Raffaele
ラッファエーレ
Raffaēre
Also written ラファエレ.
How It Is Said
- ラra
- ッf
- ファfa
- エe
- ーe
- レre
Raffaēre: six 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | ラッファエーレ | Raffaēre | the usual form |
| ラファエレ | Rafaere | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- Italian double consonants are held a moment longer; Japanese writes this with a small ッ: ッファ (ffa).
- The stressed vowel of an Italian name is often written long in katakana: エー (ē).
- Japanese has one sound where English has two, l and r: a light tap of the tongue, written ラ リ ル レ ロ. So the l and the r of Raffaele sound alike: ラ (ra), レ (re).
- A small kana joins the one before it into one beat: ファ (fa).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type raffae-re (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 ラッファエーレ 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
