John in Japanese Katakana

Tips for writing John in katakana

• Write the small ョ at about half size, in the lower left of the square (in horizontal writing). ジョ is one sound, jo.
• ソ (so) and ン (n) look alike. In ソ the long stroke falls from the top right; in ン it rises from the bottom left.
• 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.

John on Japanese forms

Example full name: John Smith → ジョン・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).

Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス ジョン. 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 じょん); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ｼﾞｮﾝ).

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 John in Japanese?

John is usually written ジョン (jon) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. In hiragana it is じょん.

Is there a kanji for John?

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.