How to write Valerie in katakana
Japanese writes foreign names in katakana, one of its two alphabets, by sound rather than by spelling. Valerie becomes バレリー, made of these parts:
| Katakana | Sound | Note |
|---|---|---|
| バ | ba | |
| レ | re | |
| リ | ri | |
| ー | – | long vowel mark: hold the sound before it a little longer |
You may also see Valerie written ヴァレリー (Varerī). Both are used; バレリー is the more common spelling.
When you write a full name, Japanese puts a middle dot between the first and last name, for example バレリー・スミス for Valerie Smith.