Takase Studios - Names in Japanese

Here we demonstrate how you can create your own unique Japanese Kanji designs using designs sold at StockKanji.com. These ideas work whether you are looking at a craft project, making a gift card or even a personalized tattoo design. You can easily create your own unique and personal design and we show you how with step by step instructions.

First off, the designs for sale on StockKanji are really amazing!

For personal use, the designs are high-resolutions images in Adobe PDF Format which means they will print exactly as brushed by Master Takase. And by high resolution we mean publication quality showing all of the intricate details. The images are so good you can print the artwork on nice paper and frame it!

The personal use Adobe PDF Format designs may not be edited but they can easily be resized. See for yourself at Resizing StockKanji Designs which takes you step by step resizing the actual design "Live In The Moment" (shown on the right). We also provide the design so you can follow along with the instructions.

For the first example we will show how to create a design with a name in Japanese along with its meaning in kanji. A name has two parts - the sound is how the name is pronounced. Properly this is translated to Japanese phonetically to katakana. A name also often has a meaning which is the word the name originally came from. Meanings are properly translated to Japanese using kanji. Here we show you how to create designs that contain both the pronunciation and meaning of the name.

The standard way to translate a non-Japanese name to Japanese is to use a Phonetic Translation to Katakana. This is how names are translated to Japanese in dictionaries, newspapers, encyclopedias, and for all formal purposes. To be absolutely correct, use a phonetic translation to katakana.

Katakana is purely a phonetic translation so the characters have no meaning at all. Also note that it is common for Japanese to be written vertically (starting on the right column and moving left) and horizontally (starting from the left and moving right - as in English). Both are perfectly correct.

Names also can have meanings which translate nicely into kanji. For example, the name Faith (fayth) means Faith (shinkou) which is written in kanji as

which is read shinkou. Combining the phonetic translation to katakana along with the meaning of the name to kanji translates both aspects of the name - the pronunciation AND the meaning! And they make beautiful designs. StockKanji already has several such designs and we have researched the meanings for you. Here are just a few examples for the name Faith:

While we really like the designs on StockKanji, we also understand everyone is different. Or as we say in Japanese Ten People, Ten Colors (juunintoiro). So we make it easy for you to create your own design.

To do this first you would need to order either the name in katakana either in a horizontal or vertical orientation. Each name comes in three different fonts so you have three different samples to work with when creating your design. Here are samples for the name Faith in katakana:

Second we provide you with the meaning of the name in kanji. Notice that the name in katakana or the meaning in kanji makes a great design by itself! Here are just four examples for the word Faith in kanji:

Examples of Names in Japanese Writing These are sample designs we created by simply printing out the name and kanji designs - with no resizing they look great. And this is something you can easily do by cutting and pasting the designs you print out. Or you can resize the designs for even more possibilities! Phonetic translation to katakana and literal translation to kanji
Amy (ay-mEE) meaning Beloved (saiai)	Faith (fayth) meaning Faith (shinkou)	Jackie (JAK-ee) meaning God's Grace (shinkei)	Joy (JOI) meaning Joy (yorokobi)

Just In Case You Are Curious: There are four ways to translate a name to Japanese. These are described briefly below though for more detailed information read Eri Takase's article How to Write Names in Japanese which first appeared in her monthly column in Martial Arts Insiders Magazine.

There are two ways to translate names into Japanese kanji. The method we suggest is a translation of the meaning of the name to kanji. Many names have meanings, for example, names like Joy and Faith. And these can be translated to Japanese.

A Phonetic Translation to Kanji is completely non-standard. This is the translation method you most commonly see. However you will not find any agreement in name translations to kanji - There are also no rules so two different people will translate the same name completely differently. Because it is non-standard, people seeing a name translated to kanji will most likely not know it is a name! Also kanji have several different readings which means someone seeing the name will most likely not know how to pronounce it. This makes a phonetic translation to kanji very problematic. The upside is that it is in kanji which brings meaning to the characters and the full range of fonts. And, kanji is cool!

We have a list of over nine thousand names translated to Japanese. To find your name in Japanese simply select the first letter:

This will bring up with a list of all the names we have starting with that letter. Each entry in the list shows your name, the romaji (how the Japanese is read), the katakana, and in many cases the literal translation to kanji along with its pronunciation and meaning.

Once you find your name, all you need to do is click on the name to order it in katakana. We offer both horizontal and vertical designs - and because Japanese is commonly written both ways either can be used and the meaning is exactly the same.

Each name in Japanese design is US$8.95 and was hand-brushed by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase and professionally scanned and documented. You receive three versions of your name so you have a choice in which to use. Here is an example of the name Abbey in Japanese in both horizontal and vertical layouts:

Each design includes the line art that your tattoo artist will need to ink the design. Simply print the designs and you can work with your tattoo artist to get just the right layout and look for you.

If you would like the kanji meaning also, just click on the meaning and this will take you to the order page where you can select the font that you would like to use. Most designs come in a variety of fonts include Block, Semi-Cursive and Cursive as well as original Designs. You will notice that the Japanese Kanji Tattoo designs can look quite different but the meanings are all the same. The only font that is difficult for most people to read is the cursive font, all other fonts can usually be easily read. Here are some examples so you can see the difference:

Simply click on your name and you will be taken to an order page where you can order you name in katakana.

With your order we provide you with everything you need for an authentic and completely accurate Japanese tattoo. This includes the line art so that your tattoo artist can properly ink the design - even if they don't know Japanese! Simply print the design and take it to your local tattoo shop. You can work with your tattoo artist on a layout that is just right for you - and you get a completely unique design!

Tattoo Designs are high-resolution images delivered in an Adobe PDF File. While the Adobe PDF designs cannot be edited, you can easily Resize the Design when you print.

And not just name translations, with other words and phrases in the catalog, the possibilities are endless! Here are just a few examples of what you can do:

Japanese Kanji Design Ideas
These are just a few of the designs you can make for yourself by combining names with words from StockKanji.com's library of over 35000 individual designs.

Love (ai) Japanese Kanji Tattoo with Jack and Erin

In Memory of Marvin - Japanese Kanji Tattoo

Love (ai)
Jack (jaK, jakku) and Erin (er-in, erin)

This is a sample design with Love in the middle, Erin in the lower left and Jack in the upper right. This is a beautiful design that you can easily make yourself.

In Memory Of (tsuioku)
Marvin (mahr-vin, ma-vin)

This design is an excellent example of a memorial tattoo - both simple and respectful. And it is in Japanese so you can either explain the meaning or keep the meaning to yourself as you choose.

I Love You (aishiteru)
George (jorj, jo-ji) and Mary (MER-ee)

Here "I Love You" can be written with your partners name or both your names - and the names are written in the same font so they will match.

Our Catalog of Japanese Kanji Tattoos offers thousands of names, words, and phrases in Japanese. You can combine names with special words such as Love (ai) or In Memory Of (tsuioku) and create a unique design that is especially meaningful to you. All of the names in our catalog use the exact same font so they will look perfect together in the same design - so feel free to add multiple names to your design - they will all match perfectly.

And here is an actual design and how the tattoo looks - isn't it great!

Love
ai

Love (ai)

In this beautiful design Love is the symbol connecting two souls.

In the example on the left the names are written in katakana which is the standard way non-Japanese names are written in Japanese.

Love (ai) Japanese Kanji Tattoo with Steve and Carrie

Thank you Steve and Carrie for permission to use this wonderful image

These designs you can easily and affordably do yourself. And just in case we do offer completely custom designs at Personal Tattoo. Or if you would like a design with love and two names as above we offer Personal Tattoo: Love. With these options you would be working directly with Eri Takase to create a unique design that is just for you.

Learn Japanese Calligraphy Lessons 1 - 6 by Eri Takase

Learn Japanese Calligraphy by Eri Takase is a unique Japanese Calligraphy course on CD-ROM. With these CD's you can learn Japanese Calligraphy by actually seeing the characters being brushed by Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase. Japanese Calligraphy is all about movement and you simply cannot learn the proper movement from a book. These CD lessons actually shows videos of Master Takase brushing the characters - and you can learn proper technique by seeing it over and over again. We also show videos of common student errors and how to correct them. Along with the videos are samples with stroke order that can be printed as well as detailed step by step instructions. Learn Japanese Calligraphy is a great learning tool by itself or to complement your current studies.

The first CD includes topics on tool selection, posture, how to hold the brush as well as the basic strokes of the block font. Each lesson covers the stroke order with examples that can be printed. Combined with our Japanese Calligraphy Sets you will have all you need to begin your study of Japanese Calligraphy.

Or order directly from us and save at Shodokai - Learn Japanese Calligraphy with the first CD at $15.95 - you save over six dollars!

Japanese Kanji & Kana Revised Edition: A Guide to the Japanese Writing System (Tuttle Language Library) by Wolfgang Hadamitzky and Mark Spahn

This is an excellent reference and is perfect for learning the stroke order of kana and kanji.

This book shows all modern kanji along with the stroke order and direction. This is the perfect companion for the serious student.

The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary by John H. Haig, Andrew N. Nelson

For more advanced needs this is the best English Language Japanese-English kanji dictionary you can buy.

カタカナから引く外国人名綴り方字典 (Guide to Spellings of Foreigner's Names in Kana Orders) - Find the original non-Japanese name given the Japanese translation.

United States Census - 1990 - The top 2400 male and female names from this US government publication are covered in our list.

BabyNamer - Produced by Oxygen Media this is a good source for the meaning of names.

The Etymology of First Names - This site is our second choice when researching the meaning and pronunciations of given names.

StockKanji - Names in Japanese Calligraphy Over 9000 names translated to Japanese. This is a searchable site giving much more information about each name than we show here. Many names also have original, hand-lettered designs for personal use like a tattoo and for professional use such as for wedding invitations or as part of a logo design.

Jeffrey's Japanese<->English Dictionary Server - An on-line dictionary that does not require Japanese fonts. This dictionary is terse so it is easy to misinterpret. Its value for name translations is limited as it does not give the pronunciation.

Goo Jiten - A good on-line English/Japanese dictionary. Japanese fonts are required.

Japanese Kanji Tattoo Design Ideas Your Name in Japanese Kanji

Japanese Kanji Tattoo Design Ideas
Your Name in Japanese Kanji