Top: Introduction and Contents >> 4. The Japanese writing system >> 4.3. Other questions on writing systems
Furigana (振仮名), also known as rubi (ルビ) or rubii (ルビー) from "ruby", the name of the size of the type used to print them, are small kana characters placed adjacent to kanji to indicate the pronunciation.
These small characters are used most extensively on books for Japanese
children, as seen in the above plant dictionary, but they are also
used to write difficult-to-read characters in adult books. They are
also widely used in textbooks for foreign students of the Japanese
language. Using the characters on all of the kanji, as seen in
the above picture, is called sourubi (総ルビ).
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