Sebastian
セバスチャン
Sebasuchan
Also written セバスティアン.
How It Is Said
- セse
- バba
- スsu
- チャcha
- ンn
Sebasuchan: five 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 | セバスチャン | Sebasuchan | the usual form |
| セバスティアン | Sebasutian | also in use | |
| German | ゼバスティアン | Zebasutian | the usual form |
| セバスティアン | Sebasutian | also in use | |
| セバスチャン | Sebasuchan | also in use | |
| Spanish (Sebastián) | セバスティアン | Sebasutian |
What Happens to the Sounds
- A small kana joins the one before it into one beat: チャ (cha).
- ン is a humming n, and it counts as a beat of its own.
- In German, an s before a vowel is voiced, like a z: ゼ (ze); so in German, Sebastian is ゼバスティアン (Zebasutian).
- In Spanish, Sebastián is written セバスティアン (Sebasutian), closer to how it is said there.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type sebasuchann (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 セバスチャン 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
