digital file
high resolution
Names will be provided as PDF files.
Whenever possible in multiple fonts, including instructions on how to write it.
Available as:
calligraphy
handwritten
For both katakana and kanji names it is possible to have these personally written on authentic rice paper. Wonderful as a wall decoration or a gift for a special occassion. Customizable style.
Reviews:
Geweldig hoe je de afgelopen weken geholpen hebt met het uitwerken van mijn idee voor mijn tattoo! (...) Een tip voor iedereen die deze site bezoekt en aan een Japans teken als tattoo denkt, steven vertaalt niet alleen maar denkt ook mee.
[B]edankt voor de schitterende en persoonlijke vertaling van de voornaam van m'n vriendin. Dit zal altijd in mijn hart staan dankzij jou. Klasse, dankjewel!
Door mijn sport altijd grote interesse gehad in Japan. Nu mijn naam in het Japans, MET een mooie betekenis, helemaal te gek. Ben er blij mee, bedankt.
[I]k wil je hartelijk bedanken voor de vertaling, ik vind het erg mooi en heel persoonlijk, het was het wachten dubbel en dwars waard.
Het kado met de japanse kalligrafie en tekens van de samoerai is erg goed bevallen! Bedankt daarvoor.
Your name in Japanese characters
Classics like "strength", "courage" and "love" can be found almost anywhere online. That is, if you trust those. Always a good idea to check with someone who knows, before committing to a purchase or inking. But what if you're looking for something original and personal? Like your *own* Japanese name.
In that case, you've come to the right place! We can turn your name into kanji (Sino-Japanese characters). By combining the right kanji, we will create a name that not only matches your name's pronunciation,* but also reflects your interests, hobbies, jobs, or personality.**
For example
"Steven" -using the Dutch pronunciation of my name- would be "su tay ben".
One could [among other options] write that using the following three kanji:
- 守 su - ("protect")
- 禎 tee - ("blessing" or "auspicious sign")
- 冕 ben - ("crown")
Interested in Japanese language and culture?
Need help picking the right characters for a tattoo?
Want to create something unique for yourself or a loved one?
Don't take unnecessary risks
Plenty of sites on the web offer instant "translations" of one's name, as well as any random word or phrase in Japanese (or Chinese) characters. However, those are rarely more than basic dictionaries that lack any and all context - which is an incredibly important aspect of this language. It is therefore unfortunately fairly easy to completely miss the mark. Take for example the word "free", conjuring up images of living life your way, only to later find out you've got yourself permanently marked with a hefty discount: "free" as in... "gratis".
.jpg)
What a bargain!
(rather not, right?)
Name in katakana
Practical and simple
Your name as it would *actually* be used in Japan. Suitable for use on official forms and documents.
Tight, legible characters, that are thankfully quite easy to learn how to write yourself.
(€ 5, excl. btw)
Name in kanji
Beautiful and personal
Same pronunciation* as your own name, written with more meaningful characters. Only for personal use.
Meaning of the characters might be linked to personal things such as starsigns, hometown, etc. **
(starting at € 10, excl. btw)
Other
Just what you're looking for
The name of your organization, a few special words, a proverb or something entirely different?
Send us a message and we will see what we can do.
(price depending on project)
Why pay money for this?
Personal attention takes time. We 'handcraft' each name, checking multiple kanji-specific dictionaries and etymologies, to provide you with a name that is tailored to your person (as best we can), while maintaining the closest possible match in pronunciation.
Besides, there is no one way way to write your name in kanji: there are often hundreds. You'd have to check them one by one to see what would result in the greatest combination of characters and meanings, which is a task that often takes hours.
[*] The Japanese writing system only has symbols for what we think of (or what sounds to us like) combinations of consonants and vowels. For example: カ ka, キ ki, ク ku, ケ ke, コ ko. Although some combinations can be made to create contractions, the Japanese language as a whole has relatively few different sounds. For example, except for the "n" there are no characters for separate consonants, turning a place name like Amsterdam into アムステルダム : A-mu-su-te-ru-da-mu. (further reading: Japanese writing systems [Dutch])
[**] Depending on availability. The number of sounds that kanji can represent in Japanese is somewhat limited. Not every syllable may have the same number of options. A bit like how very few words start with an "X". (more information)