is learning Japanese worth it

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO LEARN JAPANESE ROMAJI?

Are you looking to achieve fluency in written Japanese? Consider starting your learning journey with Romaji Japanese! Learn Japanese Romaji and enhance your language skills today.

A Japanese Catholic named Yajiro created the Romaji Japanese writing system in 1548. Meanwhile, the Jesuit missionaries printed it. When Japan abandoned its isolationist principles and worked to become a major role in the world during the Meiji Period, Romaji enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Japan has developed remarkable innovation as one of the most progressive ASEAN countries. It facilitates communication with their neighboring countries and the rest of the world. The Romaji Japanese method uses the English Alphabet. It is the standard Japanese input method for computers and word processors and their way of relating to foreigners better. Japanese pupils learn Romaji in elementary school to spell their names using English letters and better integrate into the global community.

However, as Romaji is merely a representation of Japanese writing, it shouldn’t be the main means of reading when learning the language. Read on to find out more interesting things about this Japanese writing system.

Romaji Japanese: Discover the Beauty of This Japanese Writing System

How important is it to learn Japanese in Romaji? Japanese is the tenth most spoken language in the world, with more than 130 million speakers. Another 5 million people, mostly Japanese descendants in Hawaii and Brazil, speak Japanese at some level of proficiency outside of Japan. And with the growing importance of Japan in the global economy, learning Japanese Romaji can give you an advantage in social and professional contexts. Around 128 million people speak Japanese (Nihongo) as their first language in Japan. Japanese is a member of the Japonic, or Japanese-Ryukyuan, family of languages.

Several distinctive grammatical constructions in the Japanese language are absent from English and other European languages. In addition to the five vowels in contemporary Japanese—i, e, a, o, u—three extra vowels—ï, ë, ö—are considered to have existed in Old Japanese. However, some claim that there were just five vowels in Old Japanese, and they blame the consonants before the vowels for the variations in vowel quality. Unlike most western languages, Japanese has a complex grammatical system for politeness and formality. The plain form (Kudaketa), the simple, polite form (Teinei), and the advanced polite form (Keigo) are the three main levels of politeness in spoken Japanese.

One person is often superior in Japanese society because few connections are equal. Numerous factors affect this position, such as work, age, experience, or even psychological state. The individual in the lower position must speak politely, whereas the other person may speak more simply. Also, strangers will communicate respectfully with one another. Until they are in their teens, when people expect them to start speaking more maturely, Japanese youngsters rarely employ polite speech.

Honorifics and Politeness

The shorter, so-called dictionary (Jisho) form of verbs and the da form of the copula serve as indicators of the plain form in Japanese. In the (Teinei) level, the Japanese people use (Copula desu), and verbs end in the assisting verb -masu. Honest language (Sonkeigo) and modest language (Kensongo) make up the two types of politeness that make up the advanced polite form known as (Keigo). Teineigo is an inflectional system, whereas (Keigo) frequently uses a variety of unique (and frequently irregular) honorific and humble verb forms.

Notably, one can easily notice the distinction between honorific and humble speech in Japanese. When referring to oneself or one’s group (business, family), the Japanese uses the humble language, then the honorific language when referring to the interlocutor or a group. Honorific language includes terms ending in “Mr.”, “Mrs.,” or “Ms.,” for instance. It would help if you did not use it to promote yourself. It should also not be used while discussing a member of one’s own company with an outsider because the company is the speaker’s “group.”

The o- or go- prefixes are added to most nouns in Japanese to make them honorific. Go- is added to terms of Chinese origins, whereas o- is typically used for words with native Japanese origins. In certain instances, the prefix has developed into a fixed term component and is used even in a speech that is not honorific, such as Gohan or rice. For instance, when referring to a friend of higher standing, the word Tomodachi would change to o-Tomodachi. As opposed to more brash masculine speaking habits, a female speaker will occasionally refer to Mizu (water) as o-Mizu to demonstrate her cultural refinement.

Many academics claim that since the 1990s, polite manners have grown less common, especially among young people.

Writing Romaji Japanese

If you’re starting to learn Japanese Romaji, it’s important to know that you can essentially read it in the same way as any other English literature. However, it’s essential to note that the pronunciation of Japanese syllables differs slightly from English. To learn the correct pronunciation, it’s best to mimic Japanese native speakers.

Notably, the Romaji Japanese alphabet has various variants. The people use the Hepburn and Kunrei systems the most. For instance, elementary school teachers teach the Kunrei system to young Japanese students.

The most widely used writing system in Japan is called Hiragana. Since Hiragana has 46 letters, there are 46 romaji that can be used to represent it all together. 

However, because Hiragana letters can be paired to indicate different sounds, Japanese syllables have more variations than just 46.

Forms of Romaji Japanese

The Romaji Japanese from the sixteenth century is a lot different from the version we have today. Romaji evolved into three distinct systems in the current era:

Hepburn System

James Curtis Hepburn (1815–1911), an American missionary from Philadelphia who arrived in Japan in 1859, developed the Hepburn system. It is the most common romanization method that the Japanese uses today.

The Japanese term for this Hepburn system is “Hebon-Shiki.” However, people often gets confused with its namesake. Some speculate that Hebon-Shiki became popular because Mr. Hepburn himself pronounced his name “Hebon.” However, in another instance of contradiction, the actress Audrey Hepburn, who has the same last name, goes by “Dor Heppub” in Japan rather than “dor Hebon.”

While Kunreisiki is formally taught to youngsters in Japan, Hepburn is more commonly used outside the country. Although older, Nipponsiki is comparable to Kunreisiki. Technically, Hepburn employs macrons for long vowels while Kunreisiki and Nipponsiki use circumflexes, but usage isn’t consistent, and there’s no difference in meaning between them.

Wapuro Romaji, which are based on input when typing Japanese, have become more widespread in recent years, but they are not systematized (other than in the sense that programs either take or don’t take specific sequences) and are not utilized in any official writing.

Nippon-Shiki System

Tanakadate Aikitsu developed the Nippon system, which saw usage for the first time in 1881. In writing, the sounds Da, Di, Du, De, Do, Dya, Dyu, and Dyo become Da, Zi, Zu, De, Do, Zya, Zyu, and Dyo in the Kunrei System, and Da, Ji, Zu, De, Do, Ja, Ju, and Jo in the Hepburn System, respectively. These are the only differences between it and the Kunrei System.

Kunrei-Shiki System 

In the 1930s, the Japanese government introduced the Kunrei System. The, a new version followed in 1954. Si (Shi), Ti (Chi), Tu (Tsu), Hu (Fu), Zi (Ji), Sya (Sha), Syu (Shu), Syo (Sho), Tya (Cha), Tyu (Chu), Tyo (Cho), Zya (Ja), Zyu (Ju), and Zyo are the principal spelling changes between the Kunrei and Hepburn systems (Jo). Long vowels: “a,” “ê,” I “ô,” and “û.”

Hepburn system revision

The revised Hebon-Shiki uses an apostrophe to denote the separation of easily mistaken phonemes and a macron to signify long vowels. The Japanese syllables are transliterated more accurately using the Hepburn System than other systems. The Kana alphabet can represent long vowels, as well as macrons (for example, you can write the “sun” as Taiyou or Taiy). The Hepburn system uses an apostrophe or hyphen between “simple” and “crab” to distinguish between them: Kan’i or Kan-i and Kani.

Japanese Syllables

Han-Dakuon and Dakuon

Dakuon (impure sounds) and Han-Dakuon are the components of Japanese syllables (half-impure sounds). The rows (Ka), (Sa), (Ta), and (Ha) contain Dakuon sounds. In Japanese calligraphy, you can express Dakuon easily by placing two dots directly next to the original letters. Han-Dakuon only appears on the “h” consonant row, transforming the sound into a “p.” Han-Dakuon substitutes a tiny circle for dots. The Romaji for (Zi), (Zu), and (Zu) are all the same. It can be difficult to spell “Zi” to express the sound because, from the standpoint of an English speaker, the spelling should be “Ji.” The same is true for (Si/Shi) and (Tu/Tsu).

Hiragana are combined to create the twisted sound known as yôon. The letters (Ya), (Yu), and (Yo) will produce distinctly different sounds when they follow other letters, except for the vowel row, or (Wa), (Wo), and (n). The Dakuon and Han-Dakuon sounds are also conjugated. The size of the three letters needs to be smaller when they are conjugated with other letters. It is not a conjugation if the letters are all the same size. It just consists of two syllables spoken consecutively.

Tyôon

When you write two vowels after each other in Japanese, you are using Tyôon, which means “long sound.” The first syllable’s vowel can immediately connect with another vowel because every Japanese syllable contains a vowel. It gives the impression that the sound is longer when it occurs.

It is evident in two popular Japanese surname names: (No) and (Ono). Though they sound alike, these two names are noticeably different. Using a circumflex can assist in avoiding the temptation to pronounce “oo” as in the word “ooze” when you see two Os. There are, of course, exceptions to these laws. For instance, you cannot use a circumflex when you joined the vowels “e” and “I.” Therefore, even though this is still one of the longer sounds, you must express the Romaji Japanese writing for the word “movie” as “Eiga” by writing each syllable individually rather than “êga.” You must follow the circumflex rule even though “Ei” and “Ee” have the same pronunciation when merged. Anyone can learn how to do this, even though it may initially seem difficult.

Advantages

The greatest benefit of Romaji Japanese is that even a complete beginner can read a word or sentence and generally comprehend the pronunciation. If all resources are empty of Romaji, it could be disheartening to certain people who wish to acquire some words and phrases but haven’t mastered Hiragana and Katana. Additionally, the fastest method to discover what you’re looking for is to type your search phrases in Romaji if you haven’t yet gotten used to using a Japanese keyboard. Another article on Japanese keyboarding is available.

1. Aids in reading and pronouncing Japanese without learning the Japanese Alphabet.

Even before you have mastered Japanese writing, Romaji is helpful at first because it enables you to read and begin practicing Japanese pronunciation.

2. With a computer, tablet, or mobile device, you can type Japanese.

Japanese gadgets typically employ Romaji Japanese for input. When you use Romaji to type in Japanese, hiragana, katakana, or kanji characters are generated automatically.

3. Japan uses Romaji in many locations, including restaurants and train stations.

With Romaji and some Japanese terminology, you can order meals or find your way around independently.

Disadvantages

Is it a good idea to Learn Japanese Romaji only? The takeaway is that while learning Romaji Japanese is a terrific way to get started with learning Japanese, you shouldn’t rely on it for too long. Romaji will ultimately slow you down and impair your reading comprehension as you start to recall words and grammar elements. Starting your Japanese studies with Romaji will undoubtedly be beneficial. The risk comes from utilizing it excessively because it will make learning more difficult. The other significant challenge is reading entire sentences or paragraphs written in Romaji after getting past individual words. So if you’re planning to learn Japanese Romaji, it’s essential to use it as a stepping stone to learn the Japanese writing system and avoid slowing down your progress in the long run.

1. Romaji Japanese can lead to harmful behaviors and misconceptions.

Romaji muddles the spelling. For instance, the Romaji for the word “to shrink,” which is Chijimu, can be rendered as either or when converted back into hiragana. However, the true spelling is. The same is true for Tokyo, which is written with different Hiragana to Romaji spellings such as Tokyo, Tky, and Toukyou which means “Tokyo, the capital of Japan.”

2. Incorrect Pronunciation

The pronunciation will be easier for you to grasp if you use Romaji, although occasionally, it may be deceptive. Romaji may result in incorrect pronunciation. Recall that it can be spelled as either Zu or Du. Said, there is no du sound in Japanese. Additionally, even though Zu is pronounced as Zu, it sounds much more like Dzu. After learning Kana, detecting and pronouncing it correctly when reading a text is simpler. However, suppose you see the term (to continue) written in Romaji as Tudukeru or Tsuzukeru. In that case, there is a good probability that you will mispronounce it when you read it out loud.

Final Thoughts: Why is it important to learn Japanese Romaji?

When starting to learn Japanese Romaji, it’s crucial to understand that it should primarily be seen as a writing system rather than a tool for pronunciation instruction. Without a doubt, you shouldn’t use Romaji to read or speak Japanese. Enting specific search terms in Romaji when using your dictionary app or browsing Google is acceptable. Your new vocabulary words printed in Kana may make you more at ease than the Romaji. Starting with Kana is the best way to learn Japanese pronunciation. How rapidly you can learn Katakana and Hiragana will amaze you.

Studying Romaji is excellent if you’re learning Japanese for a brief period. Without needing to master the Japanese writing system, you can start speaking Japanese words and phrases immediately. It is helpful if you’re traveling to Japan and want to list useful words and phrases. It’s also ideal for business travelers who need to be able to interact in rudimentary Japanese in a professional setting.