Mats in Japanese

Mats is written マッツ in katakana. Katakana is the script Japanese people use for foreign names, so this is how Mats 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 マツ (English) and マトス (spelled out).

Our top pick is 真鶴 (Matsu). 真 means “truth” and 鶴 means “crane”. Other good options are 真都 (Matsu) and 満鶴 (Matsu).

Partly. The characters 真鶴 appear in Japanese names, but with the reading Matsuru and Mazuru rather than Matsu. As a spelling of Mats, it is a creative kanji choice (ateji): Japanese readers will see the meaning of each character.

真鶴 has 31 strokes in total (真: 10, 鶴: 21). It takes some practice to write neatly, so look up the stroke order before trying it with a brush.

Each character in 真鶴 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 “Mats”. If you want your name to be recognized, katakana (マッツ) is clearer. Either way, ask a native speaker to check the final design.