Japanese has a separate writing system for writing foreign words. It’s called katakana and it’s mostly used for foreign loan words such as kōhī (coffee), pan (bread) and gorufu (golf).
It’s also used for foreign names. If your name isn’t originally written in kanji (the logographic characters used in Japan, China, and to a lesser extent Korea and Vietnam) you can write your name in katakana.
Due to phonetic differences between Japanese and other languages, one might have to alter the pronunciation of one’s name in order for it to be rendered in katakana. For example the closest approximation of my first name Victoria is ビクトリア (“bi-ku-to-ri-a”).
The photo above is a commission for a client who wanted his name in katakana. Thankfully his name fits katakana perfectly with no alterations!
If you are interested in having your name written in katakana, feel free to contact me about commissioning a calligraphy work, with no obligation to make a purchase.
Calligraphy by Vicky 