Romaji: What It Is, the Systems, and When to Stop Using It

What is romaji? ローマ字 (rōmaji)

Romaji is Japanese written in the Latin alphabet, the same letters as English. The word is ローマ字 (ローマじ, rōmaji, “romaji”), and it literally means "Roman letters".

So "konnichiwa" is the romaji for こんにちは (konnichiwa). You see it on station signs, passports and in most English-language textbooks. It is not a separate language: real Japanese is written in kana and kanji.

There is more than one way to spell Japanese in romaji, and the official rule just changed. In December 2025 the Japanese government replaced its 1954 rules with new ones built mainly on the Hepburn system, the one most learners already know. Below: the systems, what changed, long vowels, and when to stop leaning on romaji.

Hepburn vs Kunrei: the romaji systems

Three systems matter. They differ on only a handful of sounds.

• Hepburn (ヘボン式) is named after James Curtis Hepburn, an American whose Japanese-English dictionary first appeared in 1867. It suits English readers.
• Nihon-shiki (日本式, 1885) was designed by the physicist Tanakadate Aikitsu. It follows the kana chart strictly, one consonant per row.
• Kunrei-shiki (訓令式) is Nihon-shiki adjusted and made official by a Cabinet instruction in 1937. A Cabinet notice in 1954 kept it as the standard for general use, and allowed Hepburn where international custom made a sudden change hard.

Kunrei was the official rule for decades, but Hepburn was what appeared in public. Here is where they split:

Kunrei is tidy: every row of the kana chart uses one consonant, so し is "si" because it sits in the s-row. Hepburn is closer to how English speakers read the letters. Read the vowels a, i, u, e, o as in Spanish, and r as a quick tap of the tongue. See the hiragana chart. If you've seen "shi", "tsu" and "chi", you've seen Hepburn, and this site shows it too.

What changed in 2025: the new romaji rules

On 20 August 2025 the Council for Cultural Affairs advised the education minister to adopt the spellings that society already uses. On 22 December 2025 the government issued the result as Cabinet Notice No. 4 of Reiwa 7, "ローマ字のつづり方" (roughly, "how to spell in romaji"). It replaced the 1954 notice, the first change to the national rules in about seventy years. Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02.

What it says:

• One table, not two. The 1954 notice had a main table (Kunrei) and a second of alternatives (mostly Hepburn, plus a few Nihon-shiki spellings). The new notice has one table, with Hepburn spellings: shi, tsu, chi, fu, ji.
• ん is always n. So 新橋 (しんばし, shinbashi) is Shinbashi. Older Hepburn, as on some Tokyo Metro signs, writes "m" before b, m or p: Shimbashi.
• A small っ doubles the consonant. Hepburn makes an exception, "t" before "ch", as in "matcha". The new rule has none: it doubles the first letter, so by the rule 抹茶 (まっちゃ, matcha) would be "maccha", though the notice lets fields keep "matcha" and "tempura".
• Long vowels have two accepted forms. A macron on the vowel (Tōkyō) or the vowels written out (Toukyou). More below.

It isn't pure Hepburn: the Agency for Cultural Affairs says in its Q&A that this does not mean unifying on Hepburn. And the notice has no legal force over the public. It is a reference point.

Some things did not change at once:

• Passports. The agency does not ask fields like passports to change straight away, to avoid confusion and cost.
• Existing spellings. Spellings used abroad, such as "Judo" and "matcha", and personal and company names such as "Ohtawara", are to be respected.
• The international standard. The ISO standard still follows the old table. The agency expects its body to consider changes.

The Ministry of Education also changed its textbook standards on 22 December 2025. Primary schools taught Kunrei until now. The ministry said it would update its primary-school teaching commentary to teach Hepburn-based romaji, and the textbook publisher Mitsumura has teacher guidance for its 2026 school year books.

Romaji long vowels: ō, ou or oo?

Long vowels are the trickiest part. Japanese has long and short vowels, and length changes meaning: 大野 (Ōno) and 小野 (Ono) are different surnames.

The 2025 notice allows two ways to show a long vowel:

1. A macron: ō, ū, ā, ē, ī. A circumflex (ô) is tolerated when needed.
2. The vowels written out, following the kana spelling. 大雨 becomes "ooame" and 王様 becomes "ousama".

The macron is the usual choice, but the written-out form is allowed too, and can be safer when text moves between systems that might garble a macron. Some examples:

Words with a long i, or a long e written with い, are normally spelled with the vowels written out, as in Niigata, shiitake, Heisei and Reiwa. A macron form exists for them but is rare. For long o and long u, the macron is the usual form.

Two warnings. First, English speakers may read a doubled "oo" like the "oo" in "moon". The agency admits this, but notes that romaji never promised to match English: たけ is written "take", and nobody reads it like the English verb. Second, many people drop the long mark and write "Tokyo" or "Ono". That loses information, since length can be the only difference between two words.

Particles, ん and other romaji details

A few more rules in the new notice:

• Particles are written as they sound. The particle は is "wa", へ is "e" and を is "o". The same は is "ha" inside other words, so こんにちは ends in a particle and is "konnichiwa".
• An apostrophe prevents misreading. It can separate ん from a following vowel or y, so 単位 is "tan'i" and not "tani". It can also show that a vowel pair isn't long: 小唄 (こうた) can be "ko'uta".
• Proper nouns start with a capital letter. So does a sentence, and the comma and full stop are the usual punctuation.

Japanese input systems accept "wo" for を and "di" and "du" for ぢ and づ, and the agency says the new rules do not change how typing works.

Where you see romaji in Japan

Romaji turns up in Japan mostly on names rather than sentences:

• Station signs and road signs. They carry romaji so visitors can read the names. The Tokyo Metro style for 新橋 has been Shimbashi, where the new notice gives Shinbashi.
• Passports. A passport name is in Hepburn romaji in principle, based on the family register, and other spellings can be requested. The Hepburn rules include "m" before b, m or p (難波 is Namba), "t" before "ch" (発地 is Hotchi), and a long o or u usually left out (大野 is Ono, 佐藤 is Sato).
• Typing. People type romaji on computers and phones, and the software turns it into kana and kanji.

Japanese people can read romaji, since it is taught in school, but sentences in romaji are rare outside typing and logos.

Why learn kana instead of romaji

Romaji is a good first week and a poor first year. Reasons to move on early:

• Real Japanese isn't written in romaji. Books, menus and websites use kana and kanji.
• Romaji invites English habits. The letters look like English, so it's easy to read them as English. Each kana stands for one Japanese sound.
• The kana are quick to learn. Our guides cover what hiragana is, how long it takes and how to memorise it.
• Romaji is a fine bridge. Verbacard, a learning site, suggests romaji for a week or two to learn the sounds, then switching.

You can say a few phrases from romaji alone, but you can't go far. Learn the kana first, and keep romaji for typing and names.

Questions about romaji

What exactly is romaji?

Romaji is Japanese written with the Latin alphabet. The word ローマ字 means "Roman letters".

Do the Japanese use romaji?

Yes, but mostly for names, signs and typing. Japanese people learn romaji at school and use it to type, and it appears on signs, passports and brand names. Everyday writing is in kana and kanji.

Can Japanese understand romaji?

Yes, since it is taught at school, a name or a short word in romaji is no problem. Long passages are probably tiring, because Japanese isn't normally written that way.

Are romaji and hiragana the same?

No. Romaji spells Japanese sounds with the Latin alphabet, while hiragana is a Japanese writing system with its own characters. They can write the same sounds: "ka" in romaji is か in hiragana.

Can I learn Japanese with romaji only?

Not properly. You can pick up phrases, but books, signs and websites are in kana and kanji. Start with the kana and keep romaji as a helper.

How do you say "hi" in romaji?

The usual daytime hello is "konnichiwa", written こんにちは, with a final "wa" for the particle は. Our guide to hello in Japanese has the morning, evening and casual versions.

How do you say "I love you" in romaji?

People usually say 好き (すき, suki), or 大好き (だいすき, daisuki) for something stronger, to mean "I like you" or "I love you". For the stronger verb 愛する (あいする, aisuru) and how people really say it, see I love you in Japanese.

What does "I suki you" mean?

"I suki you" means "I like you", with the Japanese word 好き (suki) dropped into an English sentence, like a joke. It isn't Japanese grammar.

How do you say "what the f*ck" in Japanese?

There is no neat word-for-word equivalent, and this guide won't teach swearing. A bare 何 (なに, nani) is a blunt "what?". Shock is more often a short えっ (e) or 何だって (なんだって, nandatte). Strong swear words are rude and depend on context, so learn them from a native speaker.

Sources

• Readings and meanings: JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0).
• The 2025 revision, the 22 December 2025 notice, what the rules say and what they don't change (passports, signs, the ISO standard, typing): Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese Language Division, 「ローマ字のつづり方」（令和７年内閣告示第４号）に関するQ&A (February 2026).
• The recommendation of 20 August 2025: MEXT, Cultural Council report on the revised romaji spelling; Council for Cultural Affairs, General Assembly page; the 2024 request for advice: MEXT, 14 May 2024.
• The textbook-standards change and the date the notice took effect: MEXT, summary of the amended textbook screening standards.
• Hepburn, Nihon-shiki and Kunrei history, and the 1954 notice: Japanese Wikipedia, ローマ字; background on the 1954 notice: Hugkum, ローマ字表記が変わる!?.
• Schools: Kyobun, the romaji notice and the course-of-study commentary; Mitsumura Tosho, romaji guidance for 2026 textbooks.
• Passport romaji rules: Kanagawa Prefecture, ヘボン式ローマ字の規則 (as of its July 2026 update).
• Romaji as a bridge for learners: Verbacard, Romaji Japanese Learning.
• Status of the rules checked on Facts on this page last checked on 2026-10-02..
• Reviewed independently; the points about romaji in everyday use, "I suki you", the "what" answer, "maccha", the passport wording and the school dates are waiting for a native speaker's check.