A Proposal for Romanization of Japanese
extending Hepburn System
- Written on Jun.10/2012 by Masahiko Satou (
)
- Refer to the PDF version.
Introduction
This document describes how to spell Japanese language with Roman Letters.
This is written as a reference to revise ISO 3602.
Syllabary 1
Syllabary 1 is used to spell ordinary Japanese documents.
Syllabary 1 for the native words
| | a | e | i | o | u | ya | yo | yu | |
|---|
| | a (ア) | e (エ) | i (イ) | o (オ) | u (ウ) | ya (ヤ) | yo (ヨ) | yu (ユ) | |
|---|
| b | ba (バ) | be (ベ) | bi (ビ) | bo (ボ) | bu (ブ) | bya (ビャ) | byo (ビョ) | byu (ビュ) | |
|---|
| ch | cha (チャ) | | chi (チ) | cho (チョ) | chu (チュ) | | | | |
|---|
| d | da (ダ) | de (デ) | | do (ド) | | | | | |
|---|
| f | | | | | fu (フ) | | | | |
|---|
| g | ga (ガ) | ge (ゲ) | gi (ギ) | go (ゴ) | gu (グ) | gya (ギャ) | gyo (ギョ) | gyu (ギュ) | |
|---|
| h | ha (ハ) | he (ヘ) | hi (ヒ) | ho (ホ) | | hya (ヒャ) | hyo (ヒョ) | hyu (ヒュ) | h (ー)[*1] |
|---|
| j | ja (ジャ) | | ji (ジ) | jo (ジョ) | ju (ジュ) | | | | |
|---|
| k | ka (カ) | ke (ケ) | ki (キ) | ko (コ) | ku (ク) | kya (キャ) | kyo (キョ) | kyu (キュ) | |
|---|
| m | ma (マ) | me (メ) | mi (ミ) | mo (モ) | mu (ム) | mya (ミャ) | myo (ミョ) | myu (ミュ) | |
|---|
| n | na (ナ) | ne (ネ) | ni (ニ) | no (ノ) | nu (ヌ) | nya (ニャ) | nyo (ニョ) | nyu (ニュ) | n (ン)[*2] |
|---|
| p | pa (パ) | pe (ペ) | pi (ピ) | po (ポ) | pu (プ) | pya (ピャ) | pyo (ピョ) | pyu (ピュ) | |
|---|
| q[*3] | qa (ア) | qe (エ) | qi (イ) | qo (オ) | qu (ウ) | qya (ヤ) | qyo (ヨ) | qyu (ユ) | q (ッ)[*4] |
|---|
| r | ra (ラ) | re (レ) | ri (リ) | ro (ロ) | ru (ル) | rya (リャ) | ryo (リョ) | ryu (リュ) | |
|---|
| s | sa (サ) | se (セ) | | so (ソ) | su (ス) | | | | |
|---|
| sh | sha (シャ) | | shi (シ) | sho (ショ) | shu (シュ) | | | | |
|---|
| t | ta (タ) | te (テ) | | to (ト) | | | | | |
|---|
| ts | | | | | tsu (ツ) | | | | |
|---|
| w | wa (ワ) | | | | | | | | |
|---|
| z | za (ザ) | ze (ゼ) | | zo (ゾ) | zu (ズ) | | | | |
|---|
- [*1] Prolonged Vowels
- The letter "h" is used to spell prolonged vowels. The circumflex is usually substituted for the letter "h".
It is sometimes spelled as the double vowels or follows Japanese orthography.
The circumflex is omitted in the Japanese passport guideline.
- ユウラクチョウ: Yuhrakuchoh → Yûrakuchô (Yuurakuchoo, Yuurakuchou, or Yurakucho)
- [*2] The Nasal Syllable
- The letter "n" is used to spell the nasal syllable.
The letter "m" may be substituted for the letter 'n' before the letter "b", "m", or "p".
- カンダ: Kanda
- シンバシ: Shinbashi, Shimbashi
- [*3] The Glottal Stop
- When a vowel or a semivowel needs to start a new syllable except the beginning of a word,
the glottal stop letter "q" may be inserted to avoid ambiguity.
The apostrophe is usually substituted for the letter "q". A vowel is "a", "e", "i", "o", or "u".
A semivowel is "y" and sometimes includes "w". The apostrophe is omitted in the Japanese passport guideline.
- シンオオクボ: Shinqohkubo → Shin'ohkubo → Shin'ôkubo (Shinokubo)
- コウエンジ: Kohqenji → Koh'enji → Kô'enji (The last spelling solves ambiguity without the glottal stop.)
- [*4] Prolonged Consonants (Double Consonants)
- The letter "q" is used to spell prolonged consonants.
It is, however, usually replaced with double consonants as "kk", "pp", "ss" or "tt".
Exceptionally, the consonant "ch" follows "t" as "tch".
- ニッポリ: Niqpori → Nippori
- ニッシン: Niqshin → Nisshin
- ハッチョウボリ: Haqchohbori → Hatchohbori → Hatchôbori
If the following exceptional sequences appear. the letter "q" is literally used as the glottal stop.
- アッ!: Aq! (at the ending of a word)
- バッハ: Baqha ("Bahha" is ambiguous with "バーハ".)
- アッオー: Aqqoh → Aq'oh → Aq'ô ("Aqoh" is ambiguous with "アオー")
Syllabary 2
Syllabary 2 is used to spell Japanese documents including loanwords.
This syllabary complements most of the blank cells of Syllabary 1.
Syllabary 2 for the loanwords
| | a | e | i | o | u | ye | yo | yu |
|---|
| | | | | | | ye (イェ) | | |
|---|
| ch | | che (チェ) | | | | | | |
|---|
| d | | | di (ディ) | | du (ドゥ) | | | dyu (デュ) |
|---|
| f | fa (ファ) | fe (フェ) | fi (フィ) | fo (フォ) | | | fyo (フョ) | fyu (フュ) |
|---|
| gw | gwa (グァ) | gwe (グェ) | gwi (グィ) | gwo (グォ) | | | | |
|---|
| h | | | | | | hye (ヒェ) | | |
|---|
| j | | je (ジェ) | | | | | | |
|---|
| k | | | | | | kye (キェ) | | |
|---|
| kw | kwa (クァ) | kwe (クェ) | kwi (クィ) | kwo (クォ) | | | | |
|---|
| n | | | | | | nye (ニェ) | | |
|---|
| s | | | si (スィ) | | | | | |
|---|
| sh | | she (シェ) | | | | | | |
|---|
| t | | | ti (ティ) | | tu (トゥ) | | | tyu (テュ) |
|---|
| ts | tsa (ツァ) | tse (ツェ) | tsi (ツィ) | tso (ツォ) | | | | |
|---|
| v | va (ヴァ) | ve (ヴェ) | vi (ヴィ) | vo (ヴォ) | vu (ヴ) | | vyo (ヴョ) | vyu (ヴュ) |
|---|
| w | | we (ウェ) | wi (ウィ) | wo (ウォ) | | | | |
|---|
| z | | | zi (ズィ) | | | | | |
|---|
Syllabary 3
Syllabary 3 is used to spell the classic Japanese documents or the grammatical documents.
This syllabary represents the true combination between a consonant and a vowel, sometimes inserting a semivowel,
when the Kana script was invented.
Syllabary 3 for the classic words
| | a | e | i | o | u | ya | yo | yu |
|---|
| d | | | di (ヂ) | | du (ヅ) | dya (ヂャ) | dyo (ヂョ) | dyu (ヂュ) |
|---|
| gw | gwa (グヮ) | | | | | | | |
|---|
| h | | | | | hu (フ) | | | |
|---|
| kw | kwa (クヮ) | | | | | | | |
|---|
| s | | | si (シ) | | | sya (シャ) | syo (ショ) | syu (シュ) |
|---|
| t | | | ti (チ) | | tu (ツ) | tya (チャ) | tyo (チョ) | tyu (チュ) |
|---|
| w | | we (ヱ) | wi (ヰ) | wo (ヲ) | | | | |
|---|
| z | | | zi (ジ) | | | zya (ジャ) | zyo (ジョ) | zyu (ジュ) |
|---|
- ヂ, ヅ, ヂャ, ヂョ, ヂュ, and ヲ are spelled as "ji", "zu", "ja", "jo", "ju", and "o" respectively
in the modern Japanese pronunciation.
Appendices
Consonants
| | labial | alveolar | post-
alveolar | palatal | velar | glottal |
|---|
| voiceless plosive | p | t | | | k | q |
|---|
| voiced plosive | b | d | | | g | |
|---|
| voiceless affricate | | ts | ch | | | |
|---|
| voiceless fricative | f | s | sh | | | h |
|---|
| voiced fricative | v | z | j | | | |
|---|
| nasal | m | n | | | | |
|---|
| lateral approximant | | r | | | | |
|---|
| approximant | w | | | y | | |
|---|
|
Vowels
| | front | center | back |
|---|
| high | i | | u |
|---|
| middle | e | | o |
|---|
| low | | a | |
|---|
|
Kana Syllabary and the Order
| | a | i | u | e | o | ka | ki | ku | ke | ko | sa | shi | su | se | so | ta | chi | tsu | te | to | na | ni | nu | ne | no | |
|---|
| Katakana | ア | イ | ウ | エ | オ | カ | キ | ク | ケ | コ | サ | シ | ス | セ | ソ | タ | チ | ツ | テ | ト | ナ | ニ | ヌ | ネ | ノ | |
|---|
| Hiragana | あ | い | う | え | お | か | き | く | け | こ | さ | し | す | せ | そ | た | ち | つ | て | と | な | に | ぬ | ね | の | |
|---|
| | ha | hi | fu | he | ho | ma | mi | mu | me | mo | ya | | yu | | yo | ra | ri | ru | re | ro | wa | wi | | we | wo | n |
|---|
| Katakana | ハ | ヒ | フ | ヘ | ホ | マ | ミ | ム | メ | モ | ヤ | | ユ | | ヨ | ラ | リ | ル | レ | ロ | ワ | ヰ | | ヱ | ヲ | ン |
|---|
| Hiragana | は | ひ | ふ | へ | ほ | ま | み | む | め | も | や | | ゆ | | よ | ら | り | る | れ | ろ | わ | ゐ | | ゑ | を | ん |
|---|
References