Jonathan in Japanese Katakana
Jonathan (common English boy's name) is written ジョナサン — read jonasan.
ジョナサン
| Katakana | ジョナサン |
|---|---|
| Reading (romaji) | jonasan |
| Hiragana | じょなさん |
| Half-width katakana | ｼﾞｮﾅｻﾝ |
Character by character
| Katakana | Hiragana | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ジョ | じょ | jo |
| ナ | な | na |
| サ | さ | sa |
| ン | ん | n |
Tips for writing Jonathan 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.
Jonathan on Japanese forms
Example full name: Jonathan Smith → ジョナサン・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).
Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス ジョナサン. 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 じょなさん); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ｼﾞｮﾅｻﾝ).
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 Jonathan in Japanese?
Jonathan is usually written ジョナサン (jonasan) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. In hiragana it is じょなさん.
Is there a kanji for Jonathan?
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.