Nelli in Japanese

Nelli is written ネリ in katakana. Katakana is the script Japanese people use for foreign names, so this is how Nelli 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 ネリー (English).

Our top pick is 音里 (Neri). 音 means “sound” and 里 means “hometown”. Other good options are 音理 (Neri) and 音莉 (Neri).

Yes. 音里 is also found in Japan as a girl’s name, read Neri, so it looks natural to Japanese readers. For Nelli, it works as both a real-looking Japanese name and a kanji spelling of your own name.

音里 has 16 strokes in total (音: 9, 里: 7). It takes some practice to write neatly, so look up the stroke order before trying it with a brush.

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