Libby in Japanese

Libby is written リビー in katakana. Katakana is the script Japanese people use for foreign names, so this is how Libby would appear on a Japanese ID card, a café cup or a name tag.

Our top pick is 里陽 (Rihi). 里 means “hometown” and 陽 means “sunlight”. Other good options are 理陽 (Rihi) and 理日 (Rihi).

Partly. The characters 里陽 appear in Japanese names, but with the reading Satohi rather than Rihi. As a spelling of Libby, it is a creative kanji choice (ateji): Japanese readers will see the meaning of each character.

里陽 has 19 strokes in total (里: 7, 陽: 12). It takes some practice to write neatly, so look up the stroke order before trying it with a brush.

Each character in 里陽 has a positive meaning, so it is a reasonable choice. Keep in mind that Japanese people will read it as the meaning of the characters, not instantly as “Libby”. If you want your name to be recognized, katakana (リビー) is clearer. Either way, ask a native speaker to check the final design.