Japanese word

ふりがな

Pronunciation

Romajifurigana

Meaning

  • nounfurigana

Example

この漢字にはふりがなが付いています。ko no kan ji ni wa fu ri ga na ga tsu i te i ma su

This kanji has furigana.

Illustration for ふりがな (furigana)

More examples

難しい漢字にはふりがなを振ってください。muzuka shi i kan ji ni wa fu ri ga na o fu tte ku da sa i

Please write furigana over difficult kanji.

Core concept

Refers to kana placed beside a kanji or other text to show how it is read.

Common phrases

  • ふりがなを振るfu ri ga na o fu ru

    write furigana

  • ふりがなを付けるfu ri ga na o tsu ke ru

    add furigana

  • ふりがな付きfu ri ga na tsu ki

    with furigana

Similar words

読み仮名yomigana: Kana characters written beside a word to indicate its pronunciation, especially for kanji.
ルビrubi: Small kana or other text placed beside a word to indicate how it is pronounced.

Definition in Japanese

漢字などの読み方を示すため、文字のそばに添える仮名。kan ji na do no yo mi kata o shime su ta me moji no so ba ni so e ru ka na

Word origin

ふりがな (furigana) derives from the compound 振り仮名 (furigana), in which 振り (furi, "assigned reading") modifies 仮名 (kana, "kana characters").

Usage tips

  • Furigana usually shows pronunciation rather than meaning, so an English gloss is not its normal function.

Word lists with this word