Nicolas
ニコラ
Nikora
How It Is Said
- ニni
- コko
- ラra
Nikora: three 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | ニコラ | Nikora | |
| Spanish (Nicolás) | ニコラス | Nikorasu |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The final s is silent in French, so it is not written: ニコラ.
- 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: ラ (ra).
- In Spanish, Nicolás is written ニコラス (Nikorasu), closer to how it is said there.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type nikora, 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 ニコラ 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
