Kennedy in Japanese Katakana
Kennedy (common English girl's name, surname) is written ケネディ — read kenedi.
ケネディ
| Katakana | ケネディ |
|---|---|
| Reading (romaji) | kenedi |
| Hiragana | けねでぃ |
| Half-width katakana | ケネディ |
Character by character
| Katakana | Hiragana | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ケ | け | ke |
| ネ | ね | ne |
| ディ | でぃ | di |
Tips for writing Kennedy in katakana
- Write the small ィ at about half size, in the lower left of the square (in horizontal writing). ディ is one sound, di.
- 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.
Kennedy on Japanese forms
Example full name: Kennedy Smith → ケネディ・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).
Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス ケネディ. 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 けねでぃ); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (スミス ケネディ).
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 Kennedy in Japanese?
Kennedy is usually written ケネディ (kenedi) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. In hiragana it is けねでぃ.
Is there a kanji for Kennedy?
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.