Nathan
ネイサン
Neisan
Also written ネーサン.
How It Is Said
- ネne
- イi
- サsa
- ンn
Neisan: 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 | ネイサン | Neisan | the usual form |
| ネーサン | Nēsan | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- Japanese has no th; it is written with the s row, サ シ ス セ ソ: サ (sa).
- The English a of Nathan is said ay: written エイ (ei) or エー (ē), so both ネイサン and ネーサン are in use.
- ン is a humming n, and it counts as a beat of its own.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type neisann (nn gives ン), 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 ネイサン 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
