Malcolm in Japanese Katakana

Tips for writing Malcolm 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 Malcolm becomes ム (mu). 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.

Malcolm on Japanese forms

Example full name: Malcolm Smith → マルコム・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).

Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス マルコム. 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 まるこむ); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ﾏﾙｺﾑ).

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 Malcolm in Japanese?

Malcolm is usually written マルコム (marukomu) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. In hiragana it is まるこむ.

Is there a kanji for Malcolm?

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.