How to write Van in katakana
Japanese writes foreign names in katakana, one of its two alphabets, by sound rather than by spelling. Van becomes バン, made of these parts:
| Katakana | Sound | Note |
|---|---|---|
| バ | ba | |
| ン | n | n on its own |
You may also see Van written ヴァン (Van). Both are used; バン is the more common spelling.
When you write a full name, Japanese puts a middle dot between the first and last name, for example バン・スミス for Van Smith.