Sylvie
シルヴィ
Shiruvi
Also written シルヴィー and シルビー.
How It Is Said
- シshi
- ルru
- ヴィvi
Shiruvi: 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 | シルヴィ | Shiruvi | the usual form |
| シルヴィー | Shiruvī | also in use | |
| シルビー | Shirubī | also in use |
What Happens to the Sounds
- Japanese has no v. It is written ヴ (vu) and its row, ヴァ ヴィ ヴェ ヴォ, or more simply with the b row, バ ビ ブ ベ ボ: you will see both, シルヴィ and シルビー.
- 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: ル (ru).
- A small kana joins the one before it into one beat: ヴィ (vi).
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type shiruvi, 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 シルヴィ 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
