ルイ
Rui[ɾɯ̟i]
In Japanese, the male given name Louis is written as ルイ (Rui).
Meaning: male given name (name)
Which one should you use?
While ルイ is the standard form, ルイス is a variation of Louis in Japanese katakana style. Additionally, ルイくん is an informal way to refer to a young person named Louis and ルイちゃん is an endearing way to address Louis, often used with girls or young children.
How do you pronounce it?
Rui
Did you know?
- In Japan, ルイ is also a common unisex given name of Japanese origin, written with kanji such as 瑠衣 or 琉衣, meaning it is not always a foreign loanword.
- In Japanese pop culture, names like ルイ are often chosen for 'princely' characters because the sound evokes a European royal feeling.
- When speaking casually about 'Louis Vuitton', Japanese people often drop the ルイ entirely and simply say ヴィトン.
Examples in context
- シカゴ経由でニューヨークからセントルイスへ飛んだ。We flew from New York to St. Louis by way of Chicago.This sentence shows the use of ルイ in the name St. Louis.Tatoeba #216362 by bunbuku, translation #53666 by CK
- ルイ14世はフランス絶対王政の最盛期を現出し、「太陽王」と呼ばれた。Louis the 14th, known as the "Sun King", brought about the golden age of the French absolute monarchy.This sentence shows the use of ルイ in the name Louis XIV.Tatoeba #2691502 by tommy_san, translation #2693501 by WestofEden
- ねえマリー、フランス人はみんなエルメスとかルイ・ヴィトンとか持ってるの？Hey Marie, do all French people have Hermés and Louis Vuitton?This sentence shows the use of ルイ in the brand name Louis Vuitton.Tatoeba #3096743 by tommy_san, translation #11391085 by DJ_Saidez
- ルイさん、今回のプレゼンテーションは素晴らしいですね。Louis, your presentation this time was excellent!
- ルイくん、遊びに来るのを楽しみにしていますよ！Looking forward to you coming over to hang out, Louis!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are talking about a friend's name.
- 美咲 Misakiフランス人の友達の名前は何？Furansujin no tomodachi no namae wa nani?What is your French friend's name?
- 陽太 Yotaルイだよ。Rui da yo.It's Louis.
- 美咲 Misakiルイ君は優しい人なの？Rui-kun wa yasashii hito na no?Is Louis a kind person?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、とても親切な人だよ。Un, totemo shinsetsu na hito da yo.Yeah, he is a very kind person.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “louis” translations and entries ルイ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
