Japanese latinization guide
From Video Credit Archive
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.
Japanese uses three writing systems in tandem:
- kanji, symbols that represent words or concepts. all have hiragana transcriptions of their pronunciation.
- hiragana, letters for native and nativized Japanese words.
- katakana, letters for foreign words, foreign names, slang, onomatopeia, in emphasis, and names of wildlife.
The two letter systems are collectively known as kana and repesent syllables and moras in words and names. Only vowels and syllable-final /ɴ/ are written by themselves. Moras are syllables narrowed for pronunciation effects, and are also called "morae" or "weighted syllables". Some varieties of Japanese operate per-syllable, but not the standard.
When latinizing, always go by kana latinization, even when the name contains kanji. Only mark writing system is used if it's important to distinguishing and/or requested for a specific name. In thoses cases write superscript 1, 2, and 3 in latinizations for marking kanji, hiragana, and katakana, respectively.
Kana latinization
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.
Japanese spelling | Latinization | Sound (IPA) | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
hiragana/ katakana name | Wiki | other | ||
In-use letters/ clusters | ||||
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, eh, ei, ey | e: | |
ええ/ エエ | ee | e, ē, ê, ee, eh, ei, ey | e: | |
お/ オ | o | wo | o | |
おう/ オウ | oo | o, ō, ô, oh, oo, ou, ow | o: | |
おお/ オオ | oo | o, ō, ô, oh, oo, ou, ow | 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/ 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) | 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 | la | (d)ɾa | |
り/ リ | ri | li | (d)ɾʲi | |
る/ ル | ru | lu | (d)ɾɯ | |
れ/ レ | re | le | (d)ɾe | |
ろ/ ロ | ro | lo | (d)ɾo | |
りゃ/ リャ | rya | lya | (d)ɾʲa | |
りゅ/ リュ | ryu | lyu | (d)ɾʲɯ | |
りょ/ リョ | ryo | lyo | (d)ɾʲo | |
わ/ ワ | wa | ɰa | ||
を/ ヲ | wo | o | (ɰ)o | only used in the accusative particle |
ん/ ン | n | m | ɴ~m~n~ŋ~iⁿ~ɯⁿ | only used syllable-finally |
Obsolete/ rare letters | ||||
ゐ/ ヰ | wi | i | i | |
ゑ/ ヱ | we | e, he, ye | e | |
ゟ conjoined yori | yori | joɾʲi |
Japanese spelling | Use | Latinization | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
hiragana/ katakana name | |||
゛dakuten | voices consonant sound | varies, see above | also called dots (tenten) |
゜handakuten | changes consonant sound | varies, see above | also called circle (maru) |
ー choo'onpu | lengthens vowel before | vowel doubled, or macron (¯) on vowel | |
々 kanji repeating mark | repeats kanji symbol before | none | |
ゝ/ヽkana repeating mark | repeats kana letter before | none | |
つ/ ツ sokuon | has 2 uses:
|
marked 2 ways:
|
also called small tsu
vowel usage colloquial |
Pitch accent/ tones
Japanese pitch accents/ tones aren't marked in any native writing, but are mandatory for proper pronuciation. They are latinized as the following marks over the relevant vowel:
- acute accents (´) mean pitch upticks. if a variety has tones, the acute accent goes only on pitched vowels with high tones. don't mark this on the most common word prosody type, heeban.
- up chevrons (^) mean high tones with a pitch uptick. this mark is only used for varieties that have tones.
- grave accents (`) mean low tones without a pitch uptick. this mark is only used for varieties that have tones.
- down chevrons (ˇ) mean low tones with a pitch uptick. this mark is only used for varieties that have tones.
Standard Japanese doesn't use tones, and some varieties of Japanese use neither pitch accent nor tones.