AniDB Definition:Romanisation: Difference between revisions
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{{:AniDB Definition: Romanisation/Table}} | {{:AniDB Definition: Romanisation/Table}} | ||
== General rule for dictionary words == | |||
When transcribing, glue transcriptions together only for names and dictionary terms. The following are good online dictionaries to reference: | |||
* [https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/ goo.ne.jp] | |||
* [https://jisho.org/ Jisho] | |||
== Special cases == | == Special cases == | ||
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== Guidance for Using External Sources to Support Romanisations == | == Guidance for Using External Sources to Support Romanisations == | ||
This policy was confirmed on 25-Jan-2020 as discussed {{short|post458077|here}}. | |||
=== Anime Titles === | === Anime Titles === | ||
"Officially" provided Japanese romanisations should '''not''' be added as the main name for AniDB purposes; the main name should always follow AniDB transcription rules as set out here. Add the "official" transcription as a synonym if needed. | "Officially" provided Japanese romanisations should '''not''' be added as the main name for AniDB purposes; the main name should always follow AniDB transcription rules as set out here. Add the "official" transcription as a synonym if needed. | ||
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=== Non-Native Japanese Names === | === Non-Native Japanese Names === | ||
For non-native Japanese names (e.g. ルルーシュ・ヴィ・ブリタニア ''{{short|ch103|Lelouch vi Britannia}}''): | |||
# If the Japanese producer provides an official spelling of the non-native '''name''' ("''Lelouch vi Britannia''"), use the official spelling. | |||
## However, for '''foreign''' (non-Japanese) '''names''' where the correct foreign spelling is known, and/or there exists a standard Latin transcription (e.g. Chinese transcriptions): use that as the main name for the entry, instead of the Japan-provided spelling. | |||
### In such a scenario, add the Japan-provided official spelling as an alternate name of Type: Other, under the corresponding foreign language. | |||
## Exceptions '''may''' (or may not) apply for completely senseless spellings or spellings that run greatly afoul of our house rules. | |||
### ネロ・カオス ''{{short|ch1949|Nrvnqsr Chaos}}'' is the official spelling. Since the name is essentially unreadable, the transcription used as the main name is ''Nero Chaos''; this matches the pronunciation in the anime, is accepted by fans and other third parties without dispute over its correctness, is routinely used by third parties, and is aurally sound when compared to the katakana. | |||
### クワトロ・バジーナ ''{{short|ch3975|Quattro Vajeena}}'' is an accepted official spelling despite being phonetically questionable and considered non-ideal by large parts of the community (which prefers ''Quattro Bajeena''). | |||
# If the Japanese producer does not provide an official spelling of the non-native name (i.e. lack of <u>''primary''</u> evidence), use AniDB house rules and write a transcription that makes the most sense. | |||
## The | ## Remember, transcriptions should generally be ''aurally recognisable''. | ||
## As always, use AniDB's house rules described in this article when writing any transcribed Japanese titles in AniDB; AniDB's house rules consider official spellings from the Japanese producer as <u>''primary''</u> evidence. | |||
## The English ''translation'' of the full script from international licensee (for example: Crunchyroll for anime, Yen Press for manga and light novel) is usually acceptable as <u>''secondary''</u> evidence to an official source, to help determine a romanisation; it is a good starting point to use as a basis for the Japanese ''transcription'' on AniDB. The English ''translation'' of the script is not, however, a definitive Japanese ''transcription'' and should not be used as such. | |||
### However, official Japanese source ''transcriptions'' will always override (unless 1.1 applies). | |||
### Further, do not use an international licensee's ''translation'' as a Japanese ''transcription'' if it significantly differs from the phonetic katakana reading, or if it significantly differs from the commonly accepted reading if the original language and reading is known; staff discretion (maintainer, moderator) is used on a case-by-case basis. | |||
#### For example, トーマス is commonly accepted as a katakana transcription for "''Thomas''". If the international licensee (e.g. Crunchyroll, Daisuki, Hulu, Netflix, Yen Press, etc) gave the character's name instead as "''Tonas''", we would '''not''' use this as the Japanese transcription on AniDB; at the bare minimum, transcribe the katakana exactly as it is written and use "''Toumas''" as use transcription. Further, if there is a known and commonly accepted transcription such as "''Thomas''", this can be used instead as appropriate on a case-by-case basis. | |||
## Historically, licensees have also been prone to making mistakes as anyone else would, which is why they are only considered secondary sources for ''transcriptions''. The term "licensee" includes official English ''translations'' for all media types, including anime, manga, light novels, etc. | |||
# Do not blindly copy transcriptions from fansubs, fan scanlations, and other similar fan sources. | |||
== Loanwords and Transcribed Words in Japanese == | == Loanwords and Transcribed Words in Japanese == | ||
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Example: | Example: | ||
* ウォーター ( | * ウォーター (uootaa): this is the word 'water' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'water' in the transcription title. | ||
* ラッキー (rakkii), this is the word 'lucky' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'lucky' in the transcription title. | * ラッキー (rakkii), this is the word 'lucky' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'lucky' in the transcription title. | ||
* アイスクリーム (aisu kuriimu): this is the words 'ice cream' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'ice cream' in the transcription title. | * アイスクリーム (aisu kuriimu): this is the words 'ice cream' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'ice cream' in the transcription title. | ||
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** ぷちこ ('{{short|e45440|Puchiko}}'), Japanese usage is as a proper noun. Do '''not''' transcribe as 'Petitko'. | ** ぷちこ ('{{short|e45440|Puchiko}}'), Japanese usage is as a proper noun. Do '''not''' transcribe as 'Petitko'. | ||
* スカトロ(ジー) (katakana) / すかとろ(じい) (hiragana) ('sukatoro(jii)', 'scatolo(gy)' (English)), Japanese usage is a short form of "scatology", and is consistent with the definition of scatology. Spell it as 'scatolo' for the contracted version (it's just an abbreviation of the loanword) and 'scatology' for the full version. | * スカトロ(ジー) (katakana) / すかとろ(じい) (hiragana) ('sukatoro(jii)', 'scatolo(gy)' (English)), Japanese usage is a short form of "scatology", and is consistent with the definition of scatology. Spell it as 'scatolo' for the contracted version (it's just an abbreviation of the loanword) and 'scatology' for the full version. | ||
==== Drop all diacritics (umlauts [ ¨ ], accents [ ˝ ], etc) ==== | |||
For all foreign words with diacritics, AniDB follows the simplest and most common English-language convention: drop '''all''' diacritics '''without''' the use of sound-substitutions. This rule applies to all foreign languages without exception. | |||
Example: | |||
* ''Walküre'': spell as ''Walkure'' (drop all diacritics) and '''not''' ''Walkuere'' (do not use sound-substitutions). | |||
=== What to do with Wasei-eigo terms, and invented words using other languages (ie Wasei-xxx) === | === What to do with Wasei-eigo terms, and invented words using other languages (ie Wasei-xxx) === | ||
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* カンニング (kanningu, 'cunning'): Japanese usage means "cheating". Spell it as 'cunning' in the transcription title, as it readily maps to English. | * カンニング (kanningu, 'cunning'): Japanese usage means "cheating". Spell it as 'cunning' in the transcription title, as it readily maps to English. | ||
* スキンシップ (sukinshippu, 'skinship'), Japanese usage means "physical contact" and appears to have been coined from skin and kinship. Spell it as 'skinship' as it readily maps to existing words in English. | * スキンシップ (sukinshippu, 'skinship'), Japanese usage means "physical contact" and appears to have been coined from skin and kinship. Spell it as 'skinship' as it readily maps to existing words in English. | ||
* | * アパートメントハウス (apaatomentohausu, 'apartment house'), Japanese usage means "apartment building" and appears to have been coined from apartment and house. Spell it as 'apartment house' as it readily maps to existing words in English. | ||
** アパート ('apaato', 'apart(ment)'), Japanese usage is a short form of "apartment house". Spell it as 'apaato' as it does not readily map to existing words in English with the meaning of "apartment". | ** アパート ('apaato', 'apart(ment)'), Japanese usage is a short form of "apartment house". Spell it as 'apaato' as it does not readily map to existing words in English with the meaning of "apartment". | ||
* アルバイト (arubaito, 'arbeit' (German)), Japanese usage means "work or job", and is borrowed from German. Spell it as 'arbeit' in the transcription title, as it readily maps to German. | * アルバイト (arubaito, 'arbeit' (German)), Japanese usage means "work or job", and is borrowed from German. Spell it as 'arbeit' in the transcription title, as it readily maps to German. | ||
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=== 編 / 篇 (hen / hen) === | === 編 / 篇 (hen / hen) === | ||
Separate 編 / 篇 ("Volume" / "Version" / [...]), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 完結編 (Kanketsuhen (Last program of a series)), 予告編 / 予告篇 (Yokokuhen (trailer / advanced notice)). Don't hyphenate. | Separate 編 / 篇 ("Volume" / "Version" / [...]), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 完結編 (Kanketsuhen (Last program of a series)), 予告編 / 予告篇 (Yokokuhen (trailer / advanced notice))). Don't hyphenate. | ||
''Example:'' | ''Example:'' | ||
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: ノンテロップ版 38.PHASE-40 - Non-Telop Ban 38.PHASE-40 ({{short|e146515| Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED - S8 - Special 8 (Non-Telop Ban 38.PHASE-40)}}, the Non-TELOP version episode (which was included in the BD/DVD)) | : ノンテロップ版 38.PHASE-40 - Non-Telop Ban 38.PHASE-40 ({{short|e146515| Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED - S8 - Special 8 (Non-Telop Ban 38.PHASE-40)}}, the Non-TELOP version episode (which was included in the BD/DVD)) | ||
=== 弾 / 話 (dan / wa) === | |||
Separate 弾 ("Volume") and 話 ("Episode"/"Story"), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 爆弾 (Bakudan (Bomb)), 会話 (Kaiwa (Conversation))). Don't hyphenate. | |||
''Example:'' | |||
: 『コードギアス 復活のルルーシュ』TVCM第1弾 ルルーシュ編 (15秒) - "Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch" TVCM Dai 1 Dan Lelouch Hen (15 Byou) ({{short|e212589|Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch - T5 - "Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch" TVCM No. 1 Lelouch Version (0:15))}}, the 1st Lelouch version PV) | |||
: Lite 第1話 こたつむり - Lite Dai 1 Wa: Kotatsumuri ({{short|e156905|Lite 1: Kotatsnail}}, the 1st episode of the ''Lite'' series of specials) | |||
=== 部 (bu) === | === 部 (bu) === | ||
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===たち (tachi)=== | ===たち (tachi)=== | ||
Always split from the associated word and set '-', '''unless''' the word is a pronoun, in which case keep glued. | Always split from the associated word and set '-', '''unless''' the word is a pronoun or dictionary word, in which case keep glued. | ||
i.e.<br> | i.e.<br> | ||
<tt>Elf o Karu Mono-tachi</tt><br> | <tt>Elf o Karu Mono-tachi</tt><br> | ||
but: '''kimitachi''', '''oretachi''', '''anatatachi''', '''omaetachi''', '''watashitachi''', and so on. | but: '''kimitachi''', '''oretachi''', '''anatatachi''', '''omaetachi''', '''watashitachi''', '''hitotachi''', and so on. | ||
===色 (iro)=== | ===色 (iro)=== | ||
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Please note that there is a whole lot more of counters used in the Japanese language that are not included in this list, making this list expandable. | Please note that there is a whole lot more of counters used in the Japanese language that are not included in this list, making this list expandable. | ||
=== Arabic Numerals and Counters === | === Arabic Numerals and Counters -- General Rule === | ||
As a general rule, Arabic numbers should be written as Japanese words when part of a word; see examples below. | As a general rule, Arabic numbers should be written as Japanese words when part of a word; see examples below. | ||
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|} | |} | ||
==== | === Rules for Transcribing Dates === | ||
The following are general guidelines for transcribing dates, both when used to refer to specific calendar dates (i.e. 25.06.2018), and when counting dates as units (i.e. "it has been 20 years", "2 months until the deadline", "I leave in 17 days"). | |||
==== -- "Full" Dates ==== | |||
If a "full" date is given without Arabic numerals, transcribe the kanji in full. | |||
{| class="wikitable" border="1" | |||
|- | |||
! Text | |||
! Hiragana | |||
! Transcription | |||
|- | |||
| 二〇一六年十二月十一日 | |||
| にせんじゅうろくねん じゅうにがつ じゅういちにち | |||
| nisenjuurokunen juunigatsu juuichinichi | |||
|- | |||
| 二〇一六年十二月 | |||
| にせんじゅうろくねん じゅうにがつ | |||
| nisenjuurokunen juunigatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 十二月十一日 | |||
| じゅうにがつ じゅういちにち | |||
| juunigatsu juuichinichi | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
If a "full" date is given with Arabic numerals, leave the numerals in the transcription. | If a "full" date is given with Arabic numerals, leave the numerals in the transcription. | ||
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! Transcription | ! Transcription | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 2016年12月11日 | ||
| | | 2016ねん12がつ11にち | ||
| 2016 | | 2016-nen 12-gatsu 11-nichi | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 2016年12月 | ||
| | | 2016ねん12がつ | ||
| 2016 | | 2016-nen 12-gatsu | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 12月11日 | ||
| 4がつ11にち | | 4がつ11にち | ||
| | | 12-gatsu 11-nichi | ||
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
==== -- Year (Counter: 年, -nen) ==== | |||
This policy does not apply to the | If 年 is being used to count the number of years as a counter object, ie 12年 as in "twelve years", transcribe in full: ''juuninen''. | ||
This policy does not apply to the 年 (nen, year) counter, when being used as a date. For dates regarding specific calendar years, such as "2016年" meaning "the calendar year 2016", transcribe as "2016-nen". If given in kanji, such as "二〇一六年", transcribe in full as "nisenjuuroku-nen". | |||
==== -- Month (Counter: 月, -gatsu) ==== | |||
The 12 months of the year are considered dictionary terms, always transcribe in full. Similar to how the months in English are named January through December, the Japanese months are named 一月/1月 through 十二月/12月. When used to refer to the month, transcribe in full, such as ''ichigatsu'' and ''juunigatsu''. | |||
If 日 is being used to count the number of days as a counter object, ie | ===== --- Specific Exception: Month as a counter: (ヶ月, kagetsu) ===== | ||
If 月 is being used to count the number of months as a counter object, ie 12'''ヶ'''月 as in "twelve months", transcribe in full: ''juuni'''ka'''getsu''. | |||
List of the 12 dictionary months: | |||
{| class="wikitable" border="1" | |||
|- | |||
! # | |||
! Text | |||
! Hiragana | |||
! Transcription | |||
|- | |||
| 1 | |||
| 一月 | |||
| いちがつ | |||
| Ichigatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 2 | |||
| 二月 | |||
| にがつ | |||
| Nigatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 3 | |||
| 三月 | |||
| さんがつ | |||
| Sangatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 4 | |||
| 四月 | |||
| しがつ | |||
| Shigatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 5 | |||
| 五月 | |||
| ごがつ | |||
| Gogatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 6 | |||
| 六月 | |||
| ろくがつ | |||
| Rokugatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 7 | |||
| 七月 | |||
| しちがつ | |||
| Shichigatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 8 | |||
| 八月 | |||
| はちがつ | |||
| Hachigatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 9 | |||
| 九月 | |||
| くがつ | |||
| Kugatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 10 | |||
| 十月 | |||
| じゅうがつ | |||
| Juugatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 11 | |||
| 十一月 | |||
| じゅういちがつ | |||
| Juuichigatsu | |||
|- | |||
| 12 | |||
| 十二月 | |||
| じゅうにがつ | |||
| Juunigatsu | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
==== -- Day (Counter: 日, -nichi) ==== | |||
If 日 is being used to count the number of days as a counter object, ie 11日 as in "eleven days", transcribe in full: ''juuichinichi''. | |||
However, 1st to 10th, 14th, 20th, and 24th, are irregular. | However, 1st to 10th, 14th, 20th, and 24th, are irregular. | ||
This policy does not apply to the 日 (nichi, day) counter, when being used as a date. For dates regarding specific calendar days, such as "11日" meaning "the calendar date of the 11th", transcribe as "11-nichi". If given in kanji, such as "十一日", transcribe in full as "juuichinichi". | |||
{| class="wikitable" border="1" | {| class="wikitable" border="1" | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
=== Japanese Addresses and Arabic Numerals === | === Japanese Addresses and Arabic Numerals === | ||
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| Tokyo Central Post Office<br />5-3, Yaesu 1-Chome<br />Chuo-ku, Tokyo 100-8994 | | Tokyo Central Post Office<br />5-3, Yaesu 1-Chome<br />Chuo-ku, Tokyo 100-8994 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| District and building number (choume and bangou) | | District, block, and building number (choume and bangou) | ||
| 八重洲<span style="color: red;">'''一丁'''</span>目5番3号 | | 八重洲<span style="color: red;">'''一丁'''</span>目5番3号 | ||
| Yaesu '''1-Choume''' 5-ban 3-gou | | Yaesu '''1-Choume''' 5-ban 3-gou | ||
| 5-3, Yaesu 1-Chome | | 5-3, Yaesu 1-Chome | ||
|- | |- | ||
| District and building number (choume and bangou) | | District, block, and building number (choume and bangou) | ||
| 八重洲<span style="color: red;">'''1丁'''</span>目5番3号 | | 八重洲<span style="color: red;">'''1丁'''</span>目5番3号 | ||
| Yaesu '''1-Choume''' 5-ban 3-gou | | Yaesu '''1-Choume''' 5-ban 3-gou | ||
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|} | |} | ||
=== Age (Counter: 歳, -sai) === | === Age (Counter: 歳 / 才, -sai) === | ||
If age (歳) is given with an Arabic numeral, it should NOT be merged. | If age (歳 / 才) is given with an Arabic numeral, it should NOT be merged. | ||
{| class="wikitable" border="1" | {| class="wikitable" border="1" | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| 1 | | 1 | ||
| 1歳 | | 1歳 / 1才 | ||
| 1さい | | 1さい | ||
| 1-sai | | 1-sai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 2 | | 2 | ||
| 2歳 | | 2歳 / 2才 | ||
| 2さい | | 2さい | ||
| 2-sai | | 2-sai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 12 | | 12 | ||
| 12歳 | | 12歳 / 3才 | ||
| 12さい | | 12さい | ||
| 12-sai | | 12-sai | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| 1 | | 1 | ||
| 一歳 | | 一歳 / 一才 | ||
| いっさい | | いっさい | ||
| Issai | | Issai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 2 | | 2 | ||
| 二歳 | | 二歳 / 二才 | ||
| にさい | | にさい | ||
| Nisai | | Nisai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 3 | | 3 | ||
| 三歳 | | 三歳 / 三才 | ||
| さんさい | | さんさい | ||
| Sansai | | Sansai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 4 | | 4 | ||
| 四歳 | | 四歳 / 四才 | ||
| よんさい | | よんさい | ||
| Yonsai | | Yonsai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 5 | | 5 | ||
| 五歳 | | 五歳 / 五才 | ||
| ごさい | | ごさい | ||
| Gosai | | Gosai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 6 | | 6 | ||
| 六歳 | | 六歳 / 六才 | ||
| ろくさい | | ろくさい | ||
| Rokusai | | Rokusai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 7 | | 7 | ||
| 七歳 | | 七歳 / 七才 | ||
| ななさい | | ななさい | ||
| Nanasai | | Nanasai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 8 | | 8 | ||
| 八歳 | | 八歳 / 八才 | ||
| はっさい | | はっさい | ||
| Hassai | | Hassai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 9 | | 9 | ||
| 九歳 | | 九歳 / 九才 | ||
| きゅうさい | | きゅうさい | ||
| Kyuusai | | Kyuusai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 10 | | 10 | ||
| 十歳 | | 十歳 / 十才 | ||
| じゅうさい | | じゅうさい | ||
| Juusai | | Juusai | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 20 | | 20 | ||
| 二十歳 | | 二十歳 / 二十才 | ||
| はたち | | はたち | ||
| Hatachi | | Hatachi |
Revision as of 02:20, 8 March 2020
Note | For Chinese text, refer to our AniDB Definition:Romanisation for Chinese guide. |
The information on this page is provided as guidelines on the use of romanised Japanese (rōmaji) in AniDB. Please be aware that this is not an exact science, there are many viable solutions to the same problem, though when submitting change requests on romanised titles users are expected to adhere to the 'house style' of the database. When there is contention over a particular issue, this page will provide both alternatives. External links to Wikipedia are provided throughout for ideas and terms that might be unfamiliar.
What romanised titles are for
- Primarily, to provide a transcription of the Japanese title that is aurally recognisable and readable by a user with little or no knowledge of the language. In using Roman script, this is obviously targeted at speakers of European languages, however as this constitutes a majority of the population of AniDB users, this is a fair restriction.
- Secondary purposes include enabling rough pronunciation of titles, providing an alternative method of searching for a Japanese title, assisting novices in reading unfamiliar words, and clarification of the reading of a particular word or phrase where it might be ambiguous.
What romanised titles aren't for
- There is no requirement to be able to reconstruct the original title from romanised form. With three distinct scripts plus Roman, a wide range of homophones, and typographic intricacies such as furigana usage, this is beyond the scope of a 26 letter alphabet. In all cases the Japanese title should be presented as well, a romanised form is in no way a replacement for this.
- Further more, the romanisation need not be a lossless transliteration of Japanese spelling. Though less so than English, Japanese pronunciation deviates somewhat from the phonemic spelling. As the aim is to provide an aurally recognisable transcription, it is more important to better reflect the sound than exact spelling.
- Romanised titles do not need to provide a basis for correct Japanese collation of titles. This is a technical problem that would be better handled correctly through its own system, and would interfere with the primary purpose of the romanisation.
- Romanisations need not have an 'official' status. Though both the Japanese makers and international licensees might provide a romanised title/name, this is irrelevant to a transcription of the Japanese title/name.
Hepburn romanisation
The Hepburn romanisation system was devised for a Japanese–English dictionary, published in 1867. Despite having no official status, variations of it are used for a vast majority of transcriptions, both inside and outside Japan. Unlike the two other main romanisation schemes, it concentrates of representing Japanese phonology rather than the underlying spelling.
Table of kana romanisation
Each mora represented in the kana spelling of a Japanese word can be transcribed into Roman letters according to the table below, with a few special cases that are listed in the following sections. The hiragana is on the left, katakana is on the right.
Table adapted from wikipedia article on Hepburn. Obsolete kana are shown in red.
あ a ア | い i イ | う u ウ | え e エ | お o オ | (ya) | (yu) | (yo) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
か ka カ | き ki キ | く ku ク | け ke ケ | こ ko コ | きゃ kya キャ | きゅ kyu キュ | きょ kyo キョ |
さ sa サ | し shi シ | す su ス | せ se セ | そ so ソ | しゃ sha シャ | しゅ shu シュ | しょ sho ショ |
た ta タ | ち chi チ | つ tsu ツ | て te テ | と to ト | ちゃ cha チャ | ちゅ chu チュ | ちょ cho チョ |
な na ナ | に ni ニ | ぬ nu ヌ | ね ne ネ | の no ノ | にゃ nya ニャ | にゅ nyu ニュ | にょ nyo ニョ |
は ha ハ | ひ hi ヒ | ふ fu フ | へ he ヘ | ほ ho ホ | ひゃ hya ヒャ | ひゅ hyu ヒュ | ひょ hyo ヒョ |
ま ma マ | み mi ミ | む mu ム | め me メ | も mo モ | みゃ mya ミャ | みゅ myu ミュ | みょ myo ミョ |
や ya ヤ | ゆ yu ユ | よ yo ヨ | |||||
ら ra ラ | り ri リ | る ru ル | れ re レ | ろ ro ロ | りゃ rya リャ | りゅ ryu リュ | りょ ryo リョ |
わ wa ワ | ゐ wi ヰ | ゑ we ヱ | を wo ヲ | ||||
ん n ン | |||||||
が ga ガ | ぎ gi ギ | ぐ gu グ | げ ge ゲ | ご go ゴ | ぎゃ gya ギャ | ぎゅ gyu ギュ | ぎょ gyo ギョ |
ざ za ザ | じ ji ジ | ず zu ズ | ぜ ze ゼ | ぞ zo ゾ | じゃ ja ジャ | じゅ ju ジュ | じょ jo ジョ |
だ da ダ | ぢ (ji) ヂ | づ (zu) ヅ | で de デ | ど do ド | ぢゃ (ja) ヂャ | ぢゅ (ju) ヂュ | ぢょ (jo) ヂョ |
ば ba バ | び bi ビ | ぶ bu ブ | べ be ベ | ぼ bo ボ | びゃ bya ビャ | びゅ byu ビュ | びょ byo ビョ |
ぱ pa パ | ぴ pi ピ | ぷ pu プ | ぺ pe ペ | ぽ po ポ | ぴゃ pya ピャ | ぴゅ pyu ピュ | ぴょ pyo ピョ |
Extended Katakana - These are used mainly to represent the sounds in words in other languages. Most of these are not formally standardized and some are very rarely used. | |||||||
ye イェ | |||||||
wi ウィ | we ウェ | wo ウォ | |||||
va ヷ | vi ヸ | ve ヹ | vo ヺ | ||||
va ヴァ | vi ヴィ | vu ヴ | ve ヴェ | vo ヴォ | |||
she シェ | |||||||
je ジェ | |||||||
ti ティ | tu トゥ | che チェ | tyu テュ | ||||
di ディ | du ドゥ | dyu デュ | |||||
tsa ツァ | tsi ツィ | tse ツェ | tso ツォ | ||||
fa ファ | fi フィ | fe フェ | fo フォ | fyu フュ |
General rule for dictionary words
When transcribing, glue transcriptions together only for names and dictionary terms. The following are good online dictionaries to reference:
Special cases
Hepburn also has a few extra rules to deal with particular cases, the ones below the AniDB house style adheres to.
The particle spelling rules exist to reflect modern Japanese pronunciation, note there are other features that Hepburn does not attempt to reflect, for instance the frequent dropping of the vowel /u/ (です is only pronounced 'desu' by kids), largely because there's no easy rule that could always be applied. The 'small tsu' rules reflect the fact it used in two rather different ways, and the syllabic n case is to deal with the problem that transcription might be ambiguous in a few cases.
Particle は as wa
This rule is basically accepted by everyone, generally only ignored in error.
When used as a particle, transcribe は as 'wa' rather than 'ha'
- Better represents the pronunciation
- Common practice everywhere
Particle へ as e
Sometimes contested, as romanisations that ignore this rule are somewhat common. Use 'e' in preference, but if adding an anime title where 'he' is sometimes used, add that alternative as a synonym.
When used as a particle, transcribe へ as 'e' rather than 'he'.
- Better represents the pronunciation.
- Established Hepburn rule, and widespread usage by those who follow transcription rules strictly.
- Titles will save one character per へ particle.
Particle を as o
When used as a particle (you won't ever see it used in a normal word, so this means always (exceptions can come with names) transcribe を as 'o' rather than 'wo'.
- Better represents the pronunciation.
- Established Hepburn rule, and widespread usage by those who follow transcription rules strictly.
Discussion: 2004.06 (old forum) / 2004.06 (old forum) / 2005.07 (old forum) (warning: profanity)
っ when geminate consonant
Really a very simple rule, complicated by one particular case. When っ is indicating a stop, the easy way to show that in the Roman alphabet is with a doubled consonant. However for っち/っちゃ/っちゅ/っちょ the cluster tch is a probably a better transcription than cch (which is also confused by use in Italian) - but which is used tends to come down to individual words, which makes applying a general rule very difficult.
When part of a word, always transcribe っ by doubling the following consonant.
- One less rule to remember.
- Some common words are best known with a 'cch' transcription.
- Futari Ecchi (ふたりエッチ) Ecchi has been borrowed back into English, and almost always spelt with the 'cch' - though this particular title is arguably just 'Futari H'.
っ when exclamation
Commonly either given as an exclamation mark or just dropped, the former is preferable.
Transcribe っ at the end of a word as '!', unless followed by one anyway, in which case drop.
- The っ as surprise/intonation marker is broadly equivalent to an exclamation mark.
- !! is っ! is ! semanticly, typography isn't important for transcriptions.
- AA! Megami-sama! (ああっ女神さまっ)
- Tsuruhime Ja! (つる姫じゃーっ!)
ん before vowels as n'
Accepted.
Examples:
- れんあい (ren'ai)
- 小泉ジュンイチロー (Koizumi Jun'ichirou)
Deviations from Hepburn
Note | These are rules in Hepburn that the AniDB house style does not follow, for the reasons given. |
Macron usage for long vowels
Not accepted.
ん before labial consonants as m
Not accepted.
Guidance for Using External Sources to Support Romanisations
This policy was confirmed on 25-Jan-2020 as discussed here .
Anime Titles
"Officially" provided Japanese romanisations should not be added as the main name for AniDB purposes; the main name should always follow AniDB transcription rules as set out here. Add the "official" transcription as a synonym if needed.
Native Japanese Words and Names, Non-Native Japanese Words
- For native Japanese words and names (e.g. 星界の紋章 Seikai no Monshou , 衛宮士郎 Emiya Shirou ), always use AniDB house rules.
- For non-native Japanese words (e.g. コードギアス Code Geass ), always use AniDB house rules.
Non-Native Japanese Names
For non-native Japanese names (e.g. ルルーシュ・ヴィ・ブリタニア Lelouch vi Britannia ):
- If the Japanese producer provides an official spelling of the non-native name ("Lelouch vi Britannia"), use the official spelling.
- However, for foreign (non-Japanese) names where the correct foreign spelling is known, and/or there exists a standard Latin transcription (e.g. Chinese transcriptions): use that as the main name for the entry, instead of the Japan-provided spelling.
- In such a scenario, add the Japan-provided official spelling as an alternate name of Type: Other, under the corresponding foreign language.
- Exceptions may (or may not) apply for completely senseless spellings or spellings that run greatly afoul of our house rules.
- ネロ・カオス Nrvnqsr Chaos is the official spelling. Since the name is essentially unreadable, the transcription used as the main name is Nero Chaos; this matches the pronunciation in the anime, is accepted by fans and other third parties without dispute over its correctness, is routinely used by third parties, and is aurally sound when compared to the katakana.
- クワトロ・バジーナ Quattro Vajeena is an accepted official spelling despite being phonetically questionable and considered non-ideal by large parts of the community (which prefers Quattro Bajeena).
- However, for foreign (non-Japanese) names where the correct foreign spelling is known, and/or there exists a standard Latin transcription (e.g. Chinese transcriptions): use that as the main name for the entry, instead of the Japan-provided spelling.
- If the Japanese producer does not provide an official spelling of the non-native name (i.e. lack of primary evidence), use AniDB house rules and write a transcription that makes the most sense.
- Remember, transcriptions should generally be aurally recognisable.
- As always, use AniDB's house rules described in this article when writing any transcribed Japanese titles in AniDB; AniDB's house rules consider official spellings from the Japanese producer as primary evidence.
- The English translation of the full script from international licensee (for example: Crunchyroll for anime, Yen Press for manga and light novel) is usually acceptable as secondary evidence to an official source, to help determine a romanisation; it is a good starting point to use as a basis for the Japanese transcription on AniDB. The English translation of the script is not, however, a definitive Japanese transcription and should not be used as such.
- However, official Japanese source transcriptions will always override (unless 1.1 applies).
- Further, do not use an international licensee's translation as a Japanese transcription if it significantly differs from the phonetic katakana reading, or if it significantly differs from the commonly accepted reading if the original language and reading is known; staff discretion (maintainer, moderator) is used on a case-by-case basis.
- For example, トーマス is commonly accepted as a katakana transcription for "Thomas". If the international licensee (e.g. Crunchyroll, Daisuki, Hulu, Netflix, Yen Press, etc) gave the character's name instead as "Tonas", we would not use this as the Japanese transcription on AniDB; at the bare minimum, transcribe the katakana exactly as it is written and use "Toumas" as use transcription. Further, if there is a known and commonly accepted transcription such as "Thomas", this can be used instead as appropriate on a case-by-case basis.
- Historically, licensees have also been prone to making mistakes as anyone else would, which is why they are only considered secondary sources for transcriptions. The term "licensee" includes official English translations for all media types, including anime, manga, light novels, etc.
- Do not blindly copy transcriptions from fansubs, fan scanlations, and other similar fan sources.
Loanwords and Transcribed Words in Japanese
- The description is missing or severely incomplete.If you can, please help by explaining it.
For more information, see Wikipedia's page on Gairaigo.
Spell in original language where possible
For foreign loanwords and foreign words transcribed to Japanese, spell the word as the original language would spell it. Do NOT write it as a Japanese romanisation.
For foreign names, refer to guidance earlier in this article.
Please remember that some loanwords may have variant spellings in the original language, to account for gender (masculine/feminine/neuter), number (singular/plural), and other grammatical considerations. When feasible, try to adhere to the original language's usage when picking the spelling variant.
Example:
- ウォーター (uootaa): this is the word 'water' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'water' in the transcription title.
- ラッキー (rakkii), this is the word 'lucky' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'lucky' in the transcription title.
- アイスクリーム (aisu kuriimu): this is the words 'ice cream' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'ice cream' in the transcription title.
- たまごっち (tamagocchi): this has a widely used English spelling of 'Tamagotchi'. Spell it as 'Tamagotchi' in the transcription title.
- ぷち / ぷちっと (petit / puchitto), this is the French word 'petit' or 'petite' transcribed to Japanese. Spell it as 'petit' (masculine) or 'petite' (feminine) (as appropriate, in the usage context) in the transcription title.
- スカトロ(ジー) (katakana) / すかとろ(じい) (hiragana) ('sukatoro(jii)', 'scatolo(gy)' (English)), Japanese usage is a short form of "scatology", and is consistent with the definition of scatology. Spell it as 'scatolo' for the contracted version (it's just an abbreviation of the loanword) and 'scatology' for the full version.
Drop all diacritics (umlauts [ ¨ ], accents [ ˝ ], etc)
For all foreign words with diacritics, AniDB follows the simplest and most common English-language convention: drop all diacritics without the use of sound-substitutions. This rule applies to all foreign languages without exception.
Example:
- Walküre: spell as Walkure (drop all diacritics) and not Walkuere (do not use sound-substitutions).
What to do with Wasei-eigo terms, and invented words using other languages (ie Wasei-xxx)
- The description is missing or severely incomplete.If you can, please help by explaining it.
For more information, see Wikipedia's page on Wasei-eigo. In general, spell in the foreign language if it makes sense to do so. If it does not make sense, transcribe the reading directly without trying to map to the foreign language.
Examples:
- レベルアップ (reberu appu, 'level up'): Japanese usage means "raise a level". Spell it as 'level up' in the transcription title, as it readily maps to English.
- カンニング (kanningu, 'cunning'): Japanese usage means "cheating". Spell it as 'cunning' in the transcription title, as it readily maps to English.
- スキンシップ (sukinshippu, 'skinship'), Japanese usage means "physical contact" and appears to have been coined from skin and kinship. Spell it as 'skinship' as it readily maps to existing words in English.
- アパートメントハウス (apaatomentohausu, 'apartment house'), Japanese usage means "apartment building" and appears to have been coined from apartment and house. Spell it as 'apartment house' as it readily maps to existing words in English.
- アパート ('apaato', 'apart(ment)'), Japanese usage is a short form of "apartment house". Spell it as 'apaato' as it does not readily map to existing words in English with the meaning of "apartment".
- アルバイト (arubaito, 'arbeit' (German)), Japanese usage means "work or job", and is borrowed from German. Spell it as 'arbeit' in the transcription title, as it readily maps to German.
- バイト ('baito', '(ar)beit' (German)), Japanese usage is a short form of "arbeit". Spell it as 'baito' as it does not readily map to existing words in German with the meaning of "arbeit".
Other orthography issues
- The description is missing or severely incomplete.If you can, please help by explaining it.
Anything that doesn't fit into the above major categories.
Capitalisation
Use an initial capital letter for 単語.
See the Capitalisation guide.
Punctuation
Use international punctuation rules:
- space after comma (,) but not before
- space after last full stop (.), questionmark (?), exclamation mark (!)
- use no space after the aforementioned if it's the end of the sentence/expression
For Japanese titles:
- replace any Japanese fullwidth characters with equivalent halfwidth character
- replace Japanese comma (、), Japanese full stop (。), questionmark (?), exclamation mark (!) and, where applicable, space to meet punctuation rules
Spacing
Separate each word (単語 (Tango)) and particle (助詞 (Joshi)).
Exception: (Question) Particle: か (ka)
When か is used as an indicator for a question (most of the times at the end of a sentence), it will be assimilated to the Verb. Example: 私の家へ行きますか - Watashi no Uchi e Ikimasuka
When か is used to indicate a choice in the middle of a sentence, which includes a noun, it will be split. Example: コーヒーか茶か - Kohi ka Cha ka
隊 (tai)
Separate 隊 (Tai ("Group")), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 軍隊 (Guntai (Army/Troops)). Don't hyphenate.
Example:
- 少女隊 - Shoujo Tai (Shoujo Tai , a Japanese girl band from the 80's)
Note: not to be confused with 対 (tai, "versus"), which is always lowercase
号 (gou)
Separate 号 (Gou ("Vessel" / "Ship" / "Issue" / [...]), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 暗号 (Angou (Code/Cypher))). Don't hyphenate.
Example:
- ベザン・ブラック号 - Bezan Black Gou (Bezan Black Gou , character/ship from One Piece)
編 / 篇 (hen / hen)
Separate 編 / 篇 ("Volume" / "Version" / [...]), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 完結編 (Kanketsuhen (Last program of a series)), 予告編 / 予告篇 (Yokokuhen (trailer / advanced notice))). Don't hyphenate.
Example:
- 魔動王グランゾート 冒険編 - Madou King Grandzort: Bouken Hen (Madou King Grandzort: Bouken Hen , an OVA from the 90s)
- 予告篇 - Yokokuhen (Yokokuhen , a preview/trailer for Tenjou Tenge )
版 (ban)
Separate 版 ("Edition" / "Version" / [...]), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 劇場版 (Gekijouban (Movie edition))). Don't hyphenate.
Example:
- アニメPV [ノンテロップ版] - Anime PV [Non-Telop Ban] (Kakuchou Shoujo Kei Trinary - T1 - Anime PV 01 (0:35) (Anime PV [Non-Telop Ban]) , the Non-TELOP version PV)
- ノンテロップ版 38.PHASE-40 - Non-Telop Ban 38.PHASE-40 (Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED - S8 - Special 8 (Non-Telop Ban 38.PHASE-40) , the Non-TELOP version episode (which was included in the BD/DVD))
弾 / 話 (dan / wa)
Separate 弾 ("Volume") and 話 ("Episode"/"Story"), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 爆弾 (Bakudan (Bomb)), 会話 (Kaiwa (Conversation))). Don't hyphenate.
Example:
- 『コードギアス 復活のルルーシュ』TVCM第1弾 ルルーシュ編 (15秒) - "Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch" TVCM Dai 1 Dan Lelouch Hen (15 Byou) (Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch - T5 - "Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch" TVCM No. 1 Lelouch Version (0:15)) , the 1st Lelouch version PV)
- Lite 第1話 こたつむり - Lite Dai 1 Wa: Kotatsumuri (Lite 1: Kotatsnail , the 1st episode of the Lite series of specials)
部 (bu)
Separate 部 ("Part" / "Section" / [...]), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 帰宅部 (Kitakubu (Students who do not participate in club activities of the school))). Don't hyphenate.
Example:
- 柔道部物語 - Judo Bu Monogatari (Judo Bu Monogatari , an OVA from the 90s)
Exception: If the term preceding 部 is not a word, use a hyphen. Examples:
- Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-bu: C3 is not a word.
- GJ-bu: GJ is not a word.
する (suru)
Always split
Example:
- べんきょうする - Benkyou Suru
- べんきょうします - Benkyou Shimasu
- べんきょうしました - Benkyou Shimashita
品 (hin / ひん)
Separate 品 (Hin ("article, item")), except when it's actually part of another word (e.g. 作品 (Sakuhin (Work/Performance)). Don't hyphenate.
Example:
- 实验品 - Jikken Hin (Jikken Hin Kazoku , lit: "Experimental Product Family")
ではありません (de wa Arimasen)
This phrase is composed of particle + particle + verb + negation. It can be translated as "is not".
There is a special bastardization (じゃない) of this phrase which should be transcribed in the following way:
じゃ = de wa = ja
The particles de wa have been merged into ja
ない = Arimasen = Nai
The verb and negation Arimasen have been turned into Nai
Thus de wa Arimasen is turned into ja Nai.
Honorifics and Suffixes expressing status/job
Honorifics and such are widely used in Japanese.
Our rules on that are:
- use dictionary word if applicable
- use dash (-) to separate word from honorific
- use lowercase on the honorific
(Incomplete) List of Suffixes
- -bokushi (牧師)
- -chan (and all its variations) (ちゃん)
- -chi (ち)
- -denka (殿下)
- -fujin (夫人)
- -hakase (博士)
- -hakushaku (伯爵)
- -heika (陛下)
- -hime (姫)
- -kakka (閣下)
- -keibu (警部)
- -keibuho (警部補)
- -kouhai (後輩)
- -kun (君/くん)
- -kyou (卿)
- -kyouju (教授)
- -megami (女神)
- -ojou (お嬢)
- -sama (さま)
- -san (さん)
- -senpai (先輩)
- -sensei (先生)
- -shi (氏)
- -shimai (姉妹)
- -shinpu (神父)
(Incomplete) List of dictionary words
- お父さん - Otousan ("Papa"), but Otou-chan
- お母さん - Okaasan ("Mama"), but Okaa-chan
- 父上 - Chichiue ("Father")
- 母上 - Hahaue ("Mother")
- 父親 - Chichioya ("Father")
- 母親 - Hahaoya ("Mother")
- おじさん - Ojisan ("Uncle"), but Oji-chan
- おばさん - Obasan ("Aunt"), but Oba-chan
- おじいさん - Ojiisan ("Grandpa"), but Ojii-chan
- おばあさん - Obaasan ("Grandma"), but Obaa-chan
- 赤ちゃん - Akachan ("Baby")
- 神様 - Kamisama ("God")
- 白雪姫 - Shirayukihime ("Snow White"), but Akagami no Shirayuki-hime because Shirayuki is the actual name of the title character (see creq)
- 歌姫 - Utahime ("Songstress")
- 人魚姫 - Ningyohime ("Mermaid Princess")
- 雪男 - Yukiotoko ("Snow man")
- 雪女 - Yukionna ("Snow woman")
- 殿様 - Tonosama ("Lord")
- 機関車先生 - Kikanshasensei
たち (tachi)
Always split from the associated word and set '-', unless the word is a pronoun or dictionary word, in which case keep glued.
i.e.
Elf o Karu Mono-tachi
but: kimitachi, oretachi, anatatachi, omaetachi, watashitachi, hitotachi, and so on.
色 (iro)
Dictionary Words
A list of real Japanese composita that you can find in a dictionary will be seen as one word on AniDB:
- 藍色 - Aiiro ("Indigo Blue")
- 茜色 - Akaneiro ("Madder Red")
- 赤色 - Akairo ("Red")
- 薔薇色/バラ色/ばら色 - Barairo ("Rose Coloured")
- 橙色 - Daidaiiro ("Orange")
- 艶色 - Enshoku ("Charming / Wonderful Colour")
- 銀色 - Gin'iro ("Silver Coloured")
- 灰色 - Haiiro ("Grey")
- 緋色 - Hiiro, Hishoku ("Scarlet", "Cardinal")
- 黄色 - Kiiro ("Yellow")
- 金色 - Kin'iro ("Golden")
- 金色/こんじき - Konjiki ("Golden")
- 水色 - Mizuiro ("Light Blue")
- 桃色 - Momoiro ("Pink", "Rosy")
- 七色/なないろ - Nanairo (describes the seven colours of the rainbow)
- 鈍色/にびいろ - Nibiiro ("Gray Mouse Coloured")
- 音色 - Neiro ("Tone colour", "tone (quality)")
- 瑠璃色 - Ruriiro ("Azure")
- 緑色 - Ryokushoku/Midoriiro ("Green")
- 桜色 - Sakurairo ("Pink", "Cherry Blossom Coloured")
- 真珠色 - Shinjuiro ("Pearl Grey")
- 秋色 - Shuushoku ("Autumn/Fall Scenery")
- 空色/そらいろ - Sorairo ("Sky Coloured")
- 鴇色/ときいろ - Tokiiro ("Pale Pink", "Pale Rose")
- 山吹色/やまぶきいろ - Yamabukiiro ("Bright Yellow")
Non-Dictionary Words
A list of composita with 色 that you can't find in a Japanese dictionary will be separated with "-":
- 雨色 - Ame-iro ("Rain Coloured")
- あなた色 - Anata-iro ("You-Coloured")
- 朝色 - Asa-iro ("Morning Coloured")
- 不思議色 - Fushigi-iro ("Mysterious Coloured")
- グンジョ色 - Gunjo-iro (群青, Gunjou: Ultramarine)
- 初色 - Hatsu-iro ("First (Time) Coloured")
- 枯れ葉色 - Kareha-iro ("Colour of Dead/Dry Leaves")
- 君色 - Kimi-iro ("You-Coloured")
- 恋色 - Koi-iro ("Love Coloured")
- ココロいろ - Kokoro-iro (Kokoro means Heart, but can also be Soul, thus it's either "Heart Coloured" or "Soul Coloured")
- マーブル色 - Marble-iro ("Marble Coloured")
- モーブ色 - Mauve-iro (Mauve Coloured)
- みらいいろ - Mirai-iro ("Future-Coloured")
- 紫水晶色 - Murasakisuishou-iro ("Amethyst Coloured")
- ナミダイロ - Namida-iro ("Wave Coloured")
- 夏色 - Natsu-iro ("Summer Coloured")
- ニビイロ - Nibi-iro ("Nibi Coloured")
- 虹色 - Niji-iro ("Rainbow Coloured")
- オレンジ色 - Orange-iro ("Orange (Coloured)")
- セピア色 - Sepia-iro ("Sepia Coloured")
- 修羅色 - Shura-iro ("Fighting/Battle Coloured")
- ときめき色 - Tokimeki-iro (ときめく, tokimeku: to throb, to flutter, to palpitate; send your throb-coloured things to us!)
- 夢色 - Yume-iro ("Dream Coloured")
- 百合色 - Yuri-iro ("Lily Coloured")
- ユウヤケイロ - Yuuyake-iro ("Sunset Coloured")
Special Guests
A list of anime specific "colours" that are purely fictional:
- ラメ色 - Lum-iro (Lum , a character from Urusei Yatsura)
- トモカネいろ - Tomokane-iro (Tomokane , a character from GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class)
- ノダミキいろ - Noda Miki-iro (Noda Miki , a character from GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class)
- ナミコいろ - Namiko-iro (Namiko , a character from GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class)
- キョージュいろ - Kyoju-iro (Kyoju , nickname for a character from GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class)
- キサラギいろ - Kisaragi-iro (Kisaragi , a character from GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class)
This list is of course not complete and will get new colours added when they are encountered
Counters
When making a combination between a number and one of the many many many Japanese counters, the two words merge into one, thus creating a compound.
Here you will find a list of some (!) useful counters and how they should be transcribed on AniDB.
Please note that there is a whole lot more of counters used in the Japanese language that are not included in this list, making this list expandable.
Arabic Numerals and Counters -- General Rule
As a general rule, Arabic numbers should be written as Japanese words when part of a word; see examples below.
While incorrect, the Alternate Transcription can be added as a synonym/alias transcription, to allow for searchability of the entry.
Text | Hiragana | Correct (Preferred) Transcription | Incorrect (Alternate) Transcription | Incorrect Transcription |
---|---|---|---|---|
3つ | みっつ | Mittsu | 3-tsu | 3tsu |
3月 | さんがつ | Sangatsu | 3-gatsu | 3gatsu |
Rules for Transcribing Dates
The following are general guidelines for transcribing dates, both when used to refer to specific calendar dates (i.e. 25.06.2018), and when counting dates as units (i.e. "it has been 20 years", "2 months until the deadline", "I leave in 17 days").
-- "Full" Dates
If a "full" date is given without Arabic numerals, transcribe the kanji in full.
Text | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|
二〇一六年十二月十一日 | にせんじゅうろくねん じゅうにがつ じゅういちにち | nisenjuurokunen juunigatsu juuichinichi |
二〇一六年十二月 | にせんじゅうろくねん じゅうにがつ | nisenjuurokunen juunigatsu |
十二月十一日 | じゅうにがつ じゅういちにち | juunigatsu juuichinichi |
If a "full" date is given with Arabic numerals, leave the numerals in the transcription.
Text | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|
2016年12月11日 | 2016ねん12がつ11にち | 2016-nen 12-gatsu 11-nichi |
2016年12月 | 2016ねん12がつ | 2016-nen 12-gatsu |
12月11日 | 4がつ11にち | 12-gatsu 11-nichi |
-- Year (Counter: 年, -nen)
If 年 is being used to count the number of years as a counter object, ie 12年 as in "twelve years", transcribe in full: juuninen.
This policy does not apply to the 年 (nen, year) counter, when being used as a date. For dates regarding specific calendar years, such as "2016年" meaning "the calendar year 2016", transcribe as "2016-nen". If given in kanji, such as "二〇一六年", transcribe in full as "nisenjuuroku-nen".
-- Month (Counter: 月, -gatsu)
The 12 months of the year are considered dictionary terms, always transcribe in full. Similar to how the months in English are named January through December, the Japanese months are named 一月/1月 through 十二月/12月. When used to refer to the month, transcribe in full, such as ichigatsu and juunigatsu.
--- Specific Exception: Month as a counter: (ヶ月, kagetsu)
If 月 is being used to count the number of months as a counter object, ie 12ヶ月 as in "twelve months", transcribe in full: juunikagetsu.
List of the 12 dictionary months:
# | Text | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一月 | いちがつ | Ichigatsu |
2 | 二月 | にがつ | Nigatsu |
3 | 三月 | さんがつ | Sangatsu |
4 | 四月 | しがつ | Shigatsu |
5 | 五月 | ごがつ | Gogatsu |
6 | 六月 | ろくがつ | Rokugatsu |
7 | 七月 | しちがつ | Shichigatsu |
8 | 八月 | はちがつ | Hachigatsu |
9 | 九月 | くがつ | Kugatsu |
10 | 十月 | じゅうがつ | Juugatsu |
11 | 十一月 | じゅういちがつ | Juuichigatsu |
12 | 十二月 | じゅうにがつ | Juunigatsu |
-- Day (Counter: 日, -nichi)
If 日 is being used to count the number of days as a counter object, ie 11日 as in "eleven days", transcribe in full: juuichinichi.
However, 1st to 10th, 14th, 20th, and 24th, are irregular.
This policy does not apply to the 日 (nichi, day) counter, when being used as a date. For dates regarding specific calendar days, such as "11日" meaning "the calendar date of the 11th", transcribe as "11-nichi". If given in kanji, such as "十一日", transcribe in full as "juuichinichi".
# | Text | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一日 | ついたち | Tsuitachi |
2 | 二日 | ふつか | Futsuka |
3 | 三日 | みっか | Mikka |
4 | 四日 | よっか | Yokka |
5 | 五日 | いつか | Itsuka |
6 | 六日 | むいか | Muika |
7 | 七日 | なのか | Nanoka |
8 | 八日 | ようか | Youka |
9 | 九日 | ここのか | Kokonoka |
10 | 十日 | とおか | Tooka |
14 | 十四日 | じゅうよっか | Juuyokka |
20 | 二十日 | はつか | Hatsuka |
24 | 二十四日 | にじゅうよっか | Nijuuyokka |
Japanese Addresses and Arabic Numerals
When Arabic numerals are given in a Japanese address, do NOT transcribe the Arabic numeral. If the address contains non-Arabic numbers, transcribe into Arabic numbers.
Japan Post has also defined a standard English address format. The order is reversed when writing in roman letters, to better suit Western conventions.
More info can be found on this Wikipedia article.
Examples:
- 3-Choume no Tama: Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?
- 3-Choume no Tama: Onegai! Momo-chan o Sagashite!!
- 3-Choume no Tama: Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka?
Description | Japanese | Transcription | Japan Post Standard English |
---|---|---|---|
Full address | 〒100-8994 東京都中央区八重洲一丁目5番3号 東京中央郵便局 |
〒100-8994 Tokyo-to Chuuou-ku Yaesu 1-Choume 5-ban 3-gou Tokyo Chuuou Yuubin-kyoku |
Tokyo Central Post Office 5-3, Yaesu 1-Chome Chuo-ku, Tokyo 100-8994 |
District, block, and building number (choume and bangou) | 八重洲一丁目5番3号 | Yaesu 1-Choume 5-ban 3-gou | 5-3, Yaesu 1-Chome |
District, block, and building number (choume and bangou) | 八重洲1丁目5番3号 | Yaesu 1-Choume 5-ban 3-gou | 5-3, Yaesu 1-Chome |
Counting in General (Counter: つ, -tsu)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一つ | ひとつ | Hitotsu |
2 | 二つ | ふたつ | Futatsu |
3 | 三つ | みっつ | Mittsu |
4 | 四つ | よっつ | Yottsu |
5 | 五つ | いつつ | Itsutsu |
6 | 六つ | むつ | Mutsu |
7 | 七つ | ななつ | Nanatsu |
8 | 八つ | やっつ | Yattsu |
9 | 九つ | ここのつ | Kokonotsu |
10 | 十 | とお | Too |
20 | 二十 | はたち | Hatachi |
Positioning / # (Counter: 番, -ban)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一番 | いちばん | Ichiban |
2 | 二番 | にばん | Niban |
3 | 三番 | さんばん | Sanban |
4 | 四番 | よんばん | Yonban |
5 | 五番 | ごばん | Goban |
6 | 六番 | ろくばん | Rokuban |
7 | 七番 | ななばん | Nanaban |
8 | 八番 | はちばん | Hachiban |
9 | 九番 | きゅうばん | Kyuuban |
10 | 十番 | じゅうばん | Juuban |
People (Counter: 人, -hito/-nin)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一人 | ひとり | Hitori |
2 | 二人 | ふたり | Futari |
3 | 三人 | さんにん | Sannin |
4 | 四人 | よにん | Yonin |
5 | 五人 | ごにん | Gonin |
6 | 六人 | ろくにん | Rokunin |
7 | 七人 | ななにん / しちにん | Nananin / Shichinin |
8 | 八人 | はちにん | Hachinin |
9 | 九人 | きゅうにん | Kyuunin |
10 | 十人 | じゅうにん | Juunin |
Age (Counter: 歳 / 才, -sai)
If age (歳 / 才) is given with an Arabic numeral, it should NOT be merged.
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1歳 / 1才 | 1さい | 1-sai |
2 | 2歳 / 2才 | 2さい | 2-sai |
12 | 12歳 / 3才 | 12さい | 12-sai |
Otherwise, merge if given in kana.
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一歳 / 一才 | いっさい | Issai |
2 | 二歳 / 二才 | にさい | Nisai |
3 | 三歳 / 三才 | さんさい | Sansai |
4 | 四歳 / 四才 | よんさい | Yonsai |
5 | 五歳 / 五才 | ごさい | Gosai |
6 | 六歳 / 六才 | ろくさい | Rokusai |
7 | 七歳 / 七才 | ななさい | Nanasai |
8 | 八歳 / 八才 | はっさい | Hassai |
9 | 九歳 / 九才 | きゅうさい | Kyuusai |
10 | 十歳 / 十才 | じゅうさい | Juusai |
20 | 二十歳 / 二十才 | はたち | Hatachi |
Small Animals + rolls of cloth (Counter: 匹, -hiki)
Small Animals (up until the size of a dog); also rolls of cloth.
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一匹 | いっぴき | Ippiki |
2 | 二匹 | にひき | Nihiki |
3 | 三匹 | さんびき | Sanbiki |
4 | 四匹 | よんひき | Yonhiki |
5 | 五匹 | ごひき | Gohiki |
6 | 六匹 | ろっぴき | Roppiki |
7 | 七匹 | ななひき / しちひき | Nanahiki / Shichihiki |
8 | 八匹 | はっぴき | Happiki |
9 | 九匹 | きゅうひき | Kyuuhiki |
10 | 十匹 | じゅっぴき | Juppiki |
Large Animals (Counter: 頭, -tou)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一頭 | いっとう | Ittou |
2 | 二頭 | にとう | Nitou |
3 | 三頭 | さんとう | Santou |
4 | 四頭 | よんとう | Yontou |
5 | 五頭 | ごとう | Gotou |
6 | 六頭 | ろくとう | Rokutou |
7 | 七頭 | ななとう | Nanatou |
8 | 八頭 | ななとう / はっとう | Hattou / Hachitou |
9 | 九頭 | きゅうとう | Kyuutou |
10 | 十頭 | じゅっとう | Juttou |
Stories/Tales (Counter: 話, -wa)
Birds and Rabbits (Counter: 羽, -wa)
Bunches, Bundles, Sheaves, Letters (Counter: 把, -wa)
All 3 of these counters are pronounced the same; hence, they are transcribed the same as well.
- Stories/Tales (Counter: 話, -wa)
- Birds and Rabbits (Counter: 羽, -wa)
- Bunches, Bundles, Sheaves, Letters (Counter: 把, -wa)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一話 | いちわ | Ichiwa |
2 | 二話 | にわ | Niwa |
3 | 三話 | さんわ | Sanwa |
4 | 四話 | よんわ | Yonwa |
5 | 五話 | ごわ | Gowa |
6 | 六話 | ろくわ / ろっぱ | Rokuwa / Roppa |
7 | 七話 | ななわ / しちわ | Nanawa / Shichiwa |
8 | 八話 | はちわ / はっぱ | Hachiwa / Happa |
9 | 九話 | きゅうわ | Kyuuwa |
10 | 十話 | じゅうわ / じゅっぱ | Juuwa / Juppa |
Long Thin Objects (Counter: 本, -hon)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一本 | いっぽん | Ippon |
2 | 二本 | にほん | Nihon |
3 | 三本 | さんぼん | Sanbon |
4 | 四本 | よんほん | Yonhon |
5 | 五本 | ごほん | Gohon |
6 | 六本 | ろくほん / ろっぽん | Rokuhon / Roppon |
7 | 七本 | ななほん | Nanahon |
8 | 八本 | はっぽん | Happon |
9 | 九本 | きゅうほん | Kyuuhon |
10 | 十本 | じゅっぽん | Juppon |
Small Objects (Counter: 個, -ko)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一個 | いっこ | Ikko |
2 | 二個 | にこ | Niko |
3 | 三個 | さんこ | Sanko |
4 | 四個 | よんこ | Yonko |
5 | 五個 | ごこ | Goko |
6 | 六個 | ろっこ | Rokko |
7 | 七個 | ななこ | Nanako |
8 | 八個 | はっこ | Hakko |
9 | 九個 | きゅうこ | Kyuuko |
10 | 十個 | じゅっこ | Jukko |
Machines and Vehicles (Counter: 大, -dai)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一大 | いちだい | Ichidai |
2 | 二大 | にだい | Nidai |
3 | 三大 | さんだい | Sandai |
4 | 四大 | よんだい | Yondai |
5 | 五大 | ごだい | Godai |
6 | 六大 | ろくだい | Rokudai |
7 | 七大 | ななだい / しちだい | Nanadai / Shichidai |
8 | 八大 | はちだい | Hachidai |
9 | 九大 | きゅうだい | Kyuudai |
10 | 十大 | じゅうだい | Juudai |
Flat Objects (Counter: 枚, -mai)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一枚 | いちまい | Ichimai |
2 | 二枚 | にまい | Nimai |
3 | 三枚 | さんまい | Sanmai |
4 | 四枚 | よんまい | Yonmai |
5 | 五枚 | ごまい | Gomai |
6 | 六枚 | ろくまい | Rokumai |
7 | 七枚 | ななまい / しちまい | Nanamai / Shichimai |
8 | 八枚 | はちまい | Hachimai |
9 | 九枚 | きゅうまい | Kyuumai |
10 | 十枚 | じゅうまい | Juumai |
Floors (of a Building) (Counter: 回, -kai)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一回 | いっかい | Ikkai |
2 | 二回 | にかい | Nikai |
3 | 三回 | さんがい | Sangai |
4 | 四回 | よんかい | Yonkai |
5 | 五回 | ごかい | Gokai |
6 | 六回 | ろっかい | Rokkai |
7 | 七回 | ななかい | Nanakai |
8 | 八回 | はちかい / はっかい | Hachikai / Hakkai |
9 | 九回 | きゅうかい | Kyuukai |
10 | 十回 | じゅっかい | Jukkai |
Glasses (of Liquid) (Counter: 杯, -hai)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一杯 | いっぱい | Ippai |
2 | 二杯 | にはい | Nihai |
3 | 三杯 | さんばい | Sanbai |
4 | 四杯 | よんはい | Yonhai |
5 | 五杯 | ごはい | Gohai |
6 | 六杯 | ろくはい / ろっぱい | Rokuhai / Roppai |
7 | 七杯 | ななはい | Nanahai |
8 | 八杯 | はちはい / はっぱい | Hachihai / Happai |
9 | 九杯 | きゅうはい | Kyuuhai |
10 | 十杯 | じゅっぱい | Juppai |
Books (Counter: 冊, -satsu)
# | Kanji | Hiragana | Transcription |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 一冊 | いっさつ | Issatsu |
2 | 二冊 | にさつ | Nisatsu |
3 | 三冊 | さんさつ | Sansatsu |
4 | 四冊 | よんさつ | Yonsatsu |
5 | 五冊 | ごさつ | Gosatsu |
6 | 六冊 | ろくさつ | Rokusatsu |
7 | 七冊 | ななさつ | Nanasatsu |
8 | 八冊 | はっさつ | Hassatsu |
9 | 九冊 | きゅうさつ | Kyuusatsu |
10 | 十冊 | じゅうさつ | Juusatsu |
Practical guide
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