Home
Back

Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you!

Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.

The writing/reading speaking system 2009/6/29 07:08
Written: 感じないわ
Spoken: kanjinai wa
Now how do you read the characters, people say its from right to left, but when I use a program that automatically changes the spoken way into the japanese characters then it's the left to right way to read it, so I don't get it anymore. Becouse わ = wa is used to end a sentance. Or is it like this that they write the sentance from left to right, but the next sentance thats followed is placed to the left of it. Like this:
感じないわ 痛くないわ
kanjinai wa itakunai wa
and when they read it they read it like this: itakunai wa kanjinai wa. Is it like this? Please inform me.
by JapaneseStudent (guest)  

writing 2009/6/29 08:14
If Japanese is written horizontally it is read left to right. If it is written vertically it is read right to left- simple as that. There are very occasionally exceptions, but not often. If horizontal writing is used, the sentence following is placed to the right, exactly as it is in English.
by Sira (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2009/6/29 12:21
Like the above poster said, it is read left to right like English when written like that. Especially since the kanji/sentence wouldn't make send if you read it right to left...
by Firedraco rate this post as useful

. 2009/6/29 15:46
Here it is in a graphical explanation:

http://www.w3.org/TR/jlreq/images/img1_13.png

Vertical you read from top to bottom then right to left. If horizontal you read from left to right as in English.
by Express Train (guest) rate this post as useful

Like Z or N in modern Japanese 2009/6/29 16:03
As to Japanese text written along horizontal lines, that is read just like English text; each line is read left to right and the text continues to the line just below. Eyes move zigzag, just like forming an alphabet Z.

As to Japanese text written along vertical lines, each line is read up to down and the text continues to the left line. Eyes move just like tracing an alphabet N from its end.

In modern Japanese, exceptions to these rules are not often, as Sira says, especially not as to horizontal writing. (Contrarily in the past, Japanese text was going right to left in horizontal lines. On newspapers horizontal headlines were in that way untill around 1945 or some years later.)

//

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

reply to this thread