Rafael in Japanese Katakana

Tips for writing Rafael in katakana

• Write the small ァ at about half size, in the lower left of the square (in horizontal writing). ファ is one sound, fa.
• Japanese has a single sound for English L and R, so both are written with the ラ-row (ra, ri, ru, re, ro).
• 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.

Rafael on Japanese forms

Example full name: Rafael Smith → ラファエル・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).

Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス ラファエル. 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 らふぁえる); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ﾗﾌｧｴﾙ).

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 Rafael in Japanese?

Rafael is usually written ラファエル (rafaeru) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. In hiragana it is らふぁえる.

Is there a kanji for Rafael?

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.