Zoe in Japanese Katakana
Zoe (common English girl's name) is written ゾーイ — read zōi.
ゾーイ
| Katakana | ゾーイ |
|---|---|
| Reading (romaji) | zōi |
| Hiragana | ぞーい |
| Half-width katakana | ｿﾞｰｲ |
| Other spellings | ゾエ (another spelling seen in Japan) |
Character by character
| Katakana | Hiragana | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ゾ | ぞ | zo |
| ー | ー | long vowel mark |
| イ | い | i |
Tips for writing Zoe in katakana
- ー is the long-vowel mark: it stretches the sound before it. In vertical writing it turns into a vertical line.
- 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.
Zoe on Japanese forms
Example full name: Zoe Smith → ゾーイ・スミス (Western order, names separated by ・).
Most Japanese forms put the family name first: スミス ゾーイ. 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 ぞーい); some bank and card forms ask for half-width katakana (ｽﾐｽ ｿﾞｰｲ).
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 Zoe in Japanese?
Zoe is usually written ゾーイ (zōi) in katakana, the script Japanese uses for foreign names. You may also see ゾエ. In hiragana it is ぞーい.
Is there a kanji for Zoe?
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
Also written ゾーイ: Zoey
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.