Scripts And Romanization
Purpose
Explain Japanese writing systems and romanization conventions used in this grimoire.
When to Use
Use this page for questions about hiragana, katakana, kanji, romaji, pronunciation notes, and naming conventions.
Conventions
- Use Japanese script when the text is meant to be shown to a person in Japan. Pair it with romaji and English only for the traveler’s understanding.
- Hiragana is the baseline phonetic script for native Japanese words and grammar endings. Katakana is used for loanwords, emphasis, many foreign names, and some menus or signs. Kanji carries meaning and is common in names, stations, addresses, menus, and official text.
- Use modified Hepburn-style romaji for readability in this grimoire: sh, ch, ts, ji, fu, and long vowels where helpful.
- For place names, prefer the spelling used by the official venue, railway operator, municipality, or widely used map label. Examples: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Fukuoka, Dazaifu, Shinkansen.
- Represent long vowels only when it improves understanding. In prose, use common English forms such as Tokyo and Kyoto; in language notes, optionally show long vowels as macrons or doubled vowels when the distinction matters.
- Preserve established names from official sources even when they differ from strict romanization. A map-usable spelling is more valuable than an academically perfect one for travel routing.
- For addresses, keep the original Japanese address if available, plus the romanized or English version. Do not translate address components freehand when a booking or official site gives exact text.
Gotchas
- Place-name romanization varies across maps, rail systems, and official sources.
- Avoid overfitting one romanization rule to all contexts; the practical target is recognition by maps, signs, staff, and the traveler.