Hiragana and Katakana Romanization Table

This table compares three systems for transliterating the Japanese syllabaries into Latin characters. The Hepburn system is the most recent, and the most widely used. For more detailed information on the Hepburn system please download this pdf file from www.pcgn.org.uk: Romanization system for Japanese kana. The Nippon-shiki system is the oldest of the three. It is seen as the most regular, and enables a lossless transliteration (that is, it can be applied in both directions). The Kunrei-Shiki system is based on the Nippon-shiki but adapted for modern pronunciation. It has been recommended by the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), but has not gained widespread use.

Hiragana	Katakana	Hepburn¹	Nippon-shiki	Kunrei-shiki / ISO 3602
あ	ア	a	a	a
い	イ	i	i	i
う	ウ	u / ū	u	u
え	エ	e	e	e
お	オ	o /ō	o	o
や	ヤ	ya	ya	ya
ゆ	ユ	yu	yu	yu
よ	ヨ	yo	yo	yo
か	カ	ka	ka	ka
き	キ	ki	ki	ki
く	ク	ku	ku	ku
け	ケ	ke	ke	ke
こ	コ	ko	ko	ko
きゃ	キャ	kya	kya	kya
きゅ	キャ	kyu	kyu	kyu
きょ	キャ	kyo	kyo	kyo
さ	サ	sa	sa	sa
し	サ	shi	si	si
す	ス	su	su	su
せ	セ	se	se	se
そ	ソ	so	so	so
しゃ	シャ	sha	sya	sya
しゅ	シュ	shu	syu	syu
しょ	ショ	sho	syo	syo
た	タ	ta	ta	ta
ち	ヂ	chi	ti	ti
つ	ツ	tsu	tu	tu
て	テ	te	te	te
と	ト	to	to	to
ちゃ	チャ	cha	tya	tya
ちゅ	チュ	chu	tyu	tyu
ちょ	チョ	cho	tyo	tyo
な	ナ	na	na	na
に	ニ	ni	ni	ni
ぬ	ヌ	nu	nu	nu
ね	ネ	ne	ne	ne
の	ノ	no	no	no
にゃ	ニャ	nya	nya	nya
にゅ	ニュ	nyu	nyu	nyu
にょ	ニョ	nyo	nyo	nyo
は	ハ	ha	ha	ha
ひ	ヒ	hi	hi	hi
ふ	フ	fu	hu	hu
へ	ヘ	he	he	he
ほ	ホ	ho	ho	ho
ひゃ	ヒャ	hya	hya	hya
ひゅ	ヒュ	hyu	hyu	hyu
ひょ	ヒョ	hyo	hyo	hyo
ま	マ	ma	ma	ma
み	ミ	mi	mi	mi
む	ム	mu	mu	mu
め	メ	me	me	me
も	モ	mo	mo	mo
みゃ	ミャ	mya	mya	mya
みゅ	ミュ	myu	myu	myu
みょ	ミョ	myo	myo	myo
や	ヤ	ya	ya	ya
ゆ	ユ	yu	yu	yu
よ	ヨ	yo	yo	yo
ら	ラ	ra	ra	ra
り	リ	ri	ri	ri
る	ル	ru	ru	ru
れ	レ	re	re	re
ろ	ロ	ro	ro	ro
りゃ	リャ	rya	rya	rya
りゅ	リュ	ryu	ryu	ryu
りょ	リョ	ryo	ryo	ryo
わ	ワ	wa	wa	wa
ゐ	ヰ	i	wi	i
ゑ	ヱ	e	we	e
を	ヲ	wo	wo	o
ん	ン	n-n’(-m)²	n-n’²	n-n’²
が	ガ	ga	ga	ga
ぎ	ギ	gi	gi	gi
ぐ	グ	gu	gu	gu
こ	コ	ge	ge	ge
ご	ゴ	go	go	go
ぎゃ	ギャ	gya	gya	gya
ぎゅ	ギュ	gyu	gyu	gyu
ぎょ	ギョ	gyo	gyo	gyo
ざ	ザ	za	za	za
じ	ジ	ji	zi	zi
ず	ズ	zu	zu	zu
ぜ	ゼ	ze	ze	ze
ぞ	ゾ	zo	zo	zo
じゃ	ジャ	ja	zya	zya
じゅ	ジュ	ju	zyu	zyu
じょ	ジョ	jo	zyo	zyo
だ	ダ	da	da	da
ぢ	ヂ	ji	di	zi
づ	ヅ	zu	du	zu
で	デ	de	de	de
ど	ド	do	do	do
ぢゃ	ヂャ	ja	dya	zya
ぢゅ	ヂュ	ju	dyu	zyu
ぢょ	ヂョ	jo	dyo	zyo
ば	バ	ba	ba	ba
び	ビ	bi	bi	bi
ぶ	ブ	bu	bu	bu
べ	ベ	be	be	be
ぼ	ボ	bo	bo	bo
びゃ	ビャ	bya	bya	bya
びゅ	ビュ	byu	byu	byu
びょ	ビョ	byo	byo	byo
ぱ	パ	pa	pa	pa
ぴ	ピ	pi	pi	pi
ぷ	プ	pu	pu	pu
ぺ	ペ	pe	pe	pe
ぽ	ポ	po	po	po
ぴゃ	ピャ	pya	pya	pya
ぴゅ	ピュ	pyu	pyu	pyu
ぴょ	ピョ	pyo	pyo	pyo

This article formerly appeared on ScriptSource.

The Hepburn system was revised in 1954, though earlier versions of the system remain in use. Where two Latin characters are shown, separated by a slash (/), the first character is used in Traditional Hepburn Romanisation, and the second in Revised Hepburn Romanisation. ↩
The pronunciation of ん - ン can change depending on what sounds surround it. As a result, it is transliterated as n in most contexts, but as n’ whenever it precedes a vowel or a y- kana. In Hepburn Romanisation, it is also transliterated as m whenever is precedes a bilabial sound. ↩ ↩² ↩³

Hiragana and Katakana Romanization Table

Footnotes