Olof
オーロフ
Ōrofu
Also written オロフ.
How It Is Said
- オo
- ーo
- ロro
- フfu
Ōrofu: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish | オーロフ | Ōrofu | the usual form |
| オロフ | Orofu | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- 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: ロ (ro).
- Japanese syllables end in a vowel or in ン, so the final f takes a light vowel: フ (fu).
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: オー (ō).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type o-rofu (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 オーロフ 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
