ローマ字(じ)

ろーまじ
noun
Roman letters, romaji
language
1. Roman letters, romaji, the Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet (A-Z) used to write Japanese phonetically. Also refers to the romanization system itself.
名前(なまえ)をローマ字(じ)で書(か)く。
Write your name in Roman letters.
パスポートにはローマ字(じ)で氏名(しめい)が記載(きさい)される。
Names are written in Roman letters on passports.
ローマ字(じ)入力(にゅうりょく)とかな入力(にゅうりょく)のどちらを使(つか)っていますか。
Do you use romaji input or kana input?

ローマ字(じ) literally means "Roman characters" and refers to the Latin alphabet as used to represent Japanese.

Common collocations

Types

There are several romanization systems, including 訓令式(くんれいしき) (Kunrei-shiki, long the official standard taught in schools) and ヘボン式(しき) (Hepburn, used on passports and signs). Hepburn is the most widely recognized internationally.

Usage

Most Japanese people type using ローマ字(じ)入力(にゅうりょく), where they type romanized letters that are automatically converted to kana.

Related Words

Related: 漢字(かんじ) (Chinese characters)
Related: 平仮名(ひらがな) (hiragana)
Related: 片仮名(かたかな) (katakana)
Compare: 英字(えいじ) (Roman letters)
general
Added 2026.2.15 11:43 · Revised 2026.10.16 21:30
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