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.

Kana

This wiki's latinization 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.

Kana latinization summary table

Japanese		Latinization		Sound (IPA)	Notes
Hiragana	Katakana	Wiki	Others
あ	ア	a		a
ああ	アア	aa	a, ā	a:
い	イ	i	yi	i
いい	イイ	ii	ī	i:
う	ウ	u	wu	ɯ
うう	ウウ	uu	u, ū	ɯ:
え	エ	e	ye	e
えい	エイ	ei, e'i	e, ē	e:	Cluster also applies to syllables ending in the "e" sound
ええ	エエ	ee	e, ē, ê, eh	e:
お	オ	o		o
おう	オウ	ou, o'u	o, ō	o:	Cluster also applies to syllables ending in the "o" sound
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	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		ɕa
しゅ	シュ	shu		ɕɯ
しょ	ショ	sho		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	ti	tɕi
つ	ツ	tsu	tu	tsɯ
て	テ	te		te
と	ト	to		to
ちゃ	チャ	cha	tya	tɕa
ちゅ	チュ	chu	tyu	tɕɯ
ちょ	チョ	cho	tyo	tɕo
だ	ダ	da		da
ぢ	ヂ	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)		ha, (ɰa)	Latinized/ pronounced wa as a particle.
ひ	ヒ	hi		çi
ふ	フ	fu	hu	ɸɯ
へ	へ	he, (e)		he, (e)	Latinized/ pronounced e as a particle.
ほ	ホ	ho		ho
ひゃ	ヒャ	hya		ça
ひゅ	ヒュ	hyu		çɯ
ひょ	ヒョ	hyo		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	p(u)		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
ゐ	ヰ	wi	i	i	Obsolete letter
を	ヲ	wo	o	(ɰ)o	Mostly obsolete letter
ゑ	ヱ	we	e, ye	e	Obsolete letter
ん	ン	n, n'	m	n, m	Also used to double "m" sounds
つ	ツ	—, '	—	—	Doubles following consonant or elongates previous vowel if no consonant appears