＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・作物と農作物など日本語の読み方は難しい！ ローマ字表記やかな表示の難しさも
1. Pronunciation
There are many similar-sounding words with different pronunciations, such as “sakumotsu（「作物（さくもつ）」）” (crops) and “nousakubutsu（「農作物（のうさくぶつ）」）” (agricultural products), which makes me realize how difficult Japanese pronunciation can be. Sometimes you hear people say “nousakumotsu.”
“Nousakubutsu（「農作物（のうさくぶつ）」）” is pronounced “butsu（「ぶつ」）” because, like “kōsakubutsu（「工作物（こうさくぶつ）」）” (works) and “chosakubutsu（「著作物ちょさくぶつ）」）” (copyrighted work), it’s formed from “nōsaku（農作）” (agricultural work) + “butsu（物）” (thing). It’s not “nō（農「のう」）” (agriculture) + “sakumotsu（作物「さくもつ」））” (crops).
Regarding area, is the correct pronunciation of “10 square meters（「10平米」）” “jihhei-bei（「じっへいべい」）” or “jūhei-bei（「じゅうへいべい」）”? I often hear “jihhei-bei” in news reports about fires.
Regarding the number of times, “10 times（10回）” is correctly pronounced “jikkai（「じっかい」）,” and “jukkai（「じゅっかい」）” is incorrect. The same applies to “Jikkai（「十戒」）” (ten commandments) and “Jikkai（「十界」）” (ten realms).
Regarding “Ōbutai（「大舞台」）” (grand stage), is it “ōbutai（「おおぶたい」）” or “daibutai（「だいぶたい」）”? In classical performing arts such as Kabuki, the term is “ōbutai,” but both “ōbutai” and “daibutai” seem to be used to mean “a grand occasion” or “a stage for activity.” However, recently, it seems that more people are using “ōbutai.”
The correct reading of “chōfuku（「重複」）” is “chōfuku（「ちょうふく」）,” but many people also read it as “jūfuku（「じゅうふく」）.”
The correct reading of “kendochōrai（「捲土重来」）” is “kendojūrai（「けんどちょうらい」）,” but many people also read it as “kendojūrai（「けんどじゅうらい」）.”
The correct reading of “zanson（「残存」）” is “zanson（「ざんそん」）,” and “zanzon（「ざんぞん」）” is incorrect.
The correct reading of “kison（「既存」）” is “kison（「きそん」）,” and “kizon（「きぞん」）” is incorrect.
The correct reading of “ichidanraku（「一段落」）” is “ichidanraku（「いちだんらく」）,” and “hitodanraku（「ひとだんらく」）” is incorrect.
However, due to the evolution of the Japanese language over time, it’s possible that both readings may become correct.
2. Romanization
I’ve been bothered by the Romanization of road signs in Osaka City, where “〇〇 Bridge North End（「〇〇橋北詰」）” is written as “〇〇BASHIKITAZUME”. I think “づ” should be “DUME”…
So, I looked up the “Hepburn Romanization System（「ヘボン式ローマ字綴り方表」）” and found that both “ず” and “づ” are written as “ZU” in Romanization. (In the “Japanese” Romanization system（「日本式ローマ字表記」）, it’s “DU”.) Come to think of it, “Takarazuka Revue（宝塚歌劇団）” is also “TAKARAZUKA”.
The current official Romanization system is the “Kunrei-shiki,” a compromise between the “Hepburn” and “Japanese” systems. This system was established in 1930 and announced as a Cabinet Order in 1937, and like the “Hepburn” system, “づ” is written as “ZU”.
Furthermore, regarding Romanization, with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the expected increase in foreign visitors to Japan, I think we should consider whether there are any issues with “readability.”
I believe we should consider the opinions of people who are proficient in both Japanese and foreign languages, such as instructors at foreign language schools, and revise the rules if necessary.
3. Kana spelling
“今日は” (konnichiwa) should be written as “こんにちは” (konnichiwa), while “こんにちわ” (konnichiwa) is incorrect.
Regarding whether “いずれか” (izureka) or “いづれか” (izureka) is correct, “いづれ” (izure) is historical kana spelling（歴史的仮名遣い）, so “いずれ” is correct.