傍ぼう点てん

noun

emphasis mark; dot or mark for stress/attention

Marks (dots, sesame dots, or short lines) placed beside characters in Japanese text to indicate emphasis, similar to italics or underlining in English. Common in printed materials and manga.

• この本ほんでは、重じゅう要ような言こと葉ばに傍ぼう点てんが付つけてある。

  In this book, important words have emphasis marks next to them.

• 漫まん画がのセリフに傍ぼう点てんが打うたれていると、強きょう調ちょうされている感かんじがする。

  When emphasis marks are placed on dialogue in manga, it gives a feeling of stress.

noun

guiding marks for kanbun

Special marks used in reading Chinese classics (kanbun) to indicate Japanese word order and grammatical particles. A technical term in classical studies.

See also: 漢文

• 漢かん文ぶんの授じゅ業ぎょうで、返かえり点てんなどの傍ぼう点てんの付つけ方かたを習ならった。

  In kanbun class, we learned how to add guiding marks such as return marks.