Ernest in Japanese Katakana

Tips for writing Ernest in katakana

• ー is the long-vowel mark: it stretches the sound before it. In vertical writing it turns into a vertical line.
• Japanese syllables end in a vowel (except ン), so the final consonant of Ernest becomes ト (to). 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.

Ernest on Japanese forms

Example full name: Ernest Smith → アーネスト・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).

Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス アーネスト. 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 あーねすと); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ｱｰﾈｽﾄ).

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 Ernest in Japanese?

Ernest is usually written アーネスト (ānesuto) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. In hiragana it is あーねすと.

Is there a kanji for Ernest?

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.