R?maji

R?maji (???? "Roman characters", sometimes misunderstood as romanji in English), is a Japanese term for the Latin alphabet. R?maji are often used in Japanese text for abbreviations, metric measurements, to put emphasis on a word or phrase and to clarify the spelling of foreign names.

Related Topics:
Japanese - Latin alphabet

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In English usage, r?maji usually refers to the romanization of Japanese words that would usually be written in kanji or kana. Japanese may be written in r?maji for many reasons: street signs for visiting foreigners; transcription of personal, company, or place names to be used in another language context; dictionaries and textbooks for learners of the language; or even simply for typographic emphasis.

Related Topics:
English - Romanization - Kanji - Kana

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There are a number of different romanization systems in use; the three main ones are Hepburn, Kunrei-shiki (ISO 3602), and Nihon-shiki (ISO 3602 Strict). Hepburn (long vowels omitted) is the most widely used. Revised Hepburn, which uses a macron to indicate some long vowels and an apostrophe to note the separation of easily confused phonemes (for example, the name ??????? is written with the characters ju-n-i-chi-ro-u, and romanized as Jun'ichir? in Revised Hepburn) is widely used in Japan and among foreign students and academics.

Related Topics:
Hepburn - Kunrei-shiki - Nihon-shiki - Long vowels

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