Napoleon in Japanese

Napoleon is written ナポーレオン in katakana. Katakana is the script Japanese people use for foreign names, so this is how Napoleon would appear on a Japanese ID card, a café cup or a name tag.

Our top pick is 南帆礼穏 (Nahoreon). 南 means “south”, 帆 means “sail”, 礼 means “courtesy” and 穏 means “gentle calm”. Other good options are 奈帆礼恩 (Nahoreon) and 南帆礼緒 (Nahoreo).

Not as a traditional name. Japanese people write foreign names in katakana, so 南帆礼穏 is a creative kanji spelling (called ateji), chosen for its sounds and meanings. Japanese readers will understand what each character means, and many will enjoy the idea behind it.

南帆礼穏 has 36 strokes in total (南: 9, 帆: 6, 礼: 5, 穏: 16). It takes some practice to write neatly, so look up the stroke order before trying it with a brush.

Each character in 南帆礼穏 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 “Napoleon”. If you want your name to be recognized, katakana (ナポーレオン) is clearer. Either way, ask a native speaker to check the final design.