Is Said
- メme
- アa
- リri
- ーi
Mearī: four 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 | メアリー | Mearī | the usual form |
| メアリ | Meari | also in use | |
| メリー | Merī | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The Japanese r is a light tap of the tongue, like the quick t in an American "water": リ (ri).
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: リー (rī).
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is マリア in Japanese; older translations write the English name メリー, as in メリー・ポピンズ (Mary Poppins).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type meari- (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 メアリー 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
