Russian names in Japanese: table of 40 names in katakana
Russian names in Japanese are written in katakana — the alphabet for everything foreign: Anna → アンナ, Dmitry → ドミートリー, Sergey → セルゲイ. Names are not written in kanji: each character would bring its own meaning. Japanese has no sounds 'l', 'v', 'y', so they are replaced with the closest ones: 'l' → 'r', 'y' → 'i'.
Japanese reassembles a foreign name from its own syllables, and the result can be unexpected: Vladimir becomes 'Urajīmiru'. This is not distortion out of carelessness — the language simply has no separate consonants without a vowel, except 'n'.
Female names in katakana
| Name | Katakana | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Anna | アンナ | Anna |
| Anastasia | アナスタシア | Anasutashia |
| Nastya | ナースチャ | Nāsutya |
| Maria | マリーヤ | Marīya |
| Ekaterina | エカテリーナ | Ekaterīna |
| Olga | オリガ | Origa |
| Elena | エレーナ | Erēna |
| Yulia | ユリヤ | Yuriya |
| Irina | イリーナ | Irīna |
| Svetlana | スヴェトラーナ | Suvetorāna |
| Daria | ダーリヤ | Dāriya |
| Polina | ポリーナ | Porīna |
| Arina | アリーナ | Arīna |
| Ulyana | ウリヤーナ | Uriyāna |
| Kira | キラ | Kira |
Male names in katakana
| Name | Katakana | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander | アレクサンドル | Arekusandoru |
| Sasha | サーシャ | Sāsha |
| Dmitry | ドミートリー | Domītorī |
| Dima | ジーマ | Jīma |
| Sergey | セルゲイ | Serugei |
| Ivan | イワン | Ivan |
| Maxim | マクシム | Makushimu |
| Vladimir | ウラジーミル | Urajīmiru |
| Nikita | ニキータ | Nikīta |
| Artyom | アルチョム | Aruchomu |
| Mikhail | ミハイル | Mihairu |
| Andrey | アンドレイ | Andorei |
| Pavel | パーヴェル | Pāveru |
| Egor | エゴール | Egōru |
| Kirill | キリル | Kiriru |
Rules by which names are transformed
- 'L' becomes 'r': Lena → レナ (Rena), Kirill → キリル (Kiriru).
- 'V' is conveyed through ヴ or the ワ-row: Vladimir → ウラジーミル, Pavel → パーヴェル.
- 'Y' turns into 'i', since there is no separate sound.
- A consonant without a vowel gets 'u' or 'o': Maxim → マクシム (Makushimu).
- Long vowels are indicated by a line ー: Dima → ジーマ (Jīma).
Why names are not written in kanji
The kanji spelling of a name is selected 'by sound', and each character brings its own meaning. From the same name you can get both 'light-hope' and 'bad grass' — simply because the characters are read the same way. Therefore, officially foreign names in Japan are written in katakana: in documents, on badges, on tickets.
What does my name mean in Japanese
Strictly speaking, nothing: katakana only conveys the sound. Meaning appears if you specifically select kanji, but that is a game, not a translation. A Japanese person seeing アンナ will simply hear 'Anna' — just as we hear 'Yuki' without analyzing what it consists of.
FAQ
- How to write a Russian name in Japanese?
- In katakana, breaking the name into Japanese syllables: Anna → アンナ, Sergey → セルゲイ, Maxim → マクシム. Foreigners' names are not written in kanji.
- Why katakana specifically?
- It is the alphabet for everything foreign: names, brands, loanwords. It conveys the sound and does not add extra meanings, unlike kanji.
- What to do with the sounds 'l' and 'v'?
- 'L' is replaced with 'r' (Lena → レナ), 'v' is conveyed through ヴ or the ワ-row (Vladimir → ウラジーミル). There are no separate 'l' and 'v' sounds in Japanese.
- What does my name mean in Japanese?
- Nothing: katakana only conveys the sound. Meaning appears only if you specifically select kanji by sound, but that is a game, not a translation of the name.
Updated: 2026-07-25