Esperantists often use non-Esperanto transcriptions, such as Hepburn and Kunrei, to transcribe the Japanese language in the Esperanto alphabet. However, the need for a transcription in the Esperanto alphabet is essential for non-Japanese speaking Esperantists to be able to pronounce words.
Summary There are two well-known transcription systems of Japanese in Latin alphabet: Hepburn and Kunrei. However, there is no official Esperanto transcription for Japanese. This page presents one of the unofficial methods of transcription.
Transcription Most books on Esperanto published in Japan provide tables for transcription. In 2012, a book by Kenichi Fujimaki, called explains one way of transcription, however, as far as 1923, Yoshimi Ishiguro writes his explaining a transcription, however the remaining digital copies of his works are barely readable, so they are not included in this article.
Double consonant The symbol "" / "" is not actually transcribed, but instead, indicated by doubling the following consonant. For example, is transcribed as "Sapporo".
According to Hepburn: c → tc (ts → tts) ĉ → tĉ (ch → tch) ŝ → sŝ (sh → ssh)
According to Kunrei: c → cc (t → tt) ĉ → ĉĉ (ty → tty) ŝ → ŝŝ (sy → ssy)
Long vowels These are various methods of transcribing the word Tokyo (, kanji: ): Tōkjō : Indicated by a macron. Tokjo : No indication. Tôkjô : Indicated by a circumflex. Toukjou or Toŭkjoŭ: Indicated by the use of an ou for a long o sound, and a ŭ for a long u sound. Tookjoo: Indicated by doubling the vowels.
Diphthongs The Japanese vowel i is changed to j and the vowel u is changed to ŭ for Esperanto transcription. ai → aj ei → ej oi → oj ui → uj au → aŭ eu → eŭ ou → oŭ ue → ŭe
Consonants If there is a (ji) before an (n) in a word, it must be written as ĝi. Otherwise, either ĵi or ĝi can be used. "Ĝiŝin" (, , earthquakes) "Buridĝi" (, contract bridge) "Kanĝi" (, , kanji) "Fuĵi-san" (, , Fuji, Note: さん is a separate word, ĵ can be used) When the syllable is used at the beginning of a word, it is mostly transcribed as dzu, directly from Hepburn; but if the syllable is anywhere else in the word, it is mostly transcribed as zu. Kazu (, number) Manazuru () Dzuke () Dzumen (, drawing)
Voiceless vowels Generally, some vowels may not be said at all. This is very common in everyday speech in Japanese Shita → Ŝta () Desu → Des ()
Romanization charts あ ア aい イ iう ウ uえ エ eお オ oや ヤ jaユ ゆ juよ ヨ joか カ kaき キ kiく ク kuけ ケ keこ コ koきゃ キャ kjaきゅ キュ kjuきょ キョ kjoさ サ saし シ ŝiす ス suせ セ seそ ソ soしゃ シャ ŝaしゅ シュ ŝuしょ ショ ŝoた タ taち チ ĉiつ ツ cuて テ teと ト toちゃ チャ ĉaちゅ チュ ĉuちょ チョ ĉoな ナ naに ニ niぬ ヌ nuね ネ neの ノ noにゃ ニャ njaにゅ ニュ njuにょ ニョ njoは ハ haひ ヒ hiふ フ fuへ ヘ heほ ホ hoひゃ ヒャ hjaひゅ ヒュ hjuひょ ヒョ hjoま マ maみ ミ miむ ム muめ メ meも モ moみゃ ミャ mjaみゅ ミュ mjuみょ ミョ mjoら ラ raり リ riる ル ruれ レ reろ ロ roりゃ リャ rjaりゅ リュ rjuりょ リョ rjoわ ワ ŭaゐ ヰ ŭi ゑ ヱ ŭeを ヲ ŭo ん ン nが ガ gaぎ ギ giぐ グ guげ ゲ geご ゴ goぎゃ ギャ gjaぎゅ ギュ gjuぎょ ギョ gjoざ ザ zaじ ジ ĝi / ĵi ず ズ zu / dzuぜ ゼ zeぞ ゾ zoじゃ ジャ ĝa / ĵaじゅ ジュ ĝu / ĵuじょ ジョ ĝo / ĵoだ ダ daぢ ヂ (ĝi) / (ĵi)づ ヅ (zu) / (dzu)で デ deど ド doぢゃ ヂャ (ĝa) / (ĵa)ぢゅ ヂュ (ĝu) / (ĵu)ぢょ ヂョ (ĝo) / (ĵo)ば バ baび ビ biぶ ブ buべ ベ beぼ ボ boびゃ ビャ bjaびゅ ビュ bjuびょ ビョ bjoぱ パ paぴ ピ piぷ プ puぺ ペ peぽ ポ poぴゃ ピャ pjaぴゅ ピュ pjuぴょ ピョ pjo
イェ jeウィ ŭiウェ ŭeウォ ŭoヴァ vaヴィ viヴ vuヴェ veヴォ voシェ ŝeジェ ĝe / ĵeチェ ĉeティ tiトゥ tuテュ tjuディ diドゥ duデュ djuツァ caツィ ciツェ ceツォ coファ faフィ fiフェ feフォ foフュ fju Red letters indicate Kana no longer used in modern Japanese.
See also Esperantigo de vortoj el japana fonto Romanization of Japanese Hepburn romanization Kunrei-shiki romanization
External links Baza Esperanto-lekciono por (japanaj) retmarŝantoj
References
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