Hepburn

Hepburn is a village in Victoria. See Hepburn, Australia.

The Hepburn romanization system (Japanese: ヘボン式 Hebon-shiki) was devised by Reverend James Curtis Hepburn to transcribe the sounds of the Japanese language into the Roman alphabet for his Japanese–English dictionary, published in 1867.

Other romanization systems for Japanese include Nihon-shiki, Kunrei-shiki (also known as Monbushō and ISO 3602), and JSL. See rōmaji for a comparison between these systems.

The Hepburn romanization is widely used today. It gives the best indication to an English speaker of how the word is pronounced in modern Japanese. In Japan, many younger people are familiar with the Roman alphabet through the study of English and thus find Hepburn more comfortable than the official Monbushō system.

Hepburn is used by Wikipedia. See Wikipedia:Manual of Style for Japan-related articles.

Salient features of Hepburn romanization:

When '\'he へ is used as a particle it is written e''.
When ha は is used as a particle it is written wa.
When wo を is used as a particle it is written o.
Long vowels are indicated by a macron, for example long o is written ō.
Syllabic n ん is written as n before consonants but as n' before vowels and y.
Geminate consonants are marked by doubling the consonant following the っ, except for sh→ssh, ch→tch.
Where syllables constructed systematically according to the Japanese syllabary contain the "wrong" consonant for the modern spoken language, the orthography is changed to something that, as an English speaker would pronounce it, better matches the real sound, for example し is written shi not *si.

Variations of the Hepburn system indicate the long vowels ō and ū as follows:

Tōkyō: indicated with macrons (standard).
Tôkyô: indicated with circumflexes.
Tokyo: not indicated at all (common for Japanese words that have been adopted into English).
Tookyoo: doubled.
Toukyou: written using hiragana spelling: ō as ou and ū as uu. This is sometimes called wāpuro style, as this is how text is entered into a Japanese word processor (wādo purosessā) using a keyboard with Roman characters.

Another variation writes syllabic n ん as m before the consonants p, b and m.

Table of contents

1 Hepburn romanization for hiragana
2 Hepburn romanization for standard katakana
3 Hepburn romanization for extended katakana

Hepburn romanization for hiragana

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
あ a い i う u え e お o

か ka き ki く ku け ke こ ko きゃ kya きゅ kyu きょ kyo

さ sa し shi す su せ se そ so しゃ sha しゅ shu しょ sho

た ta ち chi つ tsu て te と to ちゃ cha ちゅ chu ちょ cho

な na に ni ぬ nu ね ne の no にゃ nya にゅ nyu にょ nyo

は ha ひ hi ふ fu へ he ほ ho ひゃ hya ひゅ hyu ひょ hyo

ま ma み mi む mu め me も mo みゃ mya みゅ myu みょ myo

や ya ゆ yu よ yo

ら ra り ri る ru れ re ろ ro りゃ rya りゅ ryu りょ ryo

わ wa を wo

ん n

が ga き gi ぐ gu げ ge ご go ぎゃ gya ぎゅ gyu ぎょ gyo

ざ za じ ji ず zu ぜ ze ぞ zo じゃ ja じゅ ju じょ jo

だ da ぢ ji づ zu で de ど do

ば ba び bi ぶ bu べ be ぼ bo びゃ bya びゅ byu びょ byo

ぱ pa ぴ pi ぷ pu ぺ pe ぽ po ぴゃ pya ぴゅ pyu ぴょ pyo

Hepburn romanization for standard katakana

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ア a イ i ウ u エ e オ o

カ ka キ ki ク ku ケ ke コ ko キャ kya キュ kyu キョ kyo

サ sa シ shi ス su セ se ソ so シャ sha シュ shu ショ sho

タ ta チ chi ツ tsu テ '\'te'' ト to チャ cha チュ chu チョ cho

ナ na ニ ni ヌ nu ネ ne ノ no ニャ nya ニュ nyu ニョ nyo

ハ ha ヒ hi フ fu ヘ he ホ ho ヒャ hya ヒュ hyu ヒョ hyo

マ ma ミ mi ム mu メ me モ mo ミャ mya ミュ myu ミョ myo

ヤ ya ユ yu ヨ yo

ラ ra リ ri ル ru レ re ロ ro リャ rya リュ ryu リョ ryo

ワ wa ヲ wo

ン n

ガ ga ギ gi グ gu ゲ ge ゴ go ギャ gya ギュ gyu ギョ gyo

ザ za ジ ji ズ zu ゼ ze ゾ zo ジャ ja ジュ ju ジョ jo

ダ da ヂ ji ヅ zu デ de ド do

バ ba ビ bi ブ bu ベ be ボ bo ビャ bya ビュ byu ビョ byo

パ pa ピ pi プ pu ペ pe ポ po ピャ pya ピュ pyu ピョ pyo

Hepburn romanization for extended katakana

(These are used mainly to represent the sounds in words in other languages.)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
イェ ye

ウィ wi ウェ we ウォ wo

ヴァ va ヴィ vi ヴ vu ヴェ ve ヴォ vo

シェ she

ジェ je

チェ che

ティ ti トゥ tu

ディ di ドゥ du

ツァ tsa ツィ tsi ツェ tse ツォ tso

ファ fa フィ fi フェ fe フォ fo

フュ fyu

あ a	い i	う u	え e	お o
か ka	き ki	く ku	け ke	こ ko	きゃ kya	きゅ kyu	きょ kyo
さ sa	し shi	す su	せ se	そ so	しゃ sha	しゅ shu	しょ sho
た ta	ち chi	つ tsu	て te	と to	ちゃ cha	ちゅ chu	ちょ cho
な na	に ni	ぬ nu	ね ne	の no	にゃ nya	にゅ nyu	にょ nyo
は ha	ひ hi	ふ fu	へ he	ほ ho	ひゃ hya	ひゅ hyu	ひょ hyo
ま ma	み mi	む mu	め me	も mo	みゃ mya	みゅ myu	みょ myo
や ya		ゆ yu		よ yo
ら ra	り ri	る ru	れ re	ろ ro	りゃ rya	りゅ ryu	りょ ryo
わ wa				を wo
				ん n

が ga	き gi	ぐ gu	げ ge	ご go	ぎゃ gya	ぎゅ gyu	ぎょ gyo
ざ za	じ ji	ず zu	ぜ ze	ぞ zo	じゃ ja	じゅ ju	じょ jo
だ da	ぢ ji	づ zu	で de	ど do
ば ba	び bi	ぶ bu	べ be	ぼ bo	びゃ bya	びゅ byu	びょ byo
ぱ pa	ぴ pi	ぷ pu	ぺ pe	ぽ po	ぴゃ pya	ぴゅ pyu	ぴょ pyo

ア a	イ i	ウ u	エ e	オ o
カ ka	キ ki	ク ku	ケ ke	コ ko	キャ kya	キュ kyu	キョ kyo
サ sa	シ shi	ス su	セ se	ソ so	シャ sha	シュ shu	ショ sho
タ ta	チ chi	ツ tsu	テ '\'te''	ト to	チャ cha	チュ chu	チョ cho
ナ na	ニ ni	ヌ nu	ネ ne	ノ no	ニャ nya	ニュ nyu	ニョ nyo
ハ ha	ヒ hi	フ fu	ヘ he	ホ ho	ヒャ hya	ヒュ hyu	ヒョ hyo
マ ma	ミ mi	ム mu	メ me	モ mo	ミャ mya	ミュ myu	ミョ myo
ヤ ya		ユ yu		ヨ yo
ラ ra	リ ri	ル ru	レ re	ロ ro	リャ rya	リュ ryu	リョ ryo
ワ wa				ヲ wo
				ン n

ガ ga	ギ gi	グ gu	ゲ ge	ゴ go	ギャ gya	ギュ gyu	ギョ gyo
ザ za	ジ ji	ズ zu	ゼ ze	ゾ zo	ジャ ja	ジュ ju	ジョ jo
ダ da	ヂ ji	ヅ zu	デ de	ド do
バ ba	ビ bi	ブ bu	ベ be	ボ bo	ビャ bya	ビュ byu	ビョ byo
パ pa	ピ pi	プ pu	ペ pe	ポ po	ピャ pya	ピュ pyu	ピョ pyo

			イェ ye
	ウィ wi		ウェ we	ウォ wo
ヴァ va	ヴィ vi	ヴ vu	ヴェ ve	ヴォ vo
			シェ she
			ジェ je
			チェ che
	ティ ti	トゥ tu
	ディ di	ドゥ du
ツァ tsa	ツィ tsi		ツェ tse	ツォ tso
ファ fa	フィ fi		フェ fe	フォ fo
		フュ fyu