Type your name
Enter it in Latin letters exactly as it appears on your official ID.
Turn your name into the formats Japanese websites ask for — katakana, hiragana, full-width and half-width — in one click.
ENTER YOUR NAME
Latin letters work best. Use the same order shown on your passport or residence card.
Use for fields labelled カタカナ or フリガナ
Use for fields labelled ひらがな
Use when the form says 全角 (zenkaku)
Use when the form says 半角 (hankaku)
Enter it in Latin letters exactly as it appears on your official ID.
Match the Japanese label on the form to one of your four results.
Paste it into the form. You can edit the katakana if your spelling differs.
Keep this nearby the next time a Japanese website refuses your name.
Foreign names can have more than one correct katakana spelling. Treat our result as a helpful starting point, then match the spelling on your residence card, bank account, or other existing Japanese records whenever possible.
Many Japanese forms validate the character type, not just the spelling. A field may require full-width katakana, full-width Latin letters, or ordinary half-width Latin letters.
全角 (zenkaku) means full-width. Each character occupies the same visual width as a Japanese character, such as DAVID.
半角 (hankaku) means half-width. For Latin names, this usually means normal keyboard characters such as DAVID SMITH.
Foreign names are commonly represented in katakana. A フリガナ field often expects that phonetic katakana reading.
Japanese forms often validate the script and character width as well as the spelling. Match the field label first, then use the corresponding result.
Example: David Smith → デイビッド・スミス (full-width Katakana)
Usually, yes. Fields labelled カタカナ or フリガナ commonly expect a foreign name’s phonetic reading in full-width Katakana.
No. Use the spelling already recorded by your bank, employer, residence card, or other Japanese account whenever one exists.
Why won’t a Japanese website accept my name?How to enter a foreign name on Japanese forms
Free, focused utilities for the forms, dates and details that make life in Japan harder than it needs to be.