Donald in Japanese Katakana
Donald (common English boy's name) is written ドナルド — read donarudo.
ドナルド
| Katakana | ドナルド |
|---|---|
| Reading (romaji) | donarudo |
| Hiragana | どなるど |
| Half-width katakana | ﾄﾞﾅﾙﾄﾞ |
Character by character
| Katakana | Hiragana | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ド | ど | do |
| ナ | な | na |
| ル | る | ru |
| ド | ど | do |
Tips for writing Donald in katakana
- Japanese has a single sound for English L and R, so both are written with the ラ-row (ra, ri, ru, re, ro).
- Japanese syllables end in a vowel (except ン), so the final consonant of Donald becomes ド (do). Say it lightly.
- 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.
Donald on Japanese forms
Example full name: Donald Smith → ドナルド・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).
Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス ドナルド. 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 どなるど); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ﾄﾞﾅﾙﾄﾞ).
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 Donald in Japanese?
Donald is usually written ドナルド (donarudo) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. In hiragana it is どなるど.
Is there a kanji for Donald?
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.