日本語

Shaw in Japanese Katakana

Shaw (common English surname) is written ショー — read shō.

ショー

Katakanaショー
Reading (romaji)shō
Hiraganaしょー
Half-width katakanaショー

Character by character

KatakanaHiraganaSound
ショしょsho
ーーlong vowel mark

Tips for writing Shaw in katakana

Shaw on Japanese forms

Example full name: John Shaw → ジョン・ショー (Western order, names separated by ・).

Most Japanese forms put the family name first: ショー ジョン. In a フリガナ (furigana) field write it in katakana; if the field says ふりがな use hiragana (しょー じょん); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ショー ジョン).

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 Shaw in Japanese?

Shaw is usually written ショー (shō) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. In hiragana it is しょー.

Is there a kanji for Shaw?

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

Convert any name to katakana

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.