From Hepburn romaji to kana

The idea

Hepburn writes し as shi, ち as chi and つ as tsu; りょ is ryo and っ before て gives tte. A macron marks length, but kō may be こう or こお, so check the actual spelling. Before a vowel or y, n’ separates ん from the next kana; IME inputs can differ from printed romaji.

Examples

• すしを食たべます。I eat sushi.
• 私わたしは家いえでおちゃを飲のみます。I drink tea at home.
• きってを買かいます。I buy a postage stamp.
• 電車でんしゃでしんぶんを読よみます。I read the newspaper on the train.
• 五月ごがつにりょこうします。I travel in May.
• きょうは雨あめが降ふります。It will rain today.

Watch out

Romaji is not a unique spelling key: a long ō does not tell you whether a word uses おう or おお. Check a kana dictionary or the lesson example.

Try it yourself

1. Write in hiragana: shichi.

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   しち

   Compare the written parts and reading: し = shi；ち = chi.

2. Write in hiragana: kitte.

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   きって

   Compare the written parts and reading: き = ki；っ + て = tte.

3. Write in hiragana: ryokō (travel).

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   りょこう

   Compare the written parts and reading: りょ = ryo；こう = kō.

Use it today

Cover the chart, read two examples aloud and write one target word from memory. Compare its spelling and timing with the original.