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Furigana the reading over the kanji

Furigana (振り仮名) are small kana placed beside kanji to show a reading. They commonly appear above kanji in horizontal text and to the right in vertical text. They differ from okurigana, which are part of the word on the main text line, as in the べる of 食べる.

振り仮名・ルビ · and 総ルビ / パラルビ / 送り仮名 / 読み仮名

振り仮名 — the small kana that give a kanji its reading · ルビ — the same thing, named after a type size · 総ルビ — on every kanji; パラルビ — only on the hard ones · 送り仮名 — not furigana: the kana that are part of the word

Sentences

5 sentences, word by word

総ルビ · a reading on every kanji

polite

。

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子供

こども ［0］

children

noun · 子 child ＋ 供 companion; also written 子ども

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の

の

links noun to noun

particle · A の B = B belonging to A

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本

ほん ［1］

book

noun · the same 本 as in 日本 and 本気, here the object you hold

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に

に

in; on

particle · marks where the furigana is found — on the books

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は

は

as for — the topic

particle · written は, read わ

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全部

ぜんぶ ［1］

all; every one

noun used as an adverb · every kanji, without exception

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の

の

links noun to noun

particle · A の B = B belonging to A

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漢字

かんじ ［0］

kanji

noun · the characters the furigana is attached to

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に

に

on — attached to

particle · the target ついている attaches to

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ふりがな

ふりがな ［0,3］

furigana

noun · 振り仮名 in kana, which is how it is usually written

ふりがなN4the reading over the kanji

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が

が

marks the subject

particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object

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ついて

ついて

is attached

て-form of 付く · with いる, a state: it is there

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います

います

is (state)

polite いる · closes ついている, the resulting state

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In children's books, every kanji has furigana.

パラルビ · only where the reader needs it

polite

。

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新聞

しんぶん ［0］

newspaper

noun · adult print, and the home of パラルビ

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は

は

as for — the topic

particle · written は, read わ

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難しい

むずかしい ［4,0］

difficult

い-adjective · here, hard to read rather than hard to understand

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漢字

かんじ ［0］

kanji

noun · the ones outside the 常用漢字 list

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に

に

on

particle · the surface the ruby is applied to

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だけ

だけ

only

particle · limits the ruby to those kanji and no others

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ルビ

ルビ ［1］

ruby — furigana

noun · the typesetter's word, from the 5.5-point type size

ルビN2furigana, in print

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を

を

marks the direct object

particle · pronounced お

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振ります

ふります

applies; sprinkles on

polite 振る · the verb furigana is named after — kana sprinkled on

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Newspapers only put ruby on difficult kanji.

送り仮名 · the kana that are part of the word

casual

。

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難しい

むずかしい ［4,0］

difficult

い-adjective · the example word: 難 is the kanji, しい the okurigana

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の

の

links noun to noun

particle · A の B = B belonging to A

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「しい」

「しい」

the しい

quoted kana · the tail of the word, on the line, not over it

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は

は

as for — the topic

particle · written は, read わ

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送り仮名

おくりがな ［0］

okurigana

noun · 送る to send off ＋ 仮名: kana sent along after the kanji

送り仮名N3after the kanji, part of the word

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で

で

is, and —

て-form of だ · joins the two clauses: is okurigana, and is not furigana

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ふりがな

ふりがな ［0,3］

furigana

noun · the contrast term

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じゃない

じゃない

is not

casual negative copula · では ない contracted

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The しい in 難しい is okurigana, not furigana.

義訓 · the reading disagrees on purpose

casual

。

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この

この

this

pre-noun · points at the manga in hand

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漫画

まんが ［0］

manga

noun · 漫 idle ＋ 画 picture; where 義訓 lives

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で

で

in

particle · the place the convention applies

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は

は

as for — the topic

particle · written は, read わ

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本気

ほんき ［0］

serious; for real

noun · what the kanji mean; the furigana will say something else

義訓N1kanji for meaning, kana for the word said

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と

と

as — quoting

quotative particle · marks what is written

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書いて

かいて

write, and

て-form of 書く · what the page shows

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マジ

マジ

maji — for real

slang noun · the word actually said; sits over 本気 as furigana

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と

と

as — quoting

quotative particle · marks what is read

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読ませる

よませる

makes (you) read

causative of 読む · the author makes the reader read it that way

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In this manga, 本気 is written but read as マジ.

フリガナ · on a form

polite

。

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フリガナ

ふりがな ［0,3］

furigana (of your name)

noun · in katakana because the form's label is in katakana

フリガナN4answer in the script of the label

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は

は

as for — the topic

particle · written は, read わ

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カタカナ

かたかな ［3］

katakana

noun · the script to answer in

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で

で

in; using

particle · the means — written in katakana

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ご記入

ごきにゅう

fill in — honorific

ご ＋ 記入 · the honorific frame ご〜ください for the customer's action

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ください

ください

please (do)

polite request · from くださる

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Please write the furigana in katakana.

How it works

Where it sits, and what it is allowed to say

readingover漢字

In horizontal text the kana run above the kanji, spanning the whole word or set character by character. Web pages, textbooks, most apps.

漢字thenreading

In vertical text the kana run down the right-hand side of the column. Novels, newspapers and nearly all manga are set this way, so this is where most furigana is actually read.

every＋kanji

Every kanji gets a reading, common or not. A child, or a learner, can read the page aloud with no kanji at all.

rare＋kanji only

Only the hard ones: names, old characters, anything outside the 常用漢字. The reader is assumed to know the rest.

a different wordover漢字

The reading disagrees with the kanji on purpose: 本気 read マジ, 宇宙 read そら. The kanji carries the meaning, the furigana carries the word actually said. Manga, lyrics, light novels.

name＋its reading

The box above the name field. Katakana if the label says フリガナ, hiragana if it says ふりがな — the script of the label is the instruction.

Meaning

What furigana is actually doing

It exists because a kanji does not tell you how to say it. 生 is read せい, なま, い, う and a dozen other ways depending on the word it is in; a name can be read almost any way its owner decides. Furigana is the writing system admitting this and printing the answer next to the question.

Who it is for affects how much of it there is. Books and manga for younger readers often use furigana widely, sometimes on every kanji (総ルビ). A newspaper may put a reading on kanji a reader might not know (パラルビ) — a rare character, an unusual name, anything outside the 常用漢字. The amount of furigana on a page is a statement about who it was printed for.

It is not the same as okurigana. Furigana sits over the kanji and is a reading aid; 送り仮名 sits after the kanji on the line and is part of the word — the べる in 食べる, the しい in 難しい. Remove the furigana and the word is intact; remove the okurigana and it is a different word or not a word at all.

The reading is allowed to disagree with the kanji. In manga, song lyrics and light novels the furigana often gives a different word from the one the kanji spells — 本気 with マジ over it, 宇宙 read そら, 敵 read とも. This is 義訓: the kanji shows what is meant, the kana show what is said, and the gap between them is the effect.

On a form it is an instruction, not a decoration. The フリガナ box above a name field is asking how your name is pronounced, because the kanji alone do not settle it. The script the label is written in is the script to answer in — katakana for フリガナ, hiragana for ふりがな.

Where the words came from

振る, ルビ, and a type size

振り仮名 is kana that was sprinkled on

振る is to shake or sprinkle — salt, a hand, dice. 振り仮名 is kana sprinkled over the kanji, and ルビを振る keeps the same verb for the act of adding it. Furigana has existed as long as kanji have been used for Japanese; the printed form dates from Edo-period woodblock books, where a reading beside the character let a wide readership read texts that used difficult kanji.

ルビ is named after a British type size

Nineteenth-century British printers named their small type sizes after gemstones — pearl, diamond, ruby. Ruby was 5.5 point, and when Meiji-era Japanese printers set furigana for 5-point body text they used it. The type size became the name of the thing set in it, and the HTML element that renders furigana is still <ruby>.

総ルビ and パラルビ are publishing terms

総 is total; パラ is from parallel, or sparse depending on who you ask — the point is some, not all. Pre-war newspapers were 総ルビ; post-war reforms fixed the 常用漢字, and print switched to putting a reading only on what fell outside the list.

Why the reading is allowed to be a different word

義訓 — meaning-reading — is old: the Man’yōshū already uses kanji for sense and marks a different word as the sound. Modern manga and lyrics inherited it. 運命 read さだめ, 敵 read とも: the kanji tells you what the character means, the furigana tells you what they said, and the reader is meant to hold both.

Watch out

Where furigana goes wrong for learners

Reading the furigana and never the kanji

With 総ルビ the eye goes to the small kana every time, and the kanji underneath is never learned. The reading is meant to be checked, not read from. Cover it, guess, then look — or turn it off once a word is known.

Confusing it with okurigana

Furigana sits over the kanji; 送り仮名 follows it on the line and is part of the word. 食べる has okurigana and, in a beginner text, furigana too — two different things in two different places.

Taking a 義訓 reading as the dictionary reading

本気 is ほんき. A manga that prints マジ over it is telling you what the character said, not how the word is read. Learn the word from the kanji and file the furigana as that author's choice.

Answering a フリガナ box in the wrong script

The label is the instruction: katakana for フリガナ, hiragana for ふりがな. Writing your name in kanji there answers a different question, and a form with the wrong script in that box gets handed back.

Assuming furigana means the text is for children

Every newspaper carries some. Every novel puts a reading on a rare name. Shōnen manga is 総ルビ and read by adults on every train in Japan. The amount of furigana says who the text is for; its presence says nothing.

Also asked

Questions people ask about furigana

What is furigana?

Small kana printed over a kanji — or to its right in vertical text — showing how that kanji is read. 振り仮名: kana sprinkled on. In print it is also called ルビ.

What is the difference between furigana and hiragana?

Hiragana is a script; furigana is a use of it. Furigana is almost always written in hiragana, and in katakana over foreign words or on forms whose label says フリガナ. The word names the position — over the kanji — not the script.

What is the difference between furigana and okurigana?

Furigana sits over the kanji and gives its reading. 送り仮名 follows the kanji on the line and is part of the word — the べる in 食べる. Take away furigana and the word is unchanged; take away okurigana and it is a different word.

Why does manga have furigana?

Many manga for younger readers use frequent furigana, sometimes on every kanji (総ルビ), while other titles use it selectively. Practices vary by publisher and edition. Manga also uses furigana to print a reading that differs from the kanji on purpose — 本気 read マジ.

Should I read Japanese with furigana on?

At the start, yes — it is what lets you read a real sentence before you know a single kanji. The trap is that the eye goes to the small kana and never learns the character underneath. Use it to check a guess rather than to skip the kanji, and turn it off for words you already know.

What does フリガナ mean on a Japanese form?

It is the box above the name field asking how your name is pronounced. Write the reading in the script the label uses: katakana for フリガナ, hiragana for ふりがな. Kanji in that box is the wrong answer.

How do you type furigana?

In Word and Pages it is the ルビ tool. On the web it is the <ruby> element, with the reading in <rt>. Most Japanese IMEs do not type it directly — it is a formatting step, not a keystroke.

References

Sources and usage notes

Digital Daijisen, 振り仮名 — Defines small kana giving readings alongside kanji.

Nearby

Where this shows up

Reading practicefurigana on any text

rikAI puts the reading over the kanji you photograph or paste

Photo translatorvertical text too

furigana on a manga page, in reading order

Japanese honorificssan · kun · chan

the other system a word page kept gesturing at

理解rikai

what the reading is for — the word the app is named after

JLPT N5 grammar6 points

where reading with furigana on begins

One email on launch day

That's the whole list. rikAI is an iPhone app and it isn't out yet.

See what rikAI does · How it works · All grammar points · Language concepts