Chinese name to hiragana

How do you write a Chinese name in Japanese hiragana?

The hiragana result shows a Japanese on-reading of the name’s kanji. It represents the same Japanese pronunciation as the katakana on-reading, written in a different script.

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Japanese reading and Mandarin pronunciation are different

For 張偉, the Japanese on-reading can be written チョウ イ in katakana or ちょう い in hiragana. Those two forms have the same pronunciation.

This is not a transcription of Mandarin Zhāng Wěi. If you want to preserve the Mandarin sound, use the Mandarin-based katakana チャン・ウェイ or pinyin instead.

Chinese name examples in katakana and hiragana

These examples use NameFerry’s current Japanese on-reading rules. A kanji may have more than one possible reading.

Chinese inputJapanese kanjiKatakana readingHiragana reading
张伟張偉チョウ イちょう い
刘洋劉洋リュウ ヨウりゅう よう
吴昊呉昊ゴ コウご こう
王小明王小明オウ ショウメイおう しょうめい

When should you use the hiragana result?

A field says ひらがな

Use hiragana when a Japanese form explicitly requests it. If the field says カタカナ or 全角カナ, use katakana instead.

You are learning the reading

Hiragana makes morae and long vowels easier for many learners to recognize.

You want the Mandarin sound

Choose the Mandarin-based katakana or pinyin and tell the other person which pronunciation you prefer.

You are entering official data

Follow your document and the receiving organization’s instructions for tickets, banks, contracts, and government forms.

Get the appropriate hiragana in three steps

  1. Enter the original Chinese name

    Simplified and traditional characters are both accepted.

  2. Check the Japanese on-reading

    Review the katakana candidate, then compare its equivalent hiragana.

  3. Copy the script the field requests

    Use hiragana only for a hiragana field; do not swap scripts when katakana is required.

Confirm a person’s established reading

Kanji can have multiple readings, and a person may already use an established pronunciation. The generated result is a candidate, not the only possible answer.

If there is a name reading you would like us to add, contact us so NameFerry can continue improving.

Compare more ways to write a Chinese name in Japanese

See your Chinese name in hiragana

One search compares Japanese kanji, katakana on-reading, hiragana, romaji, and Mandarin pronunciation.

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