Japanese: Search and
Display Hints
Japanese language records in the Library of Congress Online Catalog
are cataloged using a romanized script (see ALA-LC Romanization
Tables). However, in a subset of these records, some information is also provided in
Japanese script (e.g., names,
titles, publishers, etc.).
In order to display records and view the non-Roman scripts (like Japanese), please
see help on Displaying Non-Roman Characters in the Online Catalog.
CJK Compatibility Database
Use the CJK Compatibility Database to quickly and conveniently replace non-MARC21
characters with MARC21 equivalents, or a missing character symbol.
- Link
to the CJK Compatibility database
-
More
about the CJK Compatibility database
Searching in Japanese
There are two ways to search the records in Japanese:
- enter search words using romanized characters
- enter search words Japanese characters
In order to enter Japanese characters, you will
need to use the appropriate
Input Method Editors (IME). (view more help on installing and using
IMEs) *
No matter which method of searching you use, the resulting
records will
display
the romanized
script along with the Japanese character portions
of the record (as long as both are present in the record).
Tips for searching Japanese using romanized script:
- Use the modified Hepburn system** employed
in Kenkyusha’s
New Japanese-English
Dictionary (3rd and later editions) as reference for romanization
rules.
In addition, please follow these rules for entering the search:
- Long vowels
Ignore
long vowels in romanization when entering the search term
- Enter "Osaka" not "Ōsaka" for
大阪
- Enter "Oe Kanzaburo" not "Ōe
Kanzaburo"
for 大江健三郎
- Syllabic nasals
Use "n" not "m" preceding
"b", "m", and "p"
- Enter "shinbun" not "shimbun" for
新聞
- Enter "shinmai" not "shimmai" for
新米
- Enter "ranpu" not "rampu" for
ランプ
- Double consonants
Make sure you use all double consonants in searches
- Enter "kokkai" for
国会
- Enter "jittai" for
実態
- Before "chi"
(チ), "cha" (チャ), "chu" (チュ), "cho" (チョ),
use "t"
- Enter "itchi"
for 一致
- Enter "hatchu" for
発注
For more details about the Japanese romanization
system employed by the Library of Congress, see ALA-LC Romanization
Tables at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/japanese.pdf.
-
When searching using romanized script, pay special attention
to word division rules:
- Divide binary compounds following
the romanization rules:
- Enter "Nihon shakai" for
日本社会
- Enter "Meiji Daigaku" for
明治大学
- Divide trinary and derived compounds following the romanization
rules:
- Enter "Shakaiteki" for
社会的
- Enter "Kyutaisei" for
旧体制
- Divide words and particles such as "no" (の), "ga" (が), "wa" (は), "e"
(へ) and "to" ( と)
following the romanization rules:
- Enter "Nihon kokka no tanjo to
rekishi" for
日本国家の誕生と歴史
- Enter "Kofuku e no michi" for
幸福への道
- Divide family and first names.
- Enter "Kawabata Yasunari" for
川端康成
- Enter "Mishima Yukio" for
三島由紀夫
Tips for searching Japanese using non-Roman characters:
- Enter search words without any
divisions, AND with divisions following the romanization rules
(see below for examples). Consequently,
searching by romanization may be faster and more efficient.
- Search binary compounds as a single unit, AND
divide the compounds following the romanization rules.
- Nihon shakai = 日本社会 and 日本_社会
- Meiji Daigaku = 明治大学 and 明治_大学
- Search trinary and derived compounds as a single unit, AND divide
the compounds following the romanization rules.
- Shakaiteki = 社会的 and 社会_的
- Kyutaisei = 旧体制 and 旧_体制
- Search words and particles such as "no" の, "ga" が, "wa" は, "e"
へ and "to" と together, AND divide
the words and particles following
the romanization rules.
- Nihon kokka no tanjo to rekishi = 日本国家の誕生と歴史
and 日本_国家_の_誕生_と_歴史
- Kofuku e no michi = 幸福への道 and 幸福_へ_の_道
- Search family and first names together, AND divide family and
first names.
Kawabata Yasunari = 川端康成 and 川端_康成
Mishima Yukio = 三島由紀夫 and 三島_由紀夫
Notes:
* When using the IME for Japanese, set the Input Mode to"Hiragana" (do not use other modes, such as "Direct Input" (English)).
1) Type phrase by phrase in romanized Japanese. It then appears
in Hiragana.
2) By pressing the space bar, Hiragana changes into the first
option for characters set by IME.
3) Press the space bar again for more options: more choices for
that syllable pronunciation will appear in a window.
4) Once you press the "enter" key,
you confirm your choices, and the underline disappears.
** See Japanese Romanization Table of Modified Hepburn System.
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