1.
furigana, reading aid, phonetic gloss written above or beside kanji
Small kana characters placed above (in horizontal text) or beside (in vertical text) kanji to indicate their pronunciation. Used in children's books, language learning materials, and to clarify rare or unusual readings.
難しい漢字に振り仮名をつける。
To add furigana to difficult kanji.
子供向けの本にはすべての漢字に振り仮名がついている。
In books for children, all kanji have furigana.
名前の欄に振り仮名も記入してください。
Please also fill in the furigana in the name field.
振り仮名 is the standard term for the small phonetic readings placed alongside kanji. The word comes from 振る (to assign, to allocate) + 仮名 (kana characters).
Also written as ふりがな (all kana) in everyday usage.
TYPES:
- 総ルビ: full furigana on every kanji (common in children's materials)
- パラルビ: selective furigana only on difficult kanji
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 振り仮名をつける / 振り仮名を振る: to add furigana
- 振り仮名つき: with furigana included
- 振り仮名欄: furigana field (on forms)
NOTE: On Japanese official forms, there is usually a space above or below the name field labeled ふりがな (written in hiragana, meaning write the reading in hiragana) or フリガナ (written in katakana, meaning write the reading in katakana).