sci.lang.japan FAQ / 1. Writing / 1.1. Hiragana and katakana

1.1.6. How does the i-ro-ha ordering go?

A mouse mat with an "iroha" pattern

The iroha (いろは) ordering is a kana ordering based around a Buddhist poem which contains each of the Japanese syllables exactly once. This ordering is still used today, and it is not unusual to see items numbered i, ro, ha where English would use A, B, C, etc. However, in dictionaries and other lists of words, it is much less common nowadays than the more regular gojuuon ordering. (See 1.1.5. What is the origin of the gojuuon kana ordering?)

There are several different versions of the ordering corresponding to different versions of the poem. The most common one is

i ro ha ni ho he to
chi ri nu ru (w)o
wa ka yo ta re so
tsu ne na ra mu
u (w)i no o ku ya ma
ke fu ko e te
a sa ki yu me mi shi
(w)e hi mo se su (n)

The appendix of the Nelson kanji dictionary gives the following explanation of the poem underlying this ordering:

Colours are fragrant
But they fade away.
In this world of ours none lasts forever.
Today cross the high mountain of life's illusions,
And there will be no more shallow dreaming,
no more drunkenness.

To get that meaning, however, you need to read it as

Iro wa nioedo
Chirinuru o
Waga yo tare zo
Tsunenaran
Ui no okuyama
Kyoo koete
Asaki yume miji
Ei (= yoi) mo sezu.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Bart Mathias and Jeff Schrepfer for comments and additions.

sci.lang.japan FAQ / 1. Writing / 1.1. Hiragana and katakana

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