ローマ字じ

ロ

ー

マ

じ

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

Latin alphabet; Roman alphabet

Refers to the alphabet itself, as used in English and many other languages. Often contrasted with かな and 漢字.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉をローマ字じで書かくto write something in Roman letters/romaji
名な前まえをローマ字じで書かいてください。
Please write your name in Roman letters.
〈物もの〉をローマ字じで表ひょう記きするto represent/transcribe something using the Roman alphabet
地ち名めいはローマ字じで表ひょう記きされている。
Place names are written using romaji.
ローマ字じを読よむto read (something written in) Roman letters
子こ供どもでもローマ字じを読よめるようになった。
Even the child became able to read romaji.

Kanji

字character, letter, word
羅gauze, thin silk, Rome
馬horse

Related words

ラテン文も字じ sense 1
ラテン文字 is the neutral, technical term for the Latin script itself, while ローマ字 usually implies its use specifically for writing Japanese.
英えい字じN1
英字 refers specifically to English-alphabet letters, while ローマ字 more broadly means the Roman alphabet, especially as used to write Japanese phonetically.

Don't confuse with

横よこ文も字じN1
ローマ字 refers strictly to the Roman alphabet itself, whereas 横文字 more loosely means Western writing or language in general.

Word family· 7

ローマ字じ化か
romanization; transcribing into Latin script
ローマ字じ入にゅう力りょく
Romaji input
ローマ字じ綴つづり
romanization; romanized spelling

Written forms

ローマ字じ
Standard kanji-katakana spelling; the most common written form.
羅馬字ろーまじ
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
Ateji spelling using kanji for phonetic value; rarely used in modern Japanese.

Etymology

Compound of ローマ (Rōma, 'Rome') and 字 (ji, 'character, script'), literally 'Roman characters'. The kanji spelling 羅馬字 is ateji, using kanji phonetically for 'Rōma'.

全ぜん角かくローマ字じ

full-width Roman character

半はん角かくローマ字じ

half-width Roman character

Show 2 more

訓くん令れい式しきローマ字じ
kunrei-shiki romanization; kunrei system
ヘボン式しきローマ字じ
Hepburn romanization; Hepburn system of romanizing Japanese