Contents
In Japan, Japanese has been generally used since its beginning. There are various local dialects in Japan, but common Japanese (standard Japanese) is normally used on official occasions.
The northern regions of Japan have been inhabited by Ainu people who have spoken their own language. The Ainu language has no written form, and the number of people speaking it is decreasing. The language has been handed down for generations in many geographical names and in the oral tradition of epics called "Yûkara."
The Japanese language has been spoken by the Japanese people since ancient times. Historically, the Japanese language was greatly influenced by the Chinese language, adapting many of its characters and its vocabulary.
The Japanese language is syllabic. The writing system consists of Kanzi (Chinese characters) and Kana (the collective name of the two phonetic syllabaries known as Hiragana and Katakana)
With the exception of the syllabic nasal "n", Japanese syllables are composed of only single vowels or one or two consonants followed by a vowel.
The Japanese language is normally written using a combination of Kanzi and Hiragana; Katakana is used primarily to represent words adopted from other languages including personal and geographic names of foreign origin.
Kanzi, originally made in China and introduced to Japan, has been used in Japanese language to represent words when written by itself or in combination with other Kanzi.
The Kana syllabaries were derived from the Kanzi. Unlike Kanzi, Kana syllabaries provide no specific meaning, only phonetics. And unlike the Roman alphabet, each Kana character represents a syllable. Thus, all Japanese pronunciations can be expressed by Kana characters.
When spelling Japanese pronunciations with Kana syllabaries, the following rules of expression apply.
-
- When expressing Dakuon (a sound beginning with a consonant such as g, z, d, or b) or Han-Dakuon (a sound beginning with the consonant p), a Dakuon symbol (゛) or Han-Dakuon symbol (゜), respectively, is added to the upper right of the Kana character [e.g. が, ざ, だ, ば, ぱ].
- When spelling Tyôon (long vowel) with Hiragana, in the [あ] Column [e.g. あ, か, さ, た, な] the main character is followed by [あ]; in the [い] Column, [e.g. い, き, し, ち, に] the main character is followed by [い]; in the [う] Column [e.g. う, く, す, つ, ぬ] the main character is followed by [う]; in the [え] Column [e.g. え, け, せ, て, ね] the main character is followed by [え]; and in the [お] Column [e.g.お, こ, そ, と, の] the main character is followed by [う], as required.In the case of Katakana, the symbol [ー] is used instead of the extra vowel.
- When spelling Yôon (contracted sound) with Kana, one of the three small characters [ゃ], [ゅ] or [ょ] is written as a subscript after the main character. [e.g. きゃ, きゅ, きょ].
- When spelling Sokuon (double consonant or an assimilated sound) with Kana a small [っ] should be added.
- Hatuon (syllabic nasal, representing the sounds [n], [m], and [N]) is expressed as [ん].
- The Japanese language is written both horizontally and vertically. When the horizontal style is used, the characters read from left to right and lines from top to bottom. When the vertical style is used, the characters read from top to bottom and the line from right to left.
When spelling the Japanese language in the Roman alphabet, the Official Spelling System for the romanization of Japanese is applied. That system was promulgated by the Cabinet Notification in 1954. Prior to that, Japanese had been romanized in two ways; the Hebon Siki and the Kunrei Siki (since 1937).
The Cabinet Notification provides that Table 1 (corresponding to the Kunrei Siki) presented in the Cabinet Notification should be followed in expressing the national language, adding that Table 2 (corresponding to the Hebon Siki and other ways) given in the Cabinet Notification may be used, only in international applications, or established customs and practices which cannot be easily amended.
The Roman alphabet is used when romanizing Japanese, as shown in the following table. The Line 4 presents Table 1 in the Cabinet Notification and the Line 5 corresponds to Hebon Siki in Table 2.
Table A. The transliteration of Japanese Kana syllabaries into the Roman alphabet
|
ア |
イ |
ウ |
エ |
オ |
Line1 |
|
あ |
い |
う |
え |
お |
Line2 |
|
a |
i |
u |
e |
o |
Line3 |
|
a |
i |
u |
e |
o |
Line4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
Line5 |
|
|
カ |
キ |
ク |
ケ |
コ |
|
キャ |
キュ |
キョ |
|
か |
き |
く |
け |
こ |
|
きゃ |
きゅ |
きょ |
|
ka |
ki |
ku |
ke |
ko |
|
kja |
kju |
kjo |
|
ka |
ki |
ku |
ke |
ko |
|
kya |
kyu |
kyo |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
サ |
シ |
ス |
セ |
ソ |
|
シャ |
シュ |
ショ |
|
さ |
し |
す |
せ |
そ |
|
しゃ |
しゅ |
しょ |
|
sa |
si |
su |
se |
so |
|
sja |
sju |
sjo |
|
sa |
si |
su |
se |
so |
|
sya |
syu |
syo |
| |
shi |
|
|
|
|
sha |
shu |
sho |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
タ |
チ |
ツ |
テ |
ト |
|
チャ |
チュ |
チョ |
|
た |
ち |
つ |
て |
と |
|
ちゃ |
ちゅ |
ちょ |
|
ta |
ʈs i |
ʈs u |
te |
to |
|
ʈs ja |
ʈs ju |
ʈs jo |
|
ta |
ti |
tu |
te |
to |
|
tya |
tyu |
tyo |
| |
chi |
tsu |
|
|
|
cha |
chu |
cho |
|
|
ナ |
ニ |
ヌ |
ネ |
ノ |
|
ニャ |
ニュ |
ニョ |
|
な |
に |
ぬ |
ね |
の |
|
にゃ |
にゅ |
にょ |
|
na |
ni |
nu |
ne |
no |
|
nja |
nju |
njo |
|
na |
ni |
nu |
ne |
no |
|
nya |
nyu |
nyo |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ハ |
ヒ |
フ |
ヘ |
ホ |
|
ヒャ |
ヒュ |
ヒョ |
|
は |
ひ |
ふ |
へ |
ほ |
|
ひゃ |
ひゅ |
ひょ |
|
ha |
hi |
hu |
he |
ho |
|
hja |
hju |
hjo |
|
ha |
hi |
hu |
he |
ho |
|
hya |
hyu |
hyo |
| |
|
fu |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
マ |
ミ |
ム |
メ |
モ |
|
ミャ |
ミュ |
ミョ |
|
ま |
み |
む |
め |
も |
|
みゃ |
みゅ |
みょ |
|
ma |
mi |
mu |
me |
mo |
|
mja |
mju |
mjo |
|
ma |
mi |
mu |
me |
mo |
|
mya |
myu |
myo |
| |
|
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|
|
|
|
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|
ヤ |
|
ユ |
|
ヨ |
|
|
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|
や |
|
ゆ |
|
よ |
|
|
|
|
|
ja |
|
ju |
|
jo |
|
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|
|
ya |
|
yu |
|
yo |
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| |
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|
ラ |
リ |
ル |
レ |
ロ |
|
リャ |
リュ |
リョ |
|
ら |
り |
る |
れ |
ろ |
|
りゃ |
りゅ |
りょ |
|
ɽa |
ɽi |
ɽu |
ɽe |
ɽo |
|
rja |
rju |
rjo |
|
ra |
ri |
ru |
re |
ro |
|
rya |
ryu |
ryo |
| |
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ワ |
|
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|
ヲ |
|
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わ |
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を |
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|
wa |
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|
O |
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|
wa |
|
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|
o |
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| |
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ン |
ッ |
|
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ん |
っ |
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N |
T |
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| n |
(Note-2)Referto(3) |
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| |
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ガ |
ギ |
グ |
ゲ |
ゴ |
|
ギャ |
ギュ |
ギョ |
| が |
ぎ |
ぐ |
げ |
ご |
|
ぎゃ |
ぎゅ |
ぎょ |
|
ga |
gi |
gu |
ge |
go |
|
gja |
gju |
gjo |
|
ga |
gi |
gu |
ge |
go |
|
gya |
gyu |
gyo |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ザ |
ジ |
ズ |
ゼ |
ゾ |
|
ジャ |
ジュ |
ジョ |
|
ざ |
じ |
ず |
ぜ |
ぞ |
|
じゃ |
じゅ |
じょ |
|
za |
zi |
zu |
ze |
zo |
|
zja |
zju |
zjo |
|
za |
zi |
zu |
ze |
zo |
|
zya |
zyu |
zyo |
| |
ji |
|
|
|
|
ja |
ju |
jo |
|
|
ダ |
|
|
デ |
ド |
|
|
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|
だ |
|
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で |
ど |
|
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|
da |
|
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de |
do |
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da |
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de |
do |
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| |
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バ |
ビ |
ブ |
ベ |
ボ |
|
ビャ |
ビュ |
ビョ |
|
ば |
び |
ぶ |
べ |
ぼ |
|
びや |
びゅ |
びよ |
|
ba |
bi |
bu |
be |
bo |
|
bja |
bju |
bjo |
|
ba |
bi |
bu |
be |
bo |
|
bya |
byu |
byo |
| |
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パ |
ピ |
プ |
ペ |
ポ |
|
ピャ |
ピュ |
ピョ |
|
ぱ |
ぴ |
ぷ |
ぺ |
ぽ |
|
ぴゃ |
ぴゆ |
ぴよ |
|
pa |
pi |
pu |
pe |
po |
|
pja |
pju |
pjo |
|
pa |
pi |
pu |
pe |
po |
|
pya |
pyu |
pyo |
| |
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| Note 1)
- (1) Line1 - Katakana
- (2) Line2 - Hiragana
- (3) Line3 - International phonetic Alphabet
- (4) Line4 - Alphabet in Table 1 presented in Cabinet Notification
- (5) Line5 - Corresponding to the Hebon Siki alphabetization in Table 2 presented in Cabinet Notification
Note 2) Pursuant to the Cabinet Notification, romanization of Japanese should be carried out as instructed hereunder, unless otherwise specified in Table. A
- (1) Hatuon should always be written (n).
- (2) When it is necessary to separate Hatuon from the vowel or (y) to follow, the symbol ( ’ ) is added after (n).
- (3) Sokuon is expressed by overlaying the first consonant of the next syllable on top of the other.
- (4) Tyôon is expressed by placing a circumflex accent (^) over a vowel. When a capital letter is used, the circumflex accent is omitted and the same vowel is added.
- (5) Special sounds can be expressed at the writer's discretion.
- (6) The first word in a sentence and proper names should be capitalized.
In Japan, geographical names are spelled using Kanzi, Hiragana or Katakana alone or in combination. It should be noted that publications released for foreigners are normally written in English. In these publications, geographical names are spelled in the Roman alphabet.
The spelling rules presented in Line 4 of Table A shall be applied to the spelling rules for Romanization of Japanese, as described in " 1.3 Common alphabetic spelling method of Japanese" However, regarding geographical names, Hebon Siki is customarily used in Japan.
The Geographical Survey Institute of Japan and the Japan Coast Guard, both of which are national mapping agencies, revised the regulations in 2004 and 2000, respectively, taking into consideration user convenience, in accordance with the current utilization of Roman characters, and decided to use, in principle, the spelling method presented in Line 5 of Table A. In fact, the following practices should be followed.
- The specific and generic terms in a composite word representing a geographical name are each capitalized and spelled separately. Table B in “4. Glossary of generic terms necessary for understanding Japanese maps" shows the generic terms.
(e.g.)
Fuji San 富士山 ふじさん
Tokyo Wan 東京湾 とうきょうわん
- Hatuon is always written as (n).
(e.g.)
Kanmon Kaikyo 関門海峡 かんもんかいきょう
- When it is necessary to separate Hatuon (n) from a vowel or (y) that follows, a hyphen is added after (n).
(e.g.)
Hon-ura 本浦 ほんうら
Ban-ya 番屋 ばんや
- Sokuon is expressed by overlaying the first consonant of the next syllable on top of the previous syllable. However, (t) is used instead of overlaying (c) if the sound of (ch) follows.
(e.g.)
Sapporo 札幌 さっぽろ
Hatchobori 八丁堀 はっちょうぼり
- As a general rule, symbols that represent Tyôon are omitted. However, Tyôon in Column [い] of the Japanese syllabary are expressed by repeating (i), and [えい] are written as (ei).
(e.g.)
Kyoto 京都 きょうと
Niigata 新潟 にいがた
Hiei Zan 比叡山 ひえいざん
- If a geographical name derives from foreign language, the spelling of the original word may be used.
(e.g.)
Port Island ポートアイランド ぽうとあいらんど
In view of the fact that most Kanzi characters can be pronounced in many different ways and that old letters are sometimes used for geographical names, readers can often be confused over pronunciation when reading geographical names. To avoid such confusion, geographical names written in Kanzi are often accompanied by Hiragana or Katakana, where the Kana characters are used as phonetic symbols.
Most of the geographical names are words composed of a specific term and a generic term, where the specific term precedes the generic term. In this case, the generic term represents the type of natural feature, administrative units, facility, or structure.
In Japan, there is no designated administrative organization commissioned to collect, register and standardize geographical names. Instead, each central government body collects and standardizes them in the course of their normal operations.
Two of the central government organizations in charge of map compilation, that is, the Geographical Survey Institute and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard, established the Joint Committee on the Standardization of Geographical Names in 1960 to standardize geographical names used on the maps and hydrographic charts they issue. The Committee continues to conduct standardization activities.
The use of geographical names standardized in the Joint Committee is becoming widespread. The standardized names are now entered on the maps developed by the Geographical Survey Institute and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard, are extensively used for schooling and public broadcasting. Therefore efforts have been made to popularize them among the general public.
Among the geographical names in Japan, the names of administrative units for municipalities and their hierarchical details such as town divisions (cho), village divisions (oaza), and village blocks (aza), that is, residential geographical names, are regulated by law, and new names and their areas are published in official gazettes of the national and prefectural governments. Given this kind of legal control, there should be no confusion resulting from different pronunciations, characters, etc., of residential geographical names. Thus there is no need to restandardize these geographical names.
The Joint Committee on the Standardization of Geographical Names is working on standardizing the geographical names other than residential geographical names. Major rules laid down by the Joint Committee on the Standardization of Geographical Names, include the following:
- a) Preferential consideration is given to local naming or titles when standardizing geographical names.
- b) Where source materials of the Geographical Survey Institute and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard are reconciled, the names both agencies have agreed upon are adopted.
National surveying and mapping organizations
National maps with romanized geographical names are available as follows.
The following are gazetteers that carry romanized geographical names in Japan.
This glossary lists generic terms and adjective elements often used for geographical names in Japan. Some geographical names are duplicated on the listing since Kanzi characters can often be read in many different ways.
TableB: Glossary of generic terms
| Japanese |
Romanized Japanese |
English or usual spelling in English |
| 盆地 |
Bonchi |
Basin |
| 台地 |
Daichi |
Upland |
| 岳 |
Dake |
Mountain |
| 道 |
Do |
Prefecture |
| 潟 |
Gata |
Lagoon |
| 川 |
Gawa |
River, Stream |
| 群島 |
Gunto |
Islands, Islets, Archipelago |
| 浜 |
Hama |
Beach |
| 半島 |
Hanto |
Peninsula |
| 平野 |
Heiya |
Plain |
| 東 |
Higashi |
East |
| 府 |
Fu |
Prefecture |
| 海 |
Kai |
Sea |
| 海岸 |
Kaigan |
Seacoast |
| 海峡 |
Kaikyo |
Strait, Channel |
| 潟 |
Kata |
Lagoon |
| 川 |
Kawa |
River, Stream |
| 県 |
Ken |
Prefecture |
| 北 |
Kita |
North |
| 小 |
Ko |
Little, Lesser |
| 湖 |
Ko |
Lake |
| 区 |
Ku |
Ward |
| 丘陵 |
Kyuryo |
Hills |
| 町 |
Machi |
Town |
| 南 |
Minami |
South |
| 岬 |
Misaki |
Cape |
| 村 |
Mura |
Village |
| 灘 |
Nada |
Sea |
| 中 |
Naka |
Central |
| 西 |
Nishi |
West |
| 沼 |
Numa |
Marsh, Swamp |
| 大 |
O |
Great, Greater |
| 列島 |
Retto |
Islands, Islets |
| 崎、埼、碕 |
Saki |
Cape |
| 山 |
San |
Mountain､Hill |
| 山脈 |
Sanmyaku |
Mountain range |
| 山地 |
Sanchi |
Mountains |
| 沢 |
Sawa |
Stream, Wide valley in the mountains |
| 瀬戸 |
Seto |
Strait, Channel |
| 市 |
Shi |
City |
| 島 |
Shima |
Islands Islet |
| 新 |
Shin |
New |
| 村 |
Son |
Village |
| 水道 |
Suido |
Strait, Channel |
| 諸島 |
Shoto |
Islands, Islets |
| 島 |
Jima |
Island, Islet |
| 岳 |
Take |
Mountain |
| 都 |
To |
Metropolis |
| 島 |
To |
Island, Islet |
| 峠 |
Toge |
Pass |
| 町 |
Cho |
Town |
| 浦 |
Ura |
Cove, Inlet, Embayment |
| 湾 |
Wan |
Bay |
| 山 |
Yama |
Mountain､Hill |
| 崎、埼、碕 |
Zaki |
Cape |
| 山 |
Zan |
Mountain､Hill |
| 沢 |
Zawa |
Stream, Wide valley in the mountains |
As of April 1, 2007, Japan consisted of 1804 municipalities. The number of municipalities has been decreasing through mergers. They are grouped together to constitute the Tokyo To (metropolis), Hokkai Do (prefecture), Osaka and Kyoto Fu (prefectures), and 43 Ken (prefectures). The prefectural divisions are as follows:
Table C: The prefectural division
| Japanese |
Romanized Japanese |
| 北海道 |
Hokkai Do |
| 青森県 |
Aomori Ken |
| 岩手県 |
Iwate Ken |
| 宮城県 |
Miyagi Ken |
| 秋田県 |
Akita Ken |
| 山形県 |
Yamagata Ken |
| 福島県 |
Fukushima Ken |
| 茨城県 |
Ibaraki Ken |
| 栃木県 |
Tochigi Ken |
| 群馬県 |
Gunma Ken |
| 埼玉県 |
Saitama Ken |
| 千葉県 |
Chiba Ken |
| 東京都 |
Tokyo To |
| 神奈川県 |
Kanagawa Ken |
| 新潟県 |
Niigata Ken |
| 富山県 |
Toyama Ken |
| 石川県 |
Ishikawa Ken |
| 福井県 |
Fukui Ken |
| 山梨県 |
Yamanashi Ken |
| 長野県 |
Nagano Ken |
| 岐阜県 |
Gifu Ken |
| 静岡県 |
Shizuoka Ken |
| 愛知県 |
Aichi Ken |
| 三重県 |
Mie Ken |
| 滋賀県 |
Shiga Ken |
| 京都府 |
Kyoto Fu |
| 大阪府 |
Osaka Fu |
| 兵庫県 |
Hyogo Ken |
| 奈良県 |
Nara Ken |
| 和歌山県 |
Wakayama Ken |
| 鳥取県 |
Tottori Ken |
| 島根県 |
Shimane Ken |
| 岡山県 |
Okayama Ken |
| 広島県 |
Hiroshima Ken |
| 山口県 |
Yamaguchi Ken |
| 徳島県 |
Tokushima Ken |
| 香川県 |
Kagawa Ken |
| 愛媛県 |
Ehime Ken |
| 高知県 |
Kochi Ken |
| 福岡県 |
Fukuoka Ken |
| 佐賀県 |
Saga Ken |
| 長崎県 |
Nagasaki Ken |
| 熊本県 |
Kumamoto Ken |
| 大分県 |
Oita Ken |
| 宮崎県 |
Miyazaki Ken |
| 鹿児島県 |
Kagoshima Ken |
| 沖縄県 |
Okinawa Ken |
|
