names arent exactly words in the dictionary, because there just names. So I'm having trouble trying to figure out how to write Japanese names. For example, my nickname is Xiao which is pronounced like "Shao" but I'm not quite sure how to write it, I thought it was しゃお at first, but then a learning/name app corrected it to シャオ and now I'm not sure how my name should be written. Any advice on how to figure out how to write names in Japanese correctly?
You were correct about names in Japanese being written based on pronunciation (as opposed to spelling)!
About しゃお being corrected to シャオ, it's essentially the same (Shao). The only difference is that the first is written in hiragana, the second in katakana.
For loanwords and names that aren't from Japan, it's common practice to write them in katakana. That's why it's suggested to write your name as シャオ!
しゃお and シャオ are pronounced exactly the same, it's just that one is in Hiragana and the other in Katakana. If your name is of foreign origin, which Xiao is, you usually use Katakana.
In this case, assuming we're talking about the Chinese name Xiao, it would be シャオ.
Some names you can find online, I like to look for famous people and just switch the wiki page to Japanese, others you have to approximate phonetically.
PS: Native Japanese names behave very differently, but you don't have to worry about that for now. You can also use kanji, but I don't recommend it.
