A first Japanese textbook for self-study, and whether you need the workbook
What a first Japanese textbook has to do when you study alone, where GENKI I and its workbook fit, and when a grammar dictionary is worth adding.
Read on ›Home › Writing
Writing
Guides and notes on checking Japanese text: proofreading habits, script choices, grammar and usage, translation review and the desk tools that help.
Hyōki yure: keeping spellings consistent across a long Japanese document
A step by step routine for hyōki yure: pick one spelling per word, write a style sheet, and search a long Japanese document without breaking it.
Open it ›
Reading aloud as a proofreading method for Japanese text
Reading a Japanese draft aloud catches doubled particles, broken rhythm and kanji with two readings that the eye slides past. Here is how to make it work.
Read the piece ›
Typing Japanese: romaji or kana input, JIS or US layout, and IME settings
Romaji or kana input, a JIS or a US keyboard, and the IME settings that cut down on typing slips in Japanese text before they reach a proofreader.
Go to the article ›
Genkō yōshi: how manuscript paper works and how to practise with it
The layout rules of Japanese manuscript paper: titles, small kana, punctuation squares, numbers and character counts, plus a simple way to practise them.
Read on ›
Machine-translated Japanese: what to check by hand before anyone reads it
Machine translation output into Japanese reads smoothly and still goes wrong. Check negation, politeness level, katakana, terms and numbers by hand.
Open it ›
Reviewing a Japanese to English translation: a routine for second readers
A practical routine for second readers of Japanese to English translations: omissions, subject drop, numbers and era dates, names, negation and tone.
Read the piece ›
Japanese grammar dictionaries worth keeping on the desk
What a Japanese grammar dictionary does that a textbook cannot, the two Makino and Tsutsui volumes compared, and how to use one while you proofread.
Go to the article ›
A keigo checklist for Japanese business email
Check a Japanese business email for double keigo, させていただく overuse, mixed-up honorific and humble forms, and the openings and closings readers expect.
Read on ›
Ra-nuki kotoba and other usage shifts: when to correct and when to leave it
見れる or 見られる? How a proofreader should handle ra-nuki forms and other usage shifts in Japanese, depending on register, quotes and dialogue.
Open it ›
Okurigana: the rules behind the kana after a kanji
How the official okurigana rules work, why 行う and 行なう are both allowed, and how to pick one spelling and keep it through a whole document.
Read the piece ›
Full-width and half-width characters: cleaning up mixed Japanese text
Zenkaku and hankaku letters, digits, spaces and katakana: where the two widths come from, how to pick house rules, and search patterns to clean a draft.
Go to the article ›