Hari in Japanese

Hari is written ハリー in katakana. Katakana is the script Japanese people use for foreign names, so this is how Hari would appear on a Japanese ID card, a café cup or a name tag. Depending on the origin of the name, it can also be written ハリ (spelled out).

Our top pick is 葉里 (Hari). 葉 means “leaf” and 里 means “hometown”. Other good options are 葉理 (Hari) and 羽里 (Hari).

Partly. The characters 葉里 appear in Japanese names, but with the reading Pari rather than Hari. As a spelling of Hari, it is a creative kanji choice (ateji): Japanese readers will see the meaning of each character.

葉里 has 19 strokes in total (葉: 12, 里: 7). It takes some practice to write neatly, so look up the stroke order before trying it with a brush.

Each character in 葉里 has a positive meaning, so it is a reasonable choice. Keep in mind that Japanese people will read it as the meaning of the characters, not instantly as “Hari”. If you want your name to be recognized, katakana (ハリー) is clearer. Either way, ask a native speaker to check the final design.