Katakana in Real Life
Katakana 2
Chapter 11 · Katakana in Real Life
🌸 Katakana in Real Life — Signs, Menus, Brands and Your Name
You now know all of katakana. This chapter uses it on the things you will actually see: signs, menus, brand names and place names, and shows you how to write your own name. Romaji is shown for everything.
🪧 Signs and Shop Words — 看板
You can now read every character in katakana. This chapter is for putting it to work: signs, menus, brands and place names. Read each one aloud first.
| # | Word | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | エレベーター | erebētā | elevator; lift | e-re-be-e-ta-a |
| 2 | エスカレーター | esukarētā | escalator | e-su-ka-re-e-ta-a |
| 3 | トイレ | toire | toilet | to-i-re |
| 4 | レジ | reji | cash register; checkout | re-ji: you pay here |
| 5 | セール | sēru | sale | se-e-ru |
| 6 | サービス | sābisu | service; free extra | sa-a-bi-su |
| 7 | コンビニ | konbini | convenience store | ko-n-bi-ni: shortened from convenience store |
| 8 | パーキング | pākingu | parking | pa-a-ki-n-gu |
🍽️ A Café and Restaurant Menu — メニュー
| # | Item | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | コーヒー | kōhī | coffee | from Katakana 1 |
| 2 | ティー | tī | tea | ティ + ー |
| 3 | ジュース | jūsu | juice; soft drink | |
| 4 | ビール | bīru | beer | |
| 5 | サンドイッチ | sandoicchi | sandwich | sa-n-do-i-c-chi: ッ doubles the ch |
| 6 | ハンバーガー | hanbāgā | hamburger | ha-n-ba-a-ga-a |
| 7 | パスタ | pasuta | pasta | pa-su-ta |
| 8 | サラダ | sarada | salad | sa-ra-da |
| 9 | ステーキ | sutēki | steak | su-te-e-ki |
| 10 | ケーキ | kēki | cake | from Katakana 1 |
🏷️ Brands You Will See
Many shop and company names are written in katakana, even the Japanese ones. Recognising them makes a street map much easier to read.
| # | Brand | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | セブンイレブン | Sebun-Irebun | 7-Eleven | a convenience store chain |
| 2 | ローソン | Rōson | Lawson | a convenience store chain |
| 3 | ファミリーマート | Famirī Māto | FamilyMart | a convenience store chain |
| 4 | スターバックス | Sutābakkusu | Starbucks | a coffee chain |
| 5 | マクドナルド | Makudonarudo | McDonald's | often shortened to マック |
| 6 | ユニクロ | Yunikuro | Uniqlo | a Japanese clothes brand, written in katakana |
| 7 | トヨタ | Toyota | Toyota | a Japanese car maker |
| 8 | ホンダ | Honda | Honda | a Japanese car maker |
| 9 | ソニー | Sonī | Sony | a Japanese electronics company |
| 10 | ニンテンドー | Nintendō | Nintendo | a Japanese games company |
🌍 Places — Including Yours
Countries and cities outside East Asia are written in katakana. These ten include places that matter to the author of this course: Edinburgh and Hungary.
| # | Place | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | エジンバラ | Ejinbara | Edinburgh | e-ji-n-ba-ra |
| 2 | スコットランド | Sukottorando | Scotland | su-ko-t-to-ra-n-do |
| 3 | イギリス | Igirisu | the United Kingdom | i-gi-ri-su: from Portuguese Inglez, not English |
| 4 | ロンドン | Rondon | London | ro-n-do-n |
| 5 | ハンガリー | Hangarī | Hungary | ha-n-ga-ri-i |
| 6 | ブダペスト | Budapesuto | Budapest | bu-da-pe-su-to |
| 7 | ドイツ | Doitsu | Germany | do-i-tsu: from the German Deutsch |
| 8 | フランス | Furansu | France | fu-ra-n-su |
| 9 | スペイン | Supein | Spain | su-pe-i-n |
| 10 | カナダ | Kanada | Canada | ka-na-da |
✍️ Writing Your Own Name
Names are written by sound, not by spelling. Here is the recipe, using Philip as the example.
| Step | What to do | Philip → |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Say the name out loud, slowly | Phi-lip |
| 2 | Split it into Japanese beats | fi · ri · p · pu |
| 3 | Add a vowel after any lonely consonant (usually u, or o after t/d) | ri-p → ri-p-pu |
| 4 | Choose katakana, using ッ for doubled sounds and ー for long vowels | フィ · リ · ッ · プ = フィリップ |
So Philip is フィリップ (Firippu). The Hungarian surname Osztromok is pronounced ostromok (the Hungarian sz is an "s"), so it becomes オストロモク. Together, with the dot ・ (nakaguro) between first and last name, Philip Osztromok is フィリップ・オストロモク.
| English name | Katakana | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| John | ジョン | Jon |
| Mike | マイク | Maiku |
| Tom | トム | Tomu |
| David | デイビッド | Deibiddo |
| Emma | エマ | Ema |
| Anna | アンナ | Anna |
| Mary | メアリー | Meari |
| Steve | スティーブ | Sutību |
✍️ Try It Yourself — れんしゅう
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Read aloud and translate: エレベーター · レジ · コンビニ
Show answer
erebētā (elevator) · reji (checkout) · konbini (convenience store)
2. Read aloud and translate: ハンバーガー · サンドイッチ · ステーキ
Show answer
hanbāgā (hamburger) · sandoicchi (sandwich) · sutēki (steak)
3. Read aloud: スターバックス · マクドナルド · ユニクロ
Show answer
Sutābakkusu (Starbucks) · Makudonarudo (McDonald's) · Yunikuro (Uniqlo)
4. Read aloud and translate: エジンバラ · ハンガリー · ブダペスト
Show answer
Ejinbara (Edinburgh) · Hangarī (Hungary) · Budapesuto (Budapest)
5. What does the dot ・ do in フィリップ・オストロモク?
Show answer
It separates the first name and the family name.
6. Write your own first name in katakana, following the four steps in this chapter.
Show answer
Compare it with a friend's version: small differences are normal, since there is no official standard.