マシュー
Mashū
In Japanese, the name Matthew is translated as either マシュー (Mashū) or マタイ.
Meaning: male given name (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| マシュー | Mashū | |
| マタイ | Matai | [ma̠ta̠i] (narrow) |
The name is translated differently depending on whether you are referring to a contemporary person or a religious figure.
Which one should you use?
マシュー (Mashū) is the common transliteration used for a person's given name in modern or secular contexts. マタイ (Matai) is used specifically for the biblical figure or when referring to the Gospel of Matthew.
How do you pronounce it?
Mashū
Did you know?
- A Japanese person seeing マタイ in a non-religious context might mistake it for the word madai, which refers to a prized species of red sea bream.
- The biblical version マタイ shares a direct lineage with the Mandarin Chinese version 馬太 (Mǎtài), showing how early Christian texts moved through Asia.
- In Japanese, using マシュー when referring to the Apostle Matthew would sound unnervingly modern, as if the biblical figure were a contemporary Westerner.
Examples in context
- メリー・クリスマス、マリラ！メリー・クリスマス、マシュー！Merry Christmas, Marilla! Merry Christmas, Matthew!This example shows the use of マシュー in a greeting.Tatoeba #10578116 by small_snow, translation #5833946 by Hybrid
- マタイによる福音書The Gospel According to MatthewThis example shows how to refer to the Gospel of Matthew using マタイ.
- マタイとマルコ、ルカ、ヨハネ の言ったことを信じる。もし僕が交通事故にあったとしても，非常に幸運だ。目撃者が彼らなら。I trust what Matthew, Mark, Luke and John said, and if I were ever the victim in a car accident I'd be very happy if they were my witnesses.This example shows the use of マタイ when referring to biblical figures.Tatoeba #940478 by jamesforsyth, translation #940477 by jamesforsyth
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a classmate at a cafe.
- 美咲 Misakiマシューさんは来ましたか？Mashū-san wa kimashita ka?Has Matthew arrived?
- 大翔 Hirotoいいえ、マシューさんはまだです。Iie, Mashū-san wa mada desu.No, Matthew is not here yet.
- 美咲 Misaki彼はどこにいますか？Kare wa doko ni imasu ka?Where is he?
- 大翔 Hirotoきっとすぐ来ると思います。Kitto sugu kuru to omoimasu.I think he will come soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “matthew” translations and entries マタイ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries マタイ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
