Zoe
ゾーイ
Zōi
Also written ゾーイー.
How It Is Said
- ゾzo
- ーo
- イi
Zōi: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English (Zoë) | ゾーイ | Zōi | the usual form |
| ゾーイー | Zōī | also in use | |
| French (Zoé) | ゾエ | Zoe |
What Happens to the Sounds
- The bar ー makes the vowel before it long, one beat more: ゾー (zō).
- In French, Zoé is written ゾエ (Zoe), closer to how it is said there.
To Type It
On a computer with Japanese input switched on, type zo-i (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 ゾーイ 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
