The closest English equivalent to the Hebrew name of God, as found in the scriptures, is YHWH. The reason for this rather odd-looking English translation is because the ancient Hebrew language did not have any vowels. This makes the pronunciation a bit difficult to determine. Most scholars consider the name to be Yahweh, pronounced /ˈyä-wā/. The other possibility is Yehowah, pronounced /yi-ˈhō-və/.
Some people or movements believe that we are only supposed to address God by His name, YHWH. However, this belief is not supported by the Bible. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments God inspired the human authors of the Bible to refer to Him with more general terms for "Lord" or "God." He also referred to Himself in multiple different ways, such as Elohim—"God" (Genesis 1:1), El-Shaddai—"God Almighty" (Genesis 17:1–2), El-Olam—"the Everlasting God" (Genesis 21:33), and Immanuel—"God with Us" (Matthew 1:23). While these may each be more of a title than a name of God, they are still appropriate ways to refer to Him.
While God may be referred to by different names (even by Himself), the name YHWH is the most personal name He has that He has revealed to mankind. It is linked to His self-existence—"I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14). He reveals Himself as YHWH for the first time to Moses: "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD [YHWH] I did not make myself fully known to them" (Exodus 6:3). Yahweh [YHWH] is the only name that is exclusively used to refer to Him.
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