Louis in Japanese Katakana

Tips for writing Louis 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 Louis becomes ス (su). 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.

Louis on Japanese forms

Example full name: Louis Smith → ルイス・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).

Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス ルイス. 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 るいす); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ﾙｲｽ).

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 Louis in Japanese?

Louis is usually written ルイス (ruisu) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. You may also see ルイ. In hiragana it is るいす.

Is there a kanji for Louis?

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.