Raven in Japanese

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

Our top pick is 礼生勉 (Reiben). 礼 means “courtesy”, 生 means “life” and 勉 means “effort”. Other good options are 麗勉 (Reiben) and 怜勉 (Reiben).

Not as a traditional name. Japanese people write foreign names in katakana, so 礼生勉 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.

礼生勉 has 20 strokes in total (礼: 5, 生: 5, 勉: 10). It takes some practice to write neatly, so look up the stroke order before trying it with a brush.

Each character in 礼生勉 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 “Raven”. If you want your name to be recognized, katakana (レイベン) is clearer. Either way, ask a native speaker to check the final design.