Furigana: Reading, Placement, Uses, and Related Ruby Text

All flashcards

What is furigana?

Small characters accompanying kanji or other text to indicate pronunciation or, in some uses, meaning. It is a type of ruby text.

What are two other Japanese names for furigana?

Yomigana and rubi.

How does usual furigana placement differ between tategaki and yokogaki?

In vertical tategaki it is usually to the right of the line; in horizontal yokogaki it is usually above the line.

What is the difference between character-by-character and word-level alignment?

Character-by-character alignment associates reading characters with individual kanji. Word-level alignment centers the whole reading over a group of kanji.

Name one way typesetting can accommodate a long reading.

The kana can be condensed, spacing can be added between the kanji, or the furigana can extend into nearby space.

Quiz questions

1. In some dictionaries, which scripts commonly distinguish kun'yomi and on'yomi readings, respectively?Answer: Hiragana for kun'yomi and katakana for on'yomi.
2. What is characteristic of jukujikun readings?Answer: The reading belongs to the word as a whole rather than mapping neatly to each kanji.
3. What makes a use of ruby text an example of gikun?Answer: The ruby text gives a reading or interpretation unrelated to the kanji's ordinary reading.
4. What does sōrubi mean in children's publications?Answer: Furigana is provided for all kanji.
5. How do okurigana differ from furigana?Answer: Okurigana are normal-size kana written inline, often after kanji stems.