Japanese to Romaji Guide
Romaji writes Japanese sounds with the Latin alphabet. It is helpful for pronunciation support and quick reading checks, but it works best when you use it as a bridge into kana rather than a replacement.
How to use romaji correctly
- Use it to pronounce new words and confirm readings quickly.
- Cross-check against hiragana or katakana whenever possible.
- Do not treat it as a replacement for Japanese script study.
Japanese to romaji examples
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | Hello |
| ありがとう | arigatou | Thank you |
| 駅はどこですか | eki wa doko desu ka | Where is the station? |
| 漢字 | kanji | Chinese character / kanji |
| 日本語を勉強しています | nihongo o benkyou shite imasu | I am studying Japanese |
| 大丈夫です | daijoubu desu | It is okay |
When romaji helps and when it does not
Romaji is useful when you need a pronunciation prompt or a quick sanity check on a Japanese line you cannot read fluently yet.
It is much less useful when you need to understand nuance, spelling, or word boundaries. For that, pair romaji with kana, kanji, and a meaning-focused translation page.