How to write Marlene in katakana
Japanese writes foreign names in katakana, one of its two alphabets, by sound rather than by spelling. Marlene becomes マーリーン, made of these parts:
| Katakana | Sound | Note |
|---|---|---|
| マ | ma | |
| ー | – | long vowel mark: hold the sound before it a little longer |
| リ | ri | |
| ー | – | long vowel mark: hold the sound before it a little longer |
| ン | n | n on its own |
You may also see Marlene written マレーネ (Marēne). Both are used; マーリーン is the more common spelling.
When you write a full name, Japanese puts a middle dot between the first and last name, for example マーリーン・スミス for Marlene Smith.