Romaji version: Nihon de osushi o taberu no ga tanoshimi desu.Īs you can see, romaji makes it easier to read the writing for those unfamiliar with Japanese characters.

Romaji version: Kyou wa gakkou ni itte, benkyou shimashita.

Many English words that represent Japanese words like sushi, ramen, ninja, or samurai can be considered romaji.įor example, the following Japanese sentence can turn into romaji :

It is basically a way to express Japanese writing using the Latin alphabet. Romaji (ローマ字) is a writing system that is a romanization of the Japanese language. Typically the alphabet would be spoken or written with dropped first-letters wherever appropriate, as in 'ay for 'orses.Want to learn how to read and write in Japanese? Get your free Japanese Hiragana/Katakana workbook + 7-Day Writing Course. The alphabet is based on a child-like alphabet (A for Apple, etc), replacing the correct words to form puns. Its origins are uncertain, most probably evolving organically in Cockney London in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Not used by any important global standards organisations and certainly not recommended for use in confirming spellings, letters or words-it only confuses people!Īgain, there are different versions of this. See the full alphabet below:Īs mentioned earlier, there are other versions of the alphabet, but the NATO one above is the original and most widely used.įor amusement only. Used by communicators around the world to clarify letters and spellings. NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Spelling Alphabet) If possible, request they confirm your spelling. ‘G, Golf T, Tango W, Whisky,’ or ‘GTW, Golf Tango Whisky.’ The name John would be communicated as 'J: Juliet, O: Oscar, H: Hotel, N: November' or just, 'John – Juliet, Oscar, Hotel, November'. In less formal use, for example by customer service telephone staff, communications tend to give the letters and clarify with each corresponding alphabet word e.g. For example, a registration or call sign of GTW would be stated as 'Golf Tango Whisky'. When used professionally by the police, military, or other governmental organisation in relaying abbreviations or letter codes, such as registrations, only the corresponding words are stated. The IPA is far more complicated, and as well as by linguists, is utilised by speech therapists, language teachers, etc. The NATO phonetic alphabet used for confirming spelling and words should not be confused with the International Phonetic Alphabet ( IPA) used by linguist to confirm or analyse pronunciation and word sounds. Different versions exist – however, this is the original major standard and still the most widely used. The NATO phonetic alphabet is a useful reference for language and communications training and study. It was originally developed in the 1920s by the International Civil Aviation Organization and subsequently adopted by NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) in 1956 among other significant global and national bodies covering telecommunications, maritime, and aviation. Most laypeople will be familiar with it from trying to spell their name or address with a customer service worker.

It is used to identify letters precisely when communicating initials, abbreviations or the spellings of words. The phonetic language – also known as the 'spelling alphabet' or the NATO phonetic alphabet-is used by professional communicators like the police, military and other emergency and armed forces. Introduction to the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Spelling of alphabet in english