Romanization of Japanese facts for kids

An old sign at Toyooka Station shows how Japanese words can be written using Roman letters. Sometimes, different ways of writing can be seen, like Kokuhu instead of Kokufu.

The Japanese language uses special writing systems called kanji, hiragana, and katakana. But it also uses the Roman alphabet, which is the same alphabet English uses. When Japanese words are written using the Roman alphabet, it's called romaji.

Romaji is very helpful for many things. For example, it's used to type Japanese words on a computer keyboard. It also helps people who don't know Japanese characters to read Japanese names, places, and other words.

Different Ways to Write Romaji

There are a few different ways to write Japanese words using the Roman alphabet. These are called romanization systems. The three main systems are Hepburn, Nihon-shiki, and Kunrei-shiki. They mostly agree, but some sounds are written differently.

Understanding the Main Systems

• Hepburn romanization: This is the most common system. It tries to make Japanese sounds easy for English speakers to pronounce. For example, the Japanese sound that is like "shi" in English is written as shi.
• Nihon-shiki: This system is more strict about how the Japanese sounds are structured. It's often used by Japanese people for scientific or technical writing.
• Kunrei-shiki: This system is similar to Nihon-shiki and is taught in Japanese schools. It also focuses on the structure of the Japanese language itself.

How Romaji Systems Differ

The chart below shows some of the key differences between these three systems. You'll see how the same Japanese sound can be written in a few different ways depending on the system.

Images for kids

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  An old sign at Toyooka Station shows how Japanese words can be written using Roman letters. Sometimes, different ways of writing can be seen, like Kokuhu instead of Kokufu.

See also

In Spanish: Rōmaji para niños