| Kana | Phonetic Transcription |
Old Romanization |
Kokutei | Nipponsiki |
| クヮ | ka | ka | ka | kwa |
| シ | ʃi | shi | si | si |
| シャ | ʃa | sha | sya | sya |
| シュ | ʃu | shu | syu | syu |
| ショ | ʃo | sho | syo | syo |
| チ | tʃi | chi | ti | ti |
| ツ | tsu | tsu | tu | tu |
| チャ | tʃa | cha | tya | tya |
| チュ | tʃu | chu | tyu | tyu |
| チョ | tʃo | cho | tyo | tyo |
| フ | Fu | fu | hu | hu |
| ジ | dȝi | ji | zi | zi |
| ジャ | dȝa | ja | zya | zya |
| ジュ | dȝu | ju | zyu | zyu |
| ジョ | dȝo | jo | zyo | zyo |
| ヂ | dȝi | ji | zi | di |
| ヅ | zu | zu | zu | du |
| ヂャ | dȝa | ja | zya | dya |
| ヂュ | dȝu | ju | zyu | dyu |
| ヂョ | dȝo | jo | zyo | dyo |
| ンバ | mb… | mb… | nb… | nb… |
| ンパ | mp… | mp… | np… | np… |
| ンマ | mm… | mm… | nm… | nm… |
The fundamental difference between the systems is that the Old Romanization is a simple broad transcription based on the normal value of the vowels as in Italian and the consonants as in English, whereas the other two Romanizations are not phonetic transcriptions but are rather phonemic Latin orthographies which take the phonemic structure of Japanese rather than Occidental concepts of letters values as a starting point. In other words, the Old Romanization is a simple Latin transliteration designed for the transcription of single Japanese names and words when writing in a foreign language, while the other two systems are really spelling systems designed for use by Japanese wishing to write the Japanese language in the Latin alphabet. Consequently, the Old Romanization is obviously designed primarily for use by foreigners and the other two systems for use only by those who know the Japanese language.[1]
- ↑ Palmer in his Principles of Romanization (Tōkyō, 1931), p. 123, has already clearly stated this difference as follows:
“The Hepburn system is by its very nature nothing other than a trans-
