日本財団 図書館


3. Various methods to convert Japanese names into English names, and principles adopted in this report

 

3-1. Standard methods of writing Japanese in Roman characters

There are three main methods of writing Japanese in Roman characters (romaji): (1) the Hepburnian system (also known as "the standard system", (2) the Japanese system and (3) the system instructed by the Japanese government.

The Hepburnian system was designed by J.C. Hepburn (USA) in 1867, and this follows the English pronunciation most naturally.

The Japanese system was designed by Aikitu Tanakadate (Japan) in 1885, by following systematically the Japanese syllabary. Presumably, this system would be more difficult for English speaking people to pronounce.

The Japanese government modified the Japanese system a little, and issued an instruction to use this style. So, this system is usually used officially, for example, in marine charts published by the Japanese Hydrographic Department, MSA. However, this system still appears to be too artificial, and is not used widely except in the government documents.

 

 

 

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