Can't read Japanese lyrics? Choosing furigana, romaji, or off
You can sing along in Hitokara even if you can’t read kanji. It can show furigana or romaji above the lyrics, so you pick whichever you can read. If you don’t need either, turn it off.
What are the options?
The reading above the lyrics is one of three choices:
- Furigana. The default. Hiragana readings appear above the kanji.
- Romaji. Romaji readings appear instead of furigana.
- Off. No readings, just the lyrics.
You can’t show both at once. Switch between them under “Lyrics” in Settings.
Furigana or romaji, which one?
If you can read hiragana, furigana is the better pick. It uses the same characters as the kana in the lyrics, so your eyes move less. If hiragana is still new to you, romaji lets you follow the pronunciation in letters you already know. Not sure? Try each on a song or two and keep the one that’s easier to sing.
Where do the readings go?
Both kinds sit inside the lyric line, right above the text (inline ruby). No extra line is added below the lyrics. Romaji is split word by word, so you can see where each word ends. Romaji goes over kana words too, not just kanji. Lines that are only English don’t get romaji.
What about English, Korean and Chinese lyrics?
Lyrics in other languages get katakana readings. Above English words, or above Hangul and Chinese characters in Korean and Chinese songs, the pronunciation appears in katakana. These readings show only while Furigana is selected. Switch to Romaji or Off and the katakana on songs in other languages goes away too.
Related reading: how furigana works; pronouncing Japanese songs.