Four-syllable transliteration:
尼 (ní) ≈ "Ni-",
克 (kè) ≈ "-k-",
拉 (lā) ≈ "-la-",
斯 (sī) ≈ "-s." The English Nicholas is more often rendered
尼古拉斯 (Níkǔlāsī, with
古 between the
尼 and the
拉);
尼克拉斯 maps the Germanic / Scandinavian Niklas/Nicklas more closely (no "-o-" syllable).