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Furigana Explained: Reading Aids for Japanese Kanji

Furigana helps children and Japanese learners with unfamiliar kanji. Here are its basic role and display methods.

Furigana is small text showing how to read a kanji

Small hiragana (occasionally katakana) placed above or beside a kanji to indicate its reading, making it easier to understand a passage even when a reader can't read a particular character.

Also called "ruby" in printing and typesetting

The term "ruby" comes from a historical English name for a small type size, and in the Japanese printing and publishing industry it's used essentially interchangeably with "furigana." Even the HTML tag for furigana is named after the English word "ruby."

Mainly aimed at children and Japanese learners

Because the school-grade level at which each kanji is taught is fixed, adding furigana to kanji introduced before a reader's grade level, or kanji outside the official regular-use list, helps children and Japanese learners read more smoothly.

Typically placed to the right in vertical text, above in horizontal text

In vertical Japanese text, furigana is usually placed to the right of the kanji; in horizontal text, it's placed above the kanji.

Web pages can display it with a dedicated tag

HTML includes a dedicated tag for displaying furigana, and browsers that support it can render furigana-annotated text with correct layout.

Adding it in word processing software

Many word processors and document apps include a built-in furigana feature that automatically adds readings β€” just select the target text and choose the furigana option from the menu.

Why Japanese text needs furigana

Japanese kanji often have multiple readings, and the same character can be read differently depending on context. Because the kanji taught varies by school grade, adding furigana to text containing kanji the intended reader hasn't yet learned helps convey the content accurately.

The difference between "furigana" and "ruby" as terms

The term "ruby" is said to originate from an English name for the small type size once used in letterpress printing. Today it's essentially synonymous with "furigana," mainly within the publishing and printing industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every kanji need furigana?

It depends on the intended reader and medium. Children's books tend to add furigana to many kanji, while general-audience books often limit it to hard-to-read kanji outside the regular-use list, or to proper nouns.

Do furigana and katakana serve the same purpose?

No, they serve different roles. Furigana indicates how to read a kanji, while katakana is a character set mainly used for loanwords and onomatopoeia. In rare cases, katakana furigana is used to give a kanji a special, non-standard reading.