The Japanese Writing System

Japanese Writing Romanization

There are a number of methods of writing Japanese in Roman letters. One is the Hepburn method of romanization which was designed for English speakers and is used inside and outside Japan. Another is the Kunrei-shiki system which has a better relationship with kana, which makes it much easier for the Japanese to learn and is approved by the Ministry of Education in Japan, however it is seldom used outside of Japan. Other Japanese writing romanization systems are the Nihon-shiki and JSL. A comparison of the four main systems is given in the romaji article.