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The Japanese language boasts a unique feature: it can be written both horizontally and vertically. This versatility in script direction, from left to right, right to left, and top to bottom, adds depth to its rich linguistic tapestry.
Japanese Writing Systems
As the official language of Japan, spoken by over 128 million people, Japanese writing is intricate and multifaceted. It comprises:
- Kanji (漢字): Derived from Chinese, there are over 40,000 characters, with around 1,500 in regular use. Often, furigana or yomigana (読み仮名) accompany kanji to aid pronunciation.
- Kana (仮名): These phonetic syllabaries, native to Japan, consist of 46 characters each.
- Hiragana (ひらがな): Used for most native Japanese words and grammatical structures.
- Katakana (カタカナ): Primarily for foreign words, onomatopoeia, and emphasis.
- Romaji (ローマ字): A transliteration of Japanese into Roman script.
Japanese can be written vertically (tategaki, 縦書き) or horizontally (yokogaki, 横書き).
Vertical Writing (Tategaki)
Tategaki, the traditional vertical script, flows from right to left and top to bottom. It graces traditional texts, novels, manga, and even greeting cards. Its origin traces back to ancient scrolls, which were unrolled horizontally and written with the right hand. A quintessential example of tategaki is the haiku, a three-line poem.
Horizontal Writing (Yokogaki)
Yokogaki, the horizontal script, gained traction post-World War II, influenced by English and other Western languages. With the digital age, its use has proliferated, especially on websites and in messaging. While software like Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop support tategaki, most websites prefer yokogaki. Notably, the renowned Naro website, a literary platform, employs this script. Yokogaki also features in business signs, manga, films, ads, and educational books.
Distinguishing Tategaki and Yokogaki
Beyond orientation, these scripts differ in punctuation. Yokogaki employs punctuation similar to English, whereas tategaki rotates certain marks, like commas, by 90°.
Name Order in Japanese
In Japan, as in many Eastern countries, the surname precedes the given name. For instance, in “Watanabe Akiko,” “Watanabe” is the surname. Interestingly, due to the vertical nature of tategaki, the surname is termed “ue no namae” (上の名前) or “the name above,” and the given name is “shita no namae” (下の名前) or “the name below.”
Reading Manga
Manga offers a practical way to understand tategaki and yokogaki. Manga starts from the right, opposite to Western books. Panels on a page are read from the top right, moving left, then top to bottom.
Sources
- Go! Go! Nihon Staff. (2018). All about the Japanese alphabet: hiragana, katakana, and kanjis.
- Lopez, J. (2019, September 12). How to write in Japanese.
- Japan strokes. (2013, September 10). Japanese Writing Systems: I.
- Live Tokyo. Japanese script.
- Naro, become a novelist. syosetu.com.
