# Ribio



## Scorpion5578

Hello I wanted to know how my name is writen in Japanese I can't find it anywhere my name is Livio I used Japanese name generator and they gave me Ribio.  I don't know if it's correct but it is how you pronounce it but I want to know how you write it. 

I hope someone can help me grtz Scorpion


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## Ocham

In one way of writing Japanese letters, it writes リビオ. In another りびお.
Japanese are not good at pronouncing v-sounds, they mix "v" with "b".
リビオ or りびお sounds just Ribio in Italy or Spanish. There is not much
 difference even in Japanese.
So your name has no trouble anyway.


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## Scorpion5578

Wow thx alot I realy apreciated it


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## Ocham

I forgot to say Japanese (language) has no "v" sound.
That's why they mix "v" with "b".
And Japanese (people) can't distinguish "r" from "l" sound
either. 
Your name has both troubles at the same time.
Your name is the one Japanese people find most 
difficult to write and pronounce.


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## kaori

Though "v" does not exist in Japanese, people who learnt English or some other language may be able to pronounce it.
And there is a way to write it in Japanese:
リヴィオ
（instead of ビ you can use ヴィ）
I personally prefer using ヴ for v sound.
There is no way to distinguish "l" from "r" unfortunately...


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## Aoyama

Kaori is right. Though it is true that there is no V in Japanese _per se_ and that Livio could be rendered as リビオ (RIBIO), it is a bit old fashioned.
リヴィオ (RIVIO or literally : RIU"IO, the U" becoming V, much like the Latin U becoming V  ) is a better choice and more up-to-date with current transcriptions of foreign words in Japanese.
Note that if there is no V in Japanese, there is also no L, R is used ("rolled" R, as in ...Italian).


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## Ocham

I hate to disagree with them. but I've got to tell you ...
We do have ヴァ、ヴィ、ヴェ, but they are not commonly used in our daily life,
simply because most Japanese can't pronounce them properly.
Even TV or Volleyball is written in "b" sound, especially in the latter,
we write バレーボール.
Only a small portion of Japanese are familier with ヴィ or ヴァ. This writing
system was invented artificially in Meiji Era (19th century) by Soseki
Nastume, a great novelist. He wanted to put "v" sound in his writing when 
he was describing about "violine".
So, don't expect ordinary Japanese people to call your name or write your name correctly.
What we have in common is only "o".


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## Scorpion5578

thank you all it helps alot


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## Aoyama

> Only a small portion of Japanese are familier with ヴィ or ヴァ. This writing
> system was invented artificially in Meiji Era (19th century) by Soseki
> NaTSume, a great novelist. He wanted to put "v" sound in his writing when
> he was describing about "violine".


I didn't know that this transcription dated back to NATSUME Soseki. If so, he must be thanked for this, as much as James Curtis Hebpurn ...
This being said, it is not at all artificial but very clever, because it follows the phonetical rule (found especially in Latin but in other languages too) that U=V.
Is it true that 





> Only a small portion of Japanese are famili*a*r with ヴィ or ヴァ.


 ? Debatable ...


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## kaori

It is more or less true.
I think people are used to see ヴ but many don't know how to pronounce it correctly because it is not taught in school and it does not exist in traditional Japanese.
But it does not mean you shouldn't use ヴ. 

How about チ and ジ still used for "ti" and "di" instead of ティ and ディ which do not exist in Japanese but people nowadays are able to pronounce them? 
I think it is important that Katakana words give you a chance to guess how to pronounce or spell them in the original language. Can you geuss チボリ is Tivoli (an ancient city near Rome)? Isn't ティヴォリ better instead?

Anyway how to convert foreign words into Katakana must differ from languages. And we may leave already established and well-known katakana words as they are.There will be a lot of different opinions on this discussion. 
Maybe we have to create a new thread for that?


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## Aoyama

> How about チ and ジ still used for "ti" and "di" instead of ティ and ディ which do not exist in Japanese but people nowadays are able to pronounce them?


That is the remark I was going to add (but can't write kanas on this PC ...).



> I think it is important that Katakana words give you a chance to guess how to pronounce or spell them in the original language. Can you g*ue*ss チボリ is Tivoli (an ancient city near Rome)? Isn't ティヴォリ better instead?


Absolutely.
Both remarks are very true. They would drive us into the concept of gairaigo and the particular Japanese tropism of "japanazing" foreign words ...
But for that, we need another thread.


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