Polivanov system is a system of
transliterating the Japanese language into
Russian Cyrillic script, either to represent Japanese proper names or terms in Russian or as an aid to Japanese language learning in those languages. The system was developed by
Yevgeny Polivanov in 1917.
In terms of spelling the system is a middle ground between Kunrei-shiki and Hepburn romanisations, matching the former everywhere except for morae ''hu'' and ''tu'', which are spelled as in Hepburn (''fu'' and ''tsu''), moras starting with z (which are spelled with dz, as in archaic Hepburn, but following the consistency of Kunrei-shiki with Jun being spelled as Dzyun) and syllabic n, which is changed to ''m'' before b, p and m as in traditional Hepburn.
The following
cyrillization
Cyrillization or Cyrillisation is the process of rendering words of a language that normally uses a writing system other than Cyrillic script into (a version of) the Cyrillic alphabet. Although such a process has often been carried out in an ad h ...
system for Japanese is known as the
Yevgeny Polivanov system. Note that it has its own spelling conventions and does not necessarily constitute a direct phonetic transcription of the pronunciation into the standard Russian usage of the Cyrillic alphabet.
Main table
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''.
It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...
and
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived f ...
to Polivanov cyrillization correspondence table, for single/modified kana.
Syllabic n (ん/ン) is spelled м (m) before b, p, m, and spelled нъ before ya, yu, yo.
Grammar particles は and へ are written ва and э. Syllable を is written either во or о depending on pronunciation.
Diphthongs
It is permitted to use й instead of и in Chinese diphthongs ai and ei (e.g. синдзитай, сэйнэн).
Geminate consonants
Consonants are geminated exactly as they are in
romaji: e.g. ''-kk-'' > -кк-.
Long vowels
Long vowels may be marked by macron as in Hepburn, but since letter ё has a diacritical mark already it is permitted and much more common to mark long vowels by using a colon (e.g. сё:гун). The sequence ''ei'' may be written э:, эй or эи. In regular texts long vowels are usually unmarked.
Common errors and deviations
In English texts, Japanese names are written with the
Hepburn system. Attempts may be made to transcribe these as if they were English, rather than following a dedicated Japanese Cyrillization scheme.
A common example of this is attempting to transcribe ''shi'' (Polivanov: си) as ши and ''ji'' (Polivanov: дзи) as джи. This is inadvisable for use in
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
, because ши is actually pronounced like шы in Russian, and джи like джы, thus making the vowel () closer to Japanese than to Japanese . Whereas, щи would have a correct vowel sound, but be pronounced more like Japanese .
Equally often, people transcribe ''cha'', ''chi'', ''chu'', ''cho'' as ча, чи, чу, чо. This is phonetically correct, but does not conform with the Polivanov scheme (тя, ти, тю, тё), which more closely resembles the
Kunrei-shiki
is the Cabinet-ordered romanization system for transcribing the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet. Its name is rendered ''Kunreisiki rômazi'' in the system itself. Kunrei-shiki is sometimes known as the Monbushō system in English bec ...
romanisations (''tya'', ''ti'', ''tyu'', ''tyo'') for these particular characters.
Sometimes е, rather than э, is used for ''e'', despite е being pronounced ''ye'' in Russian (though not in other languages). This is typically not done in the initial position, despite older romanisations such as "Yedo" doing so. In any case, it does not conform with the Polivanov scheme, although it is seen as more acceptable for words that are in general use (e.g. ''kamikaze'' > камикадзе instead of камикадзэ). Replacing ё (''yo'') with е (''ye'') is incorrect, however, as it will change the Japanese word too much.
The sound ''yo'' (Polivanov: ё), when in the initial position or after a vowel, is often written as йо (yo), which has the same pronunciation: Ёкосука -> Йокосука (Yokosuka), Тоёта -> Тойота (Toyota). Although, the spelling "йо" is not common in Russian words, these are more generally accepted for Japanese names than the transliterations using "ё". "Ё" is not often used in Japanese Cyrillization due to its facultative use in the Russian language (and possible substitution with the letter "Е" which would affect the pronunciation), but for professional translators, the use of ё is mandatory. Some personal names beginning with "Yo" (or used after a vowel) are written using "Ё" (e.g.
Йоко for
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
, but
Ёко for
Yoko Kanno
is a Japanese composer, arranger and music producer best known for her work on the soundtracks of anime series, television series, live-action films, video games, and advertisements. She was born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. She has wri ...
and all other Yokos).
Exceptions
Some proper names, for historical reasons, do not follow the above rules. Those include but are not limited to:
See also
*
Japanese language education in Russia
Japanese language education in Russia formally dates back to December 1701 or January 1702, when Dembei, a shipwrecked Japanese merchant, was taken to Moscow and ordered to begin teaching the language as soon as possible. A 2006 survey by the Japa ...
*
Romanization of Japanese
*
Cyrillization of Japanese
The cyrillization of Japanese is the process of transliterating or transcribing the Japanese language into Cyrillic script in order to represent Japanese proper names or terms in various languages that use Cyrillic, as an aid to Japanese languag ...
External links
Online Japanese→Polivanov transcription converter*
ttp://www.russki-mat.net/trans4.html Automatic cyrillization of hiragana and katakanaKiriji and Yevgeny Polivanov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyrillization Of Japanese
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
Japanese writing system
Japan–Russia relations
Japan–Soviet Union relations