Hepburn Romanization

Hepburn Romanization is a system for converting Japanese writing, especially the sounds of words, into the Latin alphabet. Developed by James Curtis Hepburn in the 19th century, it aims to make Japanese pronunciations understandable to English speakers. It uses specific spelling rules for representing Japanese sounds, helping with pronunciation and learning. For example, 東京 is written as "Tokyo." Hepburn Romanization is widely used internationally, especially for travelers, learners, and in official contexts, because it closely aligns with English pronunciation patterns, making Japanese words more accessible to non-native speakers.