Romaji to hiragana converter
Type Japanese in Latin letters and watch hiragana appear. Switch to katakana when you need it.
Romaji
watashi wa nihongo wo benkyou shite imasuKana
Short answer
To convert romaji to hiragana, type Japanese words in Latin letters into the box above, such as konnichiwa. Hiragana appears as you type. A switch changes the output to katakana. The converter accepts Hepburn spellings like shi and tsu, and Kunrei spellings like si and tu. It is free.
Common romaji and the kana they make
A few spellings cause most of the confusion.
| You type | You get | Note |
|---|---|---|
| shi / si | し | Both accepted |
| chi / ti | ち | Both accepted |
| tsu / tu | つ | Both accepted |
| nn or n' | ん | Use before a vowel, as in kin'en |
| kka | っか | A doubled consonant makes small っ |
| xtu or ltu | っ | Types a small tsu on its own |
| - | ー | Long vowel mark, mostly for katakana |
How to type hiragana with romaji
- Type in Latin letters. Use lowercase letters. Type nihongo and you see にほんご.
- Double a consonant for small tsu. Typing kitte gives きって. Type nn when ん comes before a vowel.
- Pick hiragana or katakana. Use the switch to change the script. The text updates straight away.
- Copy the kana. Press Copy to put it on the clipboard.
Why the last letter may stay as a letter
While you type, a letter like k or ky cannot become kana until the next letter arrives. The converter leaves that last piece as Latin text until it is complete, so you may see a trailing k. Once you type a vowel it turns into the kana.
Hepburn and Kunrei input
Hepburn writes sounds as an English speaker would read them: shi, chi, tsu, fu. Kunrei-shiki follows the kana table: si, ti, tu, hu. This tool accepts both, so you do not have to remember which one a source used. See the Japanese to romaji page for the reverse direction with kanji.
Typing particles
Type the kana, not the sound. To write the particle を, type wo. For the topic particle は, type ha, even though it is said wa. For へ type he. Mixing these up is the most common mistake in romaji typing.
Need to convert kana back to Latin letters? Use hiragana to romaji.
Frequently asked questions
Does it convert as I type?
Yes. The kana updates after every keystroke. A trailing consonant stays as a letter until you type the vowel that completes it. Nothing needs to be pressed first, and you can edit the text at any point to correct a spelling.
How do I type a small tsu?
Double the next consonant, for example kitte for きって, or type xtu or ltu to get っ alone. Both methods give the same result, so use whichever is easier on your keyboard.
How do I type ん before a vowel?
Type nn or n' so the converter knows the n is a full ん. For example, kin'en gives きんえん, while kinen gives きねん. A single n before a consonant, such as in kantan, already becomes ん without any extra letter.
Can it make katakana?
Yes. Turn on the katakana option and the same input gives katakana. Use the dash for the long vowel mark. This suits loanwords and names, for example typing koohii with the katakana option gives コオヒイ, while ko-hi- gives コーヒー.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. The conversion runs in your browser and needs no dictionary download. Your typing stays on the page, nothing is stored, and the tool keeps working once the page has loaded, even offline.
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