Søren
セーレン
Sēren
Also written ソーレン.
How It Is Said
- セse
- ーe
- レre
- ンn
Sēren: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danish | セーレン | Sēren | the usual form |
| ソーレン | Sōren | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- Danish ø has no Japanese match; it is written with エ (e): セーレン.
- The Japanese r is a light tap of the tongue, like the quick t in an American "water": レ (re).
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: セー (sē).
- ン is a humming n, and it counts as a beat of its own.
Søren Kierkegaard is セーレン・キェルケゴール in Japanese.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type se-renn (the - key gives the bar ー and 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 セーレン 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
