How to write Otto in katakana
Japanese writes foreign names in katakana, one of its two alphabets, by sound rather than by spelling. Otto becomes オットー, made of these parts:
| Katakana | Sound | Note |
|---|---|---|
| オ | o | |
| ッ | – | small tsu: a short pause that doubles the next sound |
| ト | to | |
| ー | – | long vowel mark: hold the sound before it a little longer |
When you write a full name, Japanese puts a middle dot between the first and last name, for example オットー・スミス for Otto Smith.