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. If the two of the same vowels are pronounced in a row, use an apostrophe to separate them.
2. Latinize えい/エイ as ei. This also applies to letters ending in the vowel sound e, but beginning with a consonant.
3. Latinize おう/オウ as ou. This also applies to letters ending in the vowel sound o, but beginning with a consonant.
4. Word-final っ/ッ is written with an apostrophe.
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, andぢょ/ヂョas dji, dja, dju, and djo; respectively.
7. Latinize づ/ヅ as dzu whenever the letters are used in standard Japanese.
8. Latinize ん/ン as n' when written in Japanese before や/ヤ, ゆ/ユ, and よ/ヨ.
9. Never latinize を/ ヲ as o.
10. Use an apostrophe to separate clusters from two sounds being pronounced separately.

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		Notes
Hiragana	Katakana	Wiki	Others
あ	ア	a	ar, er, r
い	イ	i	yi
う	ウ	u	wu
え	エ	e	ye
お	オ	o
えい	エイ	ei, e'i	e, ē, ee, eh	Cluster also applies to syllables ending in the "e" sound
おう	オウ	ou, o'u	o, ō, oh, oo	Cluster also applies to syllables ending in the "o" sound
か	カ	ka
き	キ	ki
く	ク	ku	k
け	ケ	ke
こ	コ	ko
きゃ	キャ	kya
きゅ	キュ	kyu
きょ	キョ	kyo
が	ガ	ga
ぎ	ぎ ギ	gi
ぐ	グ	gu	g
げ	ゲ	ge
ご	ゴ	go
ぎゃ	ギャ	gya
ぎゅ	ギュ	gyu
ぎょ	ギョ	gyo
さ	サ	sa
し	シ	shi	sh, si
す	ス	su	s
せ	セ	se
そ	ソ	so
しゃ	シャ	sha
しゅ	シュ	shu
しょ	ショ	sho
ざ	ザ	za
じ	ジ	ji	zhi, zi
ず	ズ	zu	z
ぜ	ゼ	ze
ぞ	ゾ	zo
じゃ	ジャ	ja	zha, zya
じゃ	ジュ	ju	zhu, zyu
じょ	ジョ	jo	zho, zyo
た	タ	ta
ち	チ	chi	ch, ti
つ	ツ	tsu	ts, tu
て	テ	te
と	ト	to	t
ちゃ	チャ	cha	tya
ちゅ	チュ	chu	tyu
ちょ	チョ	cho	tyo
だ	ダ	da
ぢ	ヂ	dji	di, ji
づ	ヅ	dzu	du
で	デ	de
ど	ド	do	d
ぢゃ	ヂャ	dja	dya, ja
ぢゅ	ヂュ	dju	dyu, ju
ぢょ	ヂョ	djo	dyo, jo
な	ナ	na
に	ニ	ni
ぬ	ヌ	nu
ね	ネ	ne
の	ノ	no
にゃ	ニャ	nya
にゅ	ニュ	nyu
にょ	ニョ	nyu
は	ハ	ha, (wa)	h	Latinized/ pronounced wa as a particle.
ひ	ヒ	hi
ふ	フ	fu	hu, f
へ	へ	he, (e)		Latinized/ pronounced e as a particle.
ほ	ホ	ho
ひゃ	ヒャ	hya
ひゅ	ヒュ	hyu
ひょ	ヒョ	hyo
ば	バ	ba
び	ビ	bi
ぶ	ブ	bu	b
ベ	ベ	be
ぼ	ボ	bo
びゃ	ビャ	bya
びゅ	ビュ	byu
びょ	ビョ	byo
ぱ	パ	pa
ぴ	ピ	pi
ぷ	プ	p(u)
ぺ	ぺ	pe
ぽ	ポ	po
ぴゃ	ピャ	pya
ぴゅ	ピュ	pyu
ぴょ	ピョ	pyo
ま	マ	ma
み	ミ	mi
む	ム	mu	m
め	メ	me
も	モ	mo
みゃ	ミャ	mya
みゅ	ミュ	myu
みょ	ミョ	myo
や	ヤ	ya
ゆ	ユ	yu
よ	ヨ	yo
ら	ラ	ra	la
り	リ	ri	li
る	ル	ru	l, lu, r
れ	レ	re	le
ろ	ロ	ro	lo
りゃ	リャ	rya	lya
りゅ	リュ	ryu	lyu
りょ	リョ	ryo	lyo
わ	ワ	wa
(ゐ)	(ヰ)	wi	i	Obsolete letter
を	ヲ	wo	o	Mostly obsolete letter
(ゑ)	(ヱ)	we	e, ye	Obsolete letter
ん	ン	n, n'	m

Kanji

Regular readings

Regular given name readings

Radical	Kanji	Latinization	Gender	Meaning	Notes
一	一	ichi, kazu	Masculine	1/ first
一	三	zabu, zou	Masculine	3/ third
二	二	ji	Masculine	2/ second
二	五	go	Masculine	5/ fifth
人	介	-suke/ -zuke	Masculine	help, aid
口	四	shi	Masculine	4/ fourth
子	子	-ko	Feminine	daughter
干	平	-hei/ -bei/ -pei	Masculine	calm, gentle
彡	彦	-hiko	Masculine	prince, boy
欠	次	ji	Masculine	next, other, second
羊	美	-mi/ -e/ -yo	Feminine	beautiful, pretty
邑	郎	-rou	Masculine	son

Regular family name readings

Radical	Kanji	Latinization	Meaning	Notes
一	上	ue, kami	above, higher, over
一	下	shita, shimo	below, lower, under
一	丘	oka	hill
丨	中	naka	middle, inside
儿	元	moto	near
冂	内	uchi	inside, between
刀	前	mae	front
匕	北	kita	north
土	坂	saka	slope
土	塚	tsuka/ dzuka	mound
山	岩	iwa	rock
山	岡	oka	hill
山	崎	saki/ zaki	cape, edge
山	島/ 嶋	shima/ jima	island
川	川	kawa/ gawa	river
木	木	ki	tree
木	本	moto	near
木	村	mura	village
木	杉	sugi	cedar
木	林	hayashi/ bayashi	woods
木	板	ita	board
木	松	matsu	pine
木	森	mori	forest
木	横	yoko	side
木	橋	hashi/ bashi	bridge
水	水	mizu	water
水	池	ike	pond
水	沢	sawa/ zawa	swamp, creek
水	浅	asa	shallow
水	沼	numa	marsh, lake
水	澤	sawa/ zawa	swamp, creek
田	田	ta/ da	paddy, field
田	畑	hata/ bata	field, crop
石	石	ishi	stone
竹	竹	take	bamboo
米	米	yone	rice
襾	西	nishi	west
谷	谷	tani	valley
里	野	no	plain
黑	黒	kuro	black

Irregular readings

Only documented or otherwise common irregular readings are shown.

Irregular given name readings

Radical	Kanji	Latinization	Gender	Meaning	Notes

Irregular family name readings

Radical	Kanji	Latinization	Meaning	Notes

See also

https://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/names-for-people.html