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I don't know Japanese script, but Light would be spelled "Tsuki" which means "moon". So which of "Tsuki" or "Raito" can kill him? Would "Light" in English work?

It seems the death note is a stickler for spelling, as shown here: What did Light write before killing Shibuimaru Takuo?

Glorfindel
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Jesvin Jose
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2 Answers2

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Remember that the Death Note is very specific about using the original spelling for a name.

So which of "Tsuki" or "Raito" can kill him?

The only one that matters, 月 or "tsuki". Early in the manga he makes a point about the pronunciation for this very reason.

Would "Light" in English work?

no. The original spelling is required.

The following will work:

  • 夜神月

The following will not work:

  • 夜神
  • 月
  • ヤガミライト
  • Yagami Raito
  • Yagami Light
  • Light
Thebluefish
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  • In the anime his name is pronounced lighto so wouldn't it be what characters lead to that pronunciation? – Andy Feb 12 '15 at 02:11
  • It generally would. However there is a scene where Light is writing down the name of his target multiple times to try to get the right spelling. If another way to write the same name in the same language doesn't work, then no way would writing the name in another language would work. – Thebluefish Feb 12 '15 at 02:20
  • No I meant using the right katakana symbols for which a person would pronounce "lighto" リト or something similar. (sorry but I'm just going off the katakana chart on Wikipedia) – Andy Feb 12 '15 at 02:39
  • For katakana, ヤガミ = yagami, ライト = raito. However I cannot find any information that suggests hiragana or katakana would work. Traditionally, Japanese names are not written in either. – Thebluefish Feb 12 '15 at 14:29
  • As far as I know, one would never use Hiragana to write a name (nor Katakana that os used to describe other languages). I don't remember where but I am sure that at some point I've explicidly red that Kana is not allowed. The answer is correct and complete. – hajef Jul 20 '17 at 08:19
  • @hajef Hiragana/Katana is considered acceptable if one does not remember the spelling of someone's name. The general suggestion from the Japanese natives assisting my study group is to use katakana in place of the kanji so as to differentiate from the surrounding hiragana in this case. – Thebluefish Jul 20 '17 at 17:43
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Seems a Death Note would need your name exactly as printed on your birth certificate, so if I wanted to kill someone with one, for example "Kaitelynn Woods", it would not work if i wrote it as "Kaitlyn Woods" even if I had her face in mind and everything else was in order. So for Light you'd need the kanji symbols, and you'd also need to spell his first name as Tsuki as it shows on his birth certificate.

Also, trying multiple times is a no no, as if you misspell a name on accident more than 3 times, the person you were trying to kill can no longer be killed with that Death Note. Ofc it only works if it's accidental, you can't protect someone with this method, it's only a rule to keep you from just guessing till you get it.

AuroraMaxwell
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