How do I write the Spanish version of Jesus so it sounds properly?

Spell the character's name correctly. Sometime before the point where the pronunciation becomes important, clarify it in the text, e.g. another character might mispronounce it and be corrected, or someone makes a point of the pronunciation in a conversation, or someone -- the narrator, if necessary -- can simply state that the name is pronounced the Spanish way.

Or else don't make a point of it, and trust your readers to catch on -- they probably will, if you've provided enough context/clues to allow them.

I always thought the Spanish pronunciation of the name Jesus was pretty well-known, as it's a relatively common name.

... of course, Rowling thought the same thing about "Hermione," and we know how that turned out.

Probably the easiest way to clarify pronunciation would be to have someone address him using the wrong version, maybe he's someplace where he would wear a nametag or show his ID. He could either correct the speaker, or simply have a moment of irritation and mentally be like "Ugh, is it really that hard?"

Rowling clarified the "Hermione" pronunciation a couple different ways in the later books. Once she has a foreign exchange student mispronouncing it and Hermione correcting him, and another time the character addressed by someone who has their mouth full of food, which provides an excuse for a phonetic spelling.

I just looked up the quote.

'Oh, c'mon, 'Er-my-knee,' said Ron, accidentally spraying Harry with bits of Yorkshire pudding. 'Oops – sorry, 'Arry –' He swallowed.

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... of course, Rowling thought the same thing about "Hermione," and we know how that turned out.

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So it's "Her-MY-o-nee" not "Hermy - own?"

Jésus.

Jésus is the proper spelling. Trust me, I went to Spanish church every Sunday and Wednesday as a kid, I'll never forget ;-P

TSJohnson said:

Jésus.

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Correct, and you could italicize it to indicate clearly that it is from the Spanish. If you don't know how to do the accented "e", and have a standard keyboard, to get that do an ALT-130, using the alternative numerical keypad.

caw

blacbird said:

you could italicize it to indicate clearly that it is from the Spanish.

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If it's the name of a character, I think it would NOT be appropriate to italicize it. It's just his name. An accented letter should be sufficient to indicate it's not your standard Anglo Jesus.

Juggernaut said:

I appreciate any suggestions.

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If it's causing you problems, call him Juan?

Bacchus said:

If it's causing you problems, call him Juan?

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Like Jew Ann?

MythMonger said:

Like Jew Ann?

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Judging from Lord Byron's rhymes, I think it's pronounced "Jew won."

I want a hero: an uncommon want,
When every year and month sends forth a new one,
Till, after cloying the gazettes with cant,
The age discovers he is not the true one;
Of such as these I should not care to vaunt,
I 'll therefore take our ancient friend Don Juan—
We all have seen him, in the pantomime,
Sent to the devil somewhat ere his time.

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Brave men were living before Agamemnon
And since, exceeding valorous and sage,
A good deal like him too, though quite the same none;
But then they shone not on the poet's page,
And so have been forgotten:—I condemn none,
But can't find any in the present age
Fit for my poem (that is, for my new one);
So, as I said, I 'll take my friend Don Juan.

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(Excerpts from Don Juan - Canto I)

benbenberi said:

If it's the name of a character, I think it would NOT be appropriate to italicize it.

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Yeah, probably best.

caw

Just write it as Jesús. It's not that uncommon. Don't italicize it.

I know this because we rescued a pregnant sheep at Christmas time (roughly), and named the ewe Maria and her lamb Hey Zeus, and most people got the reference.

Isn't it simpler to say that the character is Spanish? This way, people will know that Spanish pronunciation rules apply. I had never had any problems with spelling (and pronouncing) my always foreign character names. I just mentioned what country they were from.

As addressed by that cinematic classic Die Hard 3:

Samuel L. Jackson: Why you keep calling me Jésus? I look Puerto Rican to you?

Bruce Willis: Guy back there called you Jésus.

Samuel L. Jackson: He didn’t say Jésus. He said, “Hey, Zeus!” My name is Zeus.

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Did I post this just to have an excuse to quote a Die Hard movie... you'll never prove it. The point is that "Jésus" with the accented "E" is the correct presentation.

That's fine if you know what Spanish pronunciation rules are. I wouldn't mentally translate Jesus into the Spanish pronunciation while reading even if I knew the character was Spanish.

Pablo or Marco or Eduardo - yes, but not Jesus.

Jésus is clearest by far.

[Posted by Elenitsa] Isn't it simpler to say that the character is Spanish? This way, people will know that Spanish pronunciation rules apply. I had never had any problems with spelling (and pronouncing) my always foreign character names. I just mentioned what country they were from.

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As a comparison, I think pretty much everybody knows how to pronounce José.

caw

I'm really confused as to why you all keep saying Jésus would make it clearer that it's a Spanish name, pronunciated in Spanish. Like I'm seriously confused. Unless there's something big I'm missing here, at least in the Spanish version from Spain, Jesus is written and pronunciated like Jesús (Heh-zoos).

If I run across a character with the name Jesus in a modern book, I assume it's pronounced the Spanish way. I've run across a large number of people (most often spelled Jesus without an accent) with this name in real life, and not a one has pronounced it the way the Biblical "Jesus" is pronounced in English. I don't think you'd have to explain it, but if someone reads your story and has the wrong pronunciation in mind, will it affect things in any meaningful way? I've read and enjoyed a number of books while mispronouncing many of the character names in my head.

If it's absolutely essential, I suppose you could use an accent over the "e."

Roxxsmom said:

If it's absolutely essential, I suppose you could use an accent over the "e."

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Never. It is standard Español to be rendered "Jesús", with the diacritical accent on the ""u". It is not a matter of option. And I think this pronunciation is so well known today (I previously mentioned "José" as a similar situation) that it shouldn't confuse anybody.

caw

blacbird said:

Never. It is standard Español to be rendered "Jesús", with the diacritical accent on the ""u". It is not a matter of option. And I think this pronunciation is so well known today (I previously mentioned "José" as a similar situation) that it shouldn't confuse anybody.

caw

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You're right. It's been a long time since I've seen it spelled with an accent at all, and I forgot where it goes. The thing is, these names are so ubiquitous nowadays that most people will know how they are pronounced without the accents.

Whether or not to include the accent might be an editorial decision that is made after the book is finished, and the manuscript is being prepped for publication.

Bit of a derailment, but I had a similar problem when I wanted to use the name Karel Čapek, the Czech playwright who invented the word robot. I have a character announce that she's naming her toy robot after him.

It's a throwaway line in the book, but it bugged me that most readers would probably say it wrongly in their heads (Čapek is pronounced CHA-peck). It bugged me so much that I cheated and had her call the robot Karel. She never mentions his second name even though she explains the relevance of the robot's name.

AW Admin said:

Just write it as Jesús. It's not that uncommon. Don't italicize it.

I know this because we rescued a pregnant sheep at Christmas time (roughly), and named the ewe Maria and her lamb Hey Zeus, and most people got the reference.

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Jesús is the correct spelling, though in practical grammar nowadays most people in Spanish speaking countries use accents less and less. But it would definitely work to highlight that it's a foreign version of the word.