Japanese latinization guide

This article describes official wiki policy for latinizing Japanese words and names, as well as Japanese titles using renderings of non-Japanese words and names.

General notes

In general, try to latinize Japanese words and names using the system as much as possible; but be sure to write Japanese names of media works, people, characters, and the like on their respective pages. If a latinization occurs right next to a Japanese spelling, write the latinization in italics.

If an individual person or thing has a particular way of spelling their name in the latin alphabet, follow that rather than a standard latinization.

Japanese itself uses three writing systems: kanji (symbols that represent words or concepts), hiragana (letters representing syllables in native Japanese words) and katakana (letters representing syllables in foreign words, foreign names, slang, onomatopeia, in emphasis, and in names of animals); none of the three are to be distinguished in latinization. All kanji have hiragana transcriptions to describe the respective kanji's sound, and are used to form the basis of latinization here.

Summary

This wiki's latinization scheme generally follows the current Hepburn latinization , with the following exceptions:

1. Avoid using macrons. Instead, mark long vowels by doubling the respective vowel letter.
2. Use apostrophes to separate letter clusters not being pronounced as a single sound.
3. Latinize えい/エイ as ei. This also applies to letters ending in the vowel sound e, but beginning with a consonant.
4. Latinize おう/オウ as ou. This also applies to letters ending in the vowel sound o, but beginning with a consonant.
5. Latinize long consonants by doubling the respective letter. If the consonant is written using two letters, double only the first letter.
6. Latinize ぢ/ヂ, ぢゃ/ヂャ, ぢゅ/ヂュ, ぢょ/ヂョ, and づ/ヅ as dji, dja, dju, djo, and dzu; respectively. Albeit only when the letters are used in Standard Japanese.
7. Never latinize を/ ヲ as o. Always use wo.

A table below is shown for full detail. The letters are in Japanese order by default; with clusters following at the end of a group.

Regular letters

Japanese spelling	Latinization		Sound (IPA)	Notes
hiragana/ katakana	Wiki	other
あ/ ア	a		a
ああ/ アア	aa	a, ā, â, ah	a:
い/ イ	i	yi	i
いい/ イイ	ii	ī, î, ih	i:
う/ ウ	u	wu	ɯ
うう/ ウウ	uu	u, ū	ɯ:
え/ エ	e	ye	e
えい/ エイ	ee	e, ē, ê, ee	e:
ええ/ エエ	ee	e, ē, ê, eh	e:
お/ オ	o	wo	o
おう/ オウ	oo	o, ō, ô, oo	o:
おお/ オオ	oo	o, ō, ô, oh	o:
か/ カ	ka		ka
き/ キ	ki		kʲi
く/ ク	ku		kɯ
け/ ケ	ke		ke
こ/ コ	ko		ko
きゃ/ キャ	kya		kʲa
きゅ/ キュ	kyu		kʲɯ
きょ/ キョ	kyo		kʲo
が/ ガ	ga		ga
ぎ/ ギ	gi		gʲi
ぐ/ グ	gu		gɯ
げ/ ゲ	ge		ge
ご/ ゴ	go		go
ぎゃ/ ギャ	gya		gʲa
ぎゅ/ ギュ	gyu		gʲɯ
ぎょ/ ギョ	gyo		gʲo
さ/ サ	sa		sa
し/ シ	shi		ɕi
す/ ス	su		sɯ
せ/ セ	se		se
そ/ ソ	so		so
しゃ/ シャ	sha	sya	ɕa
しゅ/ シュ	shu	syu	ɕɯ
しょ/ ショ	sho	syo	ɕo
ざ/ ザ	za		(d)za
じ/ ジ	ji	zhi, zi	(d)ʑi
ず/ ズ	zu		(d)zɯ
ぜ/ ゼ	ze		(d)ze
ぞ/ ゾ	zo		(d)zo
じゃ/ ジャ	ja	jya, zha, zya	(d)ʑa
じゃ/ ジュ	ju	jyu, zhu, zyu	(d)ʑɯ
じょ/ ジョ	jo	jyo, zho, zyo	(d)ʑo
た/ タ	ta		ta
ち/ チ	chi	ci, ti	tɕi
つ/ ツ	tsu	tu	tsɯ
て/ テ	te		te
と/ ト	to		to
ちゃ/ チャ	cha	ca, cya, tya	tɕa
ちゅ/ チュ	chu	cu, cyu, tyu	tɕɯ
ちょ/ チョ	cho	co, cyo, tyo	tɕo
だ/ ダ	da		da
ぢ/ ヅ	dji	di, ji	(d)ʑi
づ/ ヅ	dzu	du, zu	(d)zɯ
で/ デ	de		de
ど/ ド	do		do
ぢゃ/ ヂャ	dja	dya, ja, jya	(d)ʑa
ぢゅ/ ヂュ	dju	dyu, ju, jyu	(d)ʑɯ
ぢょ/ ヂョ	djo	dyo, jo, jyo	(d)ʑo
な/ ナ	na		na
に/ ニ	ni		nʲi
ぬ/ ヌ	nu		nɯ
ね/ ネ	ne		ne
の/ ノ	no		no
にゃ/ ニャ	nya		nʲa
にゅ/ ニュ	nyu		nʲɯ
にょ/ ニョ	nyo		nʲo
は/ ハ	ha, (wa)	fa	ha, ɰa	latinized wa as a particle, otherwise ha
ひ/ ヒ	hi	fi	çi
ふ/ フ	fu	hu	ɸɯ
へ/ へ	he, (e)	fe	he, e	latinized e as a particle, otherwise he
ほ/ ホ	ho	fo	ho
ひゃ/ ヒャ	hya	fya	ça
ひゅ/ ヒュ	hyu	fyu	çɯ
ひょ/ ヒョ	hyo	fyo	ço
ば/ バ	ba		ba
び/ ビ	bi		bʲi
ぶ/ ブ	bu		bɯ
ベ/ ベ	be		be
ぼ/ ボ	bo		bo
びゃ/ ビャ	bya		bʲa
びゅ/ ビュ	byu		bʲɯ
びょ/ ビョ	byo		bʲo
ぱ/ パ	pa		pa
ぴ/ ピ	pi		pʲi
ぷ/ プ	pu		pɯ
ぺ/ ぺ	pe		pe
ぽ/ ポ	po		po
ぴゃ/ ピャ	pya		pʲa
ぴゅ/ ピュ	pyu		pʲɯ
ぴょ/ ピョ	pyo		pʲo
ま/ マ	ma		ma
み/ ミ	mi		mʲi
む/ ム	mu		mɯ
め/ メ	me		me
も/ モ	mo		mo
みゃ/ ミャ	mya		mʲa
みゅ/ ミュ	myu		mʲɯ
みょ/ ミョ	myo		mʲo
や/ ヤ	ya		ja
ゆ/ ユ	yu		jɯ
よ/ ヨ	yo		jo
ら/ ラ	ra		ɾa
り/ リ	ri		ɾʲi
る/ ル	ru		ɾɯ
れ/ レ	re		ɾe
ろ/ ロ	ro		ɾo
りゃ/ リャ	rya		ɾʲa
りゅ/ リュ	ryu		ɾʲɯ
りょ/ リョ	ryo		ɾʲo
わ/ ワ	wa		ɰa
ん/ ン	n	m	n~m~ɴ	only used syllable-finally
つ/ ツ	—, '	—	—,	doubles following consonant, or adds <'> after a vowel if no consonant follows. long consonant sounds double the (first) letter used to spell them
を/ ヲ	wo	o	(ɰ)o	only used in the accusative particle
ゐ/ ヰ	wi	i	i	obsolete/ archaic letter
ゑ/ ヱ	ye	e, he, we	e	obsolete/ archaic letter
ぐゎ/ クヮ	gwa	ga	gwa	obsolete/ archaic letter
くゎ/ グヮ	kwa	ka	kwa	obsolete/ archaic letter