View source for Nihon-shiki

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{{Short description|Japanese language romanization system}}
{{distinguish|Nihon Shoki|Shoku Nihongi}}
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{{Use Oxford spelling |date=April 2025}}
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{{Japanese writing}}
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{{Nihongo|'''''Nihon-shiki'''''|日本式ローマ字|Nihon-shiki rōmaji|{{lit|Japan-style [[Latin script|Roman letters]]|lk=yes}}|lead=yes}} is a [[Romanization of Japanese|romanization system for transliterating the Japanese language]] into the [[Latin alphabet]]. Among the major romanization systems for Japanese, it is the most regular one and has an almost [[Bijection|one-to-one relation]] to the [[kana]] writing system. Its name is rendered '''''Nihonsiki''''' in the system itself.

==History==
{{See also |Hiragana#Spelling–phonology correspondence |l1=Hiragana }}
''Nihon-shiki'' was invented by physicist [[Aikitu Tanakadate|Aikitsu Tanakadate]] (田中館 愛橘) in 1885,{{sfnp |Gottlieb |2010 |p=78 }} with the intention to replace the [[Hepburn romanization|Hepburn]] system of romanization.{{sfnp |Kent |Lancour |Daily |1978 |loc=Oriental Literature and Bibliography |p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=H1pNvzr_n98C&dq=Kunrei+tourist&pg=PA155 155] }} Tanakadate's intention was to replace the traditional [[kanji]] and [[kana]] system of writing Japanese completely by a romanized system, which he felt would make it easier for Japan to compete with Western countries. Since the system was intended for Japanese people to use to write their own language, it is much more regular than Hepburn romanization, and unlike Hepburn's system, it makes no effort to make itself easier to pronounce for English-speakers.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}}

''Nihon-shiki'' was followed by ''[[Kunrei-shiki]]'', which was adopted in 1937, after a political debate over whether ''Nihon-shiki'' or [[Hepburn romanization]] should be used by the Japanese government.{{sfnp |Gottlieb |2010 |p=78 }} ''Kunrei-shiki'' is nearly identical to ''Nihon-shiki'', but it merges syllable pairs di/zi ぢ/じ, du/zu づ/ず, dya/zya ぢゃ/じゃ, dyu/zyu ぢゅ/じゅ, dyo/zyo ぢょ/じょ, wi/i ゐ/い, we/e ゑ/え, kwa/ka くゎ/か, and gwa/ga ぐゎ/が, whose pronunciations in Modern Standard Japanese are now identical. For example, the word かなづかい, rendered ''kana'''du'''kai'' in ''Nihon-shiki'', is pronounced as ''kana'''zu'''kai''  in modern Japanese, and is romanized as such in Kunrei. The [[International Organization for Standardization]] has standardized Kunrei-shiki, under ISO 3602. The [[JSL romanization|JSL]] system, which is intended for use instructing foreign students of Japanese, is also based on ''Nihon-shiki''. However, [[Yotsugana|some Japanese-speakers still distinguish di from zi and du from zu]] and so ''Nihon-shiki'' spelling is not entirely obsolete.

''Nihon-shiki'' is considered the most regular of the romanization systems for the Japanese language because it maintains a strict "one kana, two letters" form. Because it has unique forms corresponding to each of the respective pairs of ''kana'' homophones listed above, it is the only formal system of romanization that can allow (almost) lossless ("round trip") mapping, but the standard does not mandate the precise spellings needed to distinguish ô 王/おう, ou 追う/おう and oo 大/おお.

==Romanization charts==

{| border="0" cellspacing="2px" cellpadding="2px" width="100%"
|-
!colspan="5" bgcolor="#BECFEB" valign=top align="center" | [[gozyûon]]
!colspan="3" bgcolor="#D4D4D4" valign=top align="center" | [[yôon]]
|-bgcolor="#BECFEB" valign=top align="center"
!あ/ア ''a''
!い/イ ''i''
!う/ウ ''u''
!え/エ ''e''
!お/オ ''o''
!bgcolor="#D4D4D4"|(''ya'')
!bgcolor="#D4D4D4"|(''yu'')
!bgcolor="#D4D4D4"|(''yo'')
|-
|colspan="8"|
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|か/カ ''ka''
|き/キ ''ki''
|く/ク ''ku''
|け/ケ ''ke''
|こ/コ ''ko''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|きゃ/キャ ''kya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|きゅ/キュ ''kyu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|きょ/キョ ''kyo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|さ/サ ''sa''
|し/シ ''si''
|す/ス ''su''
|せ/セ ''se''
|そ/ソ ''so''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|しゃ/シャ ''sya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|しゅ/シュ ''syu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|しょ/ショ ''syo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|た/タ ''ta''
|ち/チ ''ti''
|つ/ツ ''tu''
|て/テ ''te''
|と/ト ''to''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ちゃ/チャ ''tya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ちゅ/チュ ''tyu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ちょ/チョ ''tyo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|な/ナ ''na''
|に/ニ ''ni''
|ぬ/ヌ ''nu''
|ね/ネ ''ne''
|の/ノ ''no''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|にゃ/ニャ ''nya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|にゅ/ニュ ''nyu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|にょ/ニョ ''nyo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|は/ハ ''ha''
|ひ/ヒ ''hi''
|ふ/フ ''hu''
|へ/ヘ ''he''
|ほ/ホ ''ho''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ひゃ/ヒャ ''hya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ひゅ/ヒュ ''hyu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ひょ/ヒョ ''hyo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|ま/マ ''ma''
|み/ミ ''mi''
|む/ム ''mu''
|め/メ ''me''
|も/モ ''mo''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|みゃ/ミャ ''mya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|みゅ/ミュ ''myu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|みょ/ミョ ''myo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|や/ヤ ''ya''
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9"|
|ゆ/ユ ''yu''
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9"|
|よ/ヨ ''yo''
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9" colspan="3"|
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|ら/ラ ''ra''
|り/リ ''ri''
|る/ル ''ru''
|れ/レ ''re''
|ろ/ロ ''ro''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|りゃ/リャ ''rya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|りゅ/リュ ''ryu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|りょ/リョ ''ryo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|わ/ワ ''wa''
|<span style="color:red;">ゐ/ヰ ''wi''</span>
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9"|
|<span style="color:red;">ゑ/ヱ ''we''</span>
|を/ヲ ''wo''
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9" colspan="3"|
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9" colspan="4"|
|ん/ン ''n''
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9" colspan="3"|
|-
!colspan="8" | voiced sounds ([[dakuten]])
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|が/ガ ''ga''
|ぎ/ギ ''gi''
|ぐ/グ ''gu''
|げ/ゲ ''ge''
|ご/ゴ ''go''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぎゃ/ギャ ''gya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぎゅ/ギュ ''gyu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぎょ/ギョ ''gyo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|ざ/ザ ''za''
|じ/ジ ''zi''
|ず/ズ ''zu''
|ぜ/ゼ ''ze''
|ぞ/ゾ ''zo''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|じゃ/ジャ ''zya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|じゅ/ジュ ''zyu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|じょ/ジョ ''zyo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|だ/ダ ''da''
|ぢ/ヂ ''di''
|づ/ヅ ''du''
|で/デ ''de''
|ど/ド ''do''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぢゃ/ヂャ ''dya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぢゅ/ヂュ ''dyu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぢょ/ヂョ ''dyo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|ば/バ ''ba''
|び/ビ ''bi''
|ぶ/ブ ''bu''
|べ/ベ ''be''
|ぼ/ボ ''bo''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|びゃ/ビャ ''bya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|びゅ/ビュ ''byu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|びょ/ビョ ''byo''
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|ぱ/パ ''pa''
|ぴ/ピ ''pi''
|ぷ/プ ''pu''
|ぺ/ペ ''pe''
|ぽ/ポ ''po''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぴゃ/ピャ ''pya''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぴゅ/ピュ ''pyu''
|bgcolor="#F3F5DE"|ぴょ/ピョ ''pyo''
|-
|colspan="8"|
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|<span style="color:red;">くゎ/クヮ ''kwa''</span>
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9" colspan="4"|
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9" colspan="3"|
|-bgcolor="#E7F5DE" valign=top align="center"
|<span style="color:red;">ぐゎ/グヮ ''gwa''</span>
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9" colspan="4"|
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9" colspan="3"|
|}

===Notes===
*In the table above, characters in <span style="color:red;">red</span> are obsolete in modern Japanese.
*Unlike ''[[Kunrei-shiki]]'' and [[Hepburn romanization|Hepburn]]:
**Even when ''he'' (へ) is used as a particle, it is written as ''he'', not ''e''.
**Even when ''ha'' (は) is used as a particle, it is written as ''ha'', not ''wa''.
**Even when ''wo'' (を) is used as a particle, it is written as ''wo'', not ''o''.
*Syllabic ''n'' (ん) is written as ''n'' before consonants but as ''n{{'}}'' before vowels and ''y''.
*Much like ''Kunrei-shiki'':
**Long vowels are indicated by a [[circumflex accent]], for example: long ''o'' is written ''ô''. Similarly, Hepburn uses a [[macron (diacritic)|macron]]: ''ō''.
**[[Geminate consonant]]s are always marked by doubling the consonant following the [[sokuon]] (っ).

== See also ==
* [[List of ISO romanizations]]

==References==
{{Reflist |20em}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}
*{{cite journal |last=Gottlieb |first=Nanette |date=January 2010 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-royal-asiatic-society/article/the-romaji-movement-in-japan/8652AD6C4CF1D7094BDF41FBF1545072 |title=The Rōmaji movement in Japan |journal=[[Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society]] |series=Third Series |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=75–88 |publisher=[[Cambridge Journals]] |doi=10.1017/S1356186309990320 |url-access=subscription }}
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Kent |editor1-first=Allen |editor1-link=Allen Kent |editor2-last=Lancour |editor2-first=Harold |editor3-last=Daily|editor3-first=Jay Elwood |date=1978-04-01 |title=Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science |volume=21 |publisher=Marcel Dekker |isbn=0824720210 }}
{{Refend}}

==General references==
{{Refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}
*{{cite book |last=Kida |first=Jun'ichirō |year=1994 |chapter=Chapter 6 |title=Nihongo Daihakubutsukan |script-title=ja:日本語大博物館 |trans-title= |language=ja |publisher=Just System ({{langx|ja|ジャストシステム|Jasuto Shisutemu|label=none}}) |location=Tokyo
|isbn=4-88309-046-9 }}
{{Refend}}


{{Subject bar |auto=0 |portal1=Japan |portal2=Language }}
{{Japanese romanization}}
{{Japanese language}}

[[Category:Romanization of Japanese]]
[[Category:ISO 3602]]
[[Category:Japanese writing system]]