Dave in Japanese Katakana
Dave (common English boy's name) is written デイブ — read deibu.
デイブ
| Katakana | デイブ |
|---|---|
| Reading (romaji) | deibu |
| Hiragana | でいぶ |
| Half-width katakana | ﾃﾞｲﾌﾞ |
| Other spellings | デイヴ (V written with ヴ instead of the バ-row) デーブ (long vowel written with イ or ー) |
Character by character
| Katakana | Hiragana | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| デ | で | de |
| イ | い | i |
| ブ | ぶ | bu |
Tips for writing Dave in katakana
- The V sound can be written with ヴ or with the バ-row (ba, bi, bu, be, bo). Both are accepted by the 1991 rules; the バ-row is more common in everyday writing.
- Katakana is written left to right like English, or top to bottom in vertical text. Keep every character the same size except the small ones.
Dave on Japanese forms
Example full name: Dave Smith → デイブ・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).
Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス デイブ. In a フリガナ (furigana) field write it in katakana; if the field says ふりがな use hiragana (すみす でいぶ); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ﾃﾞｲﾌﾞ).
Japan has no official katakana spelling for foreign names. Once you use a spelling for a bank account, phone contract or employer, keep using the same one so your records match.
FAQ
How do you write Dave in Japanese?
Dave is usually written デイブ (deibu) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. You may also see デイヴ, デーブ. In hiragana it is でいぶ.
Is there a kanji for Dave?
No. Foreign names have no official kanji; they are written in katakana. Kanji versions offered online (ateji) are chosen only for sound and look, and their "meanings" are made up, so this site does not provide them.
Similar names
How spellings are chosen: the first spelling is the one most commonly used for this name in Japanese books, media and everyday writing, checked against the Japanese government's rules for writing foreign words (Cabinet Notice No. 2 of 1991, 外来語の表記). The list was compiled by this site; it is not an official register. Pronunciation matters more than spelling — if your name is pronounced differently, the katakana can differ too.