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Japanese Spelling: Romanization

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IGDB_Admin_M edited this page Sep 6, 2022 · 20 revisions

The Japanese language is a complex language with different variations when it comes to spelling. You can write Japanese in:

  • Hiragana
  • Katakana
  • Kanji
  • Romaji

Since IGDB’s main page is in English, we should focus on giving all Japanese titles a romanized version, with their hiragana/kanji titles as alternative names. This is to make it easier for users who do not know the language.

With a romanized version, we mean the original title written in Non-Japanese letters. Please do not use unofficial/fan translated titles. Those titles can be added under "Alternative Titles".

Romanized Japanese titles should follow IGDB guidelines (see Titles for more information) and specific Stylized titles should be added as an Alternative Titles.

Titles for localized data in Japanese should be in kana (hiragana/katakana/kanji), with stylization (such as ☆ and ～ ) excluded and romanization added as an alternative title. Click here for more information on localization guidelines.

Sometimes Japanese video games end up in the West with another title, often in English. The English version should always be the main title. However, changing the titles into Romaji is easier said than done as you can spell words differently in Romaji. There are different types of romanization:

Hepburn: The Hepburn romanization is based on the pronunciation rather than the Japanese writing of the word.

Nihon-shiki: Nihon-shiki is the most regular romanization system, because it maintains a strict "one kana, two letters" form. Because it has unique forms for all of the kana homophones, it allows one to go back and forth between kana and romaji unambiguously.

Kunrei-shiki: Based slightly more on pronunciation rather than correspondence to kana.

JSL: It is designed for teaching spoken Japanese, and so, it follows Japanese phonemes fairly closely. When it comes to Japanese gaming titles it is best to follow the exact spelling of each word. It’s also good to avoid macrons (a bar over the letters to indicate long vowels) as it can be hard and time-consuming to use while searching for a game.

Example: Senkaiden Ni: TV Animation Senkaiden Houshin Engi Yori vs Senkaiden Ni: TV Animation Senkaiden Hōshin Engi Yori In this case it’s better to spell the word “Houshin” as it’s easier to type.

Example 2: Naruto Shippûden: Ultimate Ninja 4 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4 The “bar” is not needed in the first title so in this case the original file should be marked as the dupe (unless you rename).

Summary

  • When it comes to names of cities, people, countries, companies etc., at IGDB our rule is to always go with the official romanization of the name first.
  • It should be Tokyo and not Toukyou.
  • Osaka should be spelled without two O's.
  • Nintendo will always be romanized as Nintendo, despite the official kana being “Nintendou.”
  • If a company has an English version of their name, go by that no matter the Japanese spelling.
  • When it comes to Japanese gaming titles it is best to follow the exact spelling of each word.
  • Avoid macrons (a bar over the letters to indicate long vowels) and other spellings like that as they it can be hard and time-consuming to use while searching for a game.
  • Separate the words clearly and don't attach particles to certain words.

Example: "Your Name" should be "Kimi no Namae" and not "Kimino Namae".

When it comes to particles, these versions are preferred:

  • を should be spelled wo and not o.
  • は should be spelled ha and not wa.
  • しゅ should be spelled shu and not syu.
  • へ should be he and not e.

This way of spelling will ultimately be a mix of official rules and our own judgement as we feel that it's better to make the spelling easier rather than complicated. This will help users when it comes to search, for example.

It's always good to have some kind of knowledge when adding romanization for a Japanese game. If you know little to no Japanese, always get in contact with someone who has knowledge in the language.

English Words in Katakana

In Japanese, many English words are often written with Katakana. However, when romanizing games at IGDB, we have decided to default to the English spelling of the word. If the word is a made up word or from another language than English, spelling it out as per Nihon-shiki is fine. Exceptions are bound to occur though, and those will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Examples:

English title in katakana:

ゼロ・ディバイド

  • Zero Divide ー Correct
  • Zero Dibaido ー Incorrect

ミストギア

  • Mist Gears ー Correct
  • Misuto Gia ー Incorrect

Katakana title of made up names:

イースV 失われた砂の都ケフィン

  • Ys V: Ushinawareta Suna no Miyako Kefin ー Correct
  • Ys V: Ushinawareta Suna no Miyako Kefuin ー Incorrect

タリアの伝説 女騎士アルカディア

  • Talia no Densetsu Onna Kishi Arcadia ー Correct
  • Taria no Densetsu Onna Kishi Arukadhia ー Incorrect

Title in language that’s not English:

有翼のフロイライン

  • Yuuyoku no Furoirain ー Correct - In the case the contributor does not know the original language of the katakana word
  • Yuuyoku no Fraulein ー Correct - In the case the contributor knows the original language of the katakana word
  • Yuuyoku no Fräulein ー Correct - In the case the contributor knows the original language of the katakana word
  • Yuuyoku no Flyline ー Incorrect - In the case the contributor does not know the original language of the katakana word but assumes it’s English

ワリオランド3 不思議なオルゴール

  • Wario Land 3: Fushigi na Orugooru ー Correct - In the case the contributor does not know the original language of the katakana word
  • Wario Land 3: Fushigi na Orgel ー Correct - In the case the contributor knows the original language of the katakana word
  • Wario Land 3: Fushigi na All Goal ー Incorrect - In the case the contributor does not know the original language of the katakana word but assumes it’s English

Would a game that has not been released with an official English title have a katakana title in a language different from English and you, the contributor, understand it enough to romanize it in the language that is being used, please do so and leave us a comment!

Symbols and Roman Letters in Japanese Original Titles

Japanese titles have a tendency to adapt the usage of symbols, numbers and roman letters to the same width of their kana/Japanese letters (aka. full-width). Thus, while writing on the computer there’s often the option to go with “full-width” or “half-width” for everything that is not Japanese kanji or hiragana.

Examples:

  • カタカナ　１２３！ ー Full-width kana with full-width numbers and symbols.
  • ｶﾀｶﾅ 123! ー Half-width kana with half-width number and symbols.
  • Ｋａｔａｋａｎａ１２３！ ー Full-width roman letters with full-width numbers and symbols.
  • Katakana 123! ー Half-width roman with half-width numbers and symbols.

At IGDB we have decided to go with the following rules regarding full/half-width letters, numbers, symbols as well as space. Roman letters, numbers and space in Japanese titles should always be half-width. Kana should always be full-width.

If symbols are following the Japanese kana/kanji, please use the full-width style.

Example: ひらがなだよ 〜！

If symbols are following roman letters/numbers in the Japanese title, please use half-width style.

Example: ひらがなis hard ~!

Title examples:

ドラゴンボールZ　超武闘伝2

  • Dragon Ball Z: Super Butouden 2 ー Correct
  • Dragon Ball Z: Super Butouden２ ー Incorrect

実況パワフルプロ野球2000

  • Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2000 ー Correct
  • Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu ２０００ ー Incorrect

KOFクロニクル

  • KOF Chronicle ー Correct
  • ＫＯＦ Chronicle ー Incorrect

美少女戦士セーラームーンS: 場外乱闘！？主役争奪戦

  • Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Juugai Rantou !? Shuyaku Soudatsusen ー Correct
  • Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Juugai Rantou ！？ Shuyaku Soudatsusen ー Incorrect

フレラバ ～Friend to Lover～

  • Fureraba ~ Friend to Lover ~ ー Correct
  • Fureraba ～Friend to Lover～ ー Incorrect

倭人異聞録 ～あさき、ゆめみし～

  • Wajin Ibunroku ~ Asaki, Yumemishi ~ ー Correct
  • Wajin Ibunroku ～Asaki 、 Yumemishi～ ー Incorrect

These rules apply to "Japanese - Original" as well as "Japanese - Romanized" under "Alternative Titles" for any Japanese game. However, for the top title for the game, please refer to IGDB's Title guidelines.

Regarding spaces before/after tildes (or other symbols) in romanized titles, please mimic the original title.

Onomatopeia Romanization

Japanese is a language full of words for sounds. Many of those (but far from all) are words where a sound is repeated twice. A very common one in the west is that of ドキドキ or “dokidoki” which is the sound of two beats of the heart. At IGDB we have decided to romanize these types of onomatopeia by using dash. Would the onomatopeia have more than two sounds (three, four, five, etc.), please break them up in pairs of two.

  • Correct romanization: ドキドキ doki-doki
  • Incorrect romanization: ワクワク waku waku
  • Incorrect romanization: ペコペコ pekopeko

Example of games with such titles romanized according to IGDB guidelines:

  • Doki-doki Universe ー Correct
  • Dokidoki Universe ー Incorrect
  • Gon Baku-baku Baku-baku Adventure ー Correct
  • Gon Baku-baku-baku-baku Adventure ー Incorrect

For other sound words, which are not repetitive, such as “しいんと(する)” or “グッと(くる)” please open a space before the verb.

  • Correct romanization: しいんと shiinto suru
  • Incorrect romanization: グッとくる gu tto kuru

Example of games with such titles romanized according to IGDB guidelines:

  • Soi Kano Gyutto Dakishimete ー Correct
  • Soi Kano Gyu tto Dakishimete ー Incorrect
  • Kiratto Kaiketsu 64 Tantei-dan ー Correct
  • Kira tto Kaiketsu 64 Tantei-dan ー Incorrect

Suffixes

Suffixes are very common in Japanese. Mostly they are added to names but they can also be used when talking about locations and buildings as well as many other situations. In the event that these suffixes are made part of the title of a game, at IGDB we want them romanized with a dash between the name/location and the suffix.

Example of games with such titles romanized according to IGDB guidelines:

  • Ayumi-chan Monogatari ー Correct
  • AyumiChan Monogatari ー Incorrect
  • Tennis no Ouji-sama: Sweat and Tears ー Correct
  • Tennis no Ouji Sama: Sweat & Tears ー Incorrect
  • The Pet Girl of Sakura-sou ー Correct
  • The Pet Girl of Sakurasou ー Incorrect
  • Gesshizu: Mori no Chiisana Nakama-tachi ー Correct
  • Gesshizu: Mori no Chiisana Nakama tachi ー Incorrect
  • Kiratto Kaiketsu 64 Tantei-dan ー Correct
  • Kira tto Kaiketsu 64 Tanteidan ー Incorrect

Japanese Editions

Editions limited to Japan (i.e. Editions and Collections that don't reach the West), should have their edition name romanized as per our guidelines. If the game has received an official westernized title, you should use that first and foremost.

Example:

Japanese symbols in titles

If a game has a title with symbols in it, such as ♡/★/△/ etc. put that name under “Stylized Title” under alternative titles. This goes for most unique Japanese symbols that aren’t used in game titles elsewhere, such as ～ and ー.

Example:

A last note on Romanized titles

Has a game been released internationally with a title that goes against our guidelines, we will make an exception for that game. However, unless the title has been officially released as a game, developers/publishers’ romanizations will be put as alternative titles would they be different from IGDB’s guidelines.

This is to keep IGDB as consistent as possible, as Japanese romanization has a tendency to differ from company to company, and in certain cases even from release to release even though the company might stay the same.

  • How should the spelling be for series and franchises?

The spelling/romanization should adhere to the same standards as our current Japanese spelling guidelines.

Examples:

  • Chou Aniki: The series/franchise for this game should be spelled “Chou Aniki” and not “Chō Aniki” which is an alternative spelling.
  • Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 4: The series should be spelled Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuuand not Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 4 which is an alternative spelling.

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