How it works

Every name on this site is processed through three different conversion methods. Here's how each one works and where its results come from.

1. Katakana (phonetic)

Katakana conversion is rule-based. We map English letter combinations to their closest Japanese phonetic equivalents using a system close to Hepburn romanization. For names that fit common English patterns, it produces results that match what a Japanese person would naturally write.

Edge cases (very long consonant clusters, unusual spellings) sometimes produce slightly off results. If yours looks wrong, email me and I'll fix the rule.

2. Meaning-based kanji

For names with documented etymologies (Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Sanskrit, etc.), we identify the historical meaning and propose kanji combinations that capture that meaning. "Michael" comes from Hebrew meaning "Who is like God" — so we propose kanji like 神彦 (divine + prince) or 聖人 (saint + person).

The results are generated using Claude (Anthropic's AI) with a prompt that requires standard CJK Unified Ideographs and rejects taboo combinations.

3. Ateji (当て字)

Ateji is the practice of choosing kanji for their sound rather than their meaning, while still picking characters whose meanings create a coherent or playful image. Anime authors, hip-hop artists, and Edo-era scholars all used it.

Our ateji method takes the katakana version of your name and finds kanji that sound right while telling a small story. Some are cool, some are cute, some are weird in a fun way.

Caching

Common names (top 5,000 globally + popular anime characters) are pre-generated and instant. Less common names will be added over time — if your name isn't in the cache, drop me a note and I'll add it.