カーリー
kārī[ka̠ːɾʲiː]
The Japanese word for the goddess name Kali is カーリー (kārī).
The name is written using Katakana, which is the standard script used for foreign names and loanwords in Japanese.
Meaning: goddess (name)
Which one should you use?
The name can be transliterated as カリ using the katakana writing system.
How do you pronounce it?
kārī
Did you know?
- If a Japanese person sees the name written without the long vowel mark, they might read it as 'Kari', which is a common Japanese surname.
- Traditional Japanese gods like Amaterasu are typically written in Kanji, while the goddess カーリー is kept in Katakana to mark her as a 'foreign concept'.
- Because Japanese lacks a distinct 'L' sound, the 'li' in 'Kali' is rendered using the Japanese 'ri' sound, which is a flap that sits between 'L' and 'R'.
Examples in context
- カーリーは恐ろしい女神です。Kārī wa osoroshii megami desu.Kali is a fearsome goddess.
- カーリーの像を見てみたいです。Kārī no zō o mite mitai desu.I want to see a statue of Kali.
- インドの神話にカーリーが出てきます。Indo no shinwa ni Kārī ga detekimasu.Kali appears in Indian mythology.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kali” translations and entries カーリー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
