REPORT ON THE CURRENT STATUS OF
UNITED NATIONS ROMANIZATION SYSTEMS FOR GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
Compiled by the UNGEGN Working Group on Romanization Systems
Version 4.0, September 2013

Japanese

No romanization system for Japanese has been approved at the United Nations conferences on the standardization of geographical names. Systems for the romanization of Japanese have been presented at several sessions of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN)¹.

In Japan there are two current systems for the romanization of Japanese. The official romanization, also known under the name Kunrei-siki, was adopted on 9 December, 1954 (Cabinet Notification No. 1, table 1). Another system, the Modified Hepburn System (Hebon-shiki), continues to be used in Japan in certain spheres where it is estimated that a change would seriously affect customs and considerations of international relations, e.g. in passports. In international cartographic products the Modified Hepburn System remains the most used system.

Japanese is written in two forms: in kanji, which are Sino-Japanese characters, and in kana, which are syllabic symbols. There are two styles of kana – katakana, the squared form, and hiragana, the cursive form. Katakana symbols are used primarily for the phonetic transcription of foreign words and as the equivalent of italics. Hiragana symbols are used to represent grammatical particles and suffixes.

Systems of romanization

Below is a list of Japanese syllables with Roman equivalents. In the table line A gives katakana, line B hiragana and line C romanization in Kunrei-siki. In line D romanization in the Modified Hepburn System in italics is given, if different from the Kunrei-siki. Superscript numbers added to Japanese syllable characters or romanized letters refer to the notes at the end.

Combined forms:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

1 A アイウエオオゥ (オオ⁵)

B あいうえおおぅ (おお⁵)

C a i u e o ô

D ō

2 A カキクケコキャキュキュゥキョキョゥコゥ

B かきくけこきゃきゅきゅぅきょきょぅこぅ

C ka ki ku ke ko kya kyu kyû kyo kyô kô

D ke (ga⁴) kyū kyō kō

3 A サシスセソシャシュシュゥショショゥソゥ

B さしすせそしゃしゅしゅぅしょしょぅそぅ

C sa si su se so sya syu syû syo syô sô

D shi sha shu shū sho shō sō

4 A タチツテトチャチュチュゥチョチョゥトゥ

B たちつてとちゃちゅちゅぅちょちょぅとぅ

C ta ti tu¹ te to tya tyu tyû tyo tyô tô

D chi tsu cha chu chū cho chō tō

5 A ナニヌネノニャニュニュゥニョニョゥノゥ

B なにぬねのにゃにゅにゅぅにょにょぅのぅ

C na ni nu ne no nya nyu nyû nyo nyô nô

D nyū nyō nō

6 A ハヒフヘホヒャヒュヒュゥヒョヒョゥホゥ

B はひふへほひゃひゅひゅぅひょひょぅほぅ

C ha hi hu he ho hya hyu hyû hyo hyô hô

D ha (wa⁴) fu he (e⁴) hyū hyō hō (ō⁴)

7 A マミムメモミャミュミュゥミョミョゥモゥ

B まみむめもみゃみゅみゅぅみょみょぅもぅ

C ma mi mu me mo mya myu myû myo myô mô

D myū myō mō

8 A ヤユヨヨゥ

B やゆよよぅ

C ya yu yo yô

D yō

9 A ラリルレロリャリュリュゥリョリョゥロゥ

B らりるれろりゃりゅりゅぅりょりょぅろぅ

C ra ri ru re ro rya ryu ryû ryo ryô rô

D ryū ryō rō

10 A ワヲ

B わを

C wa o

D

11 A ン

B ん

C n²

D n, n’, m

12 A ガギグゲゴギャギュギュゥギョギョゥゴゥ

B がぎぐげごぎゃぎゅぎゅぅぎょぎょぅごぅ

C ga gi gu ge go gya gyu gyû gyo gyô gô

D gyū gyō gō

13 A ザジズゼゾジャジュジュゥジョジョゥゾゥ

B ざじずぜぞじゃじゅじゅぅじょじょぅぞぅ

C za zi zu ze zo zya zyu zyû zyo zyô zô

D ji ja ju jū jo jō zō

14 A ダヂヅデドドゥ

B だぢづでどどぅ

C da di du de do dô

D ji zu dō

15 A バビブベボビャビュビュゥビョビョゥボゥ

B ばびぶべぼびゃびゅびゅぅびょびょぅぼぅ

C ba bi bu be bo bya byu byû byo byô bô

D byū byō bō

16 A パピプペポピャピュピュゥピョピョゥポゥ

B ぱぴぷぺぽぴゃぴゅぴゅぅぴょぴょぅぽぅ

C pa pi pu pe po pya pyu pyû pyo pyô pô

D pyū pyō pō

Notes

A small-script tu/tsu form (ッ / っ) is inserted between kana symbols to indicate a double consonant (kk, ss, tt, pp in Kunrei-siki; kk, ss, ssh, tt, tts, tch, pp in Hepburn).
ン / ん is romanized always n in Kunrei-siki; when it is necessary to separate the sound n from the vowel or y to follow, the apostrophe is added after the n. In modified Hepburn the character is romanized n’ before y or a vowel letter, n in all other cases; earlier also m was used before b, p, or m.
Long vowels are expressed in Kunrei-siki by placing a circumflex (^) over a vowel; in Hepburn long vowels are indicated by a macron (¯).
The romanization in parentheses (in modified Hepburn) is used only in those cases where the kana symbol is known to be pronounced in the manner indicated.
The combination in parentheses is used to denote the word meaning ’big, great’.

Reference

Toponymic guidelines for map editors and other editors, Japan (third edition, 2007). Submitted by Japan. Ninth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. New York, 21–30 August 2007. Document E/CONF.98/47.