What Is Furigana? A Guide to the Small Readings Above Kanji

Read the small text with the word below it

When 漢字 has かんじ above it, the small kana give you the reading kanji. This arrangement is often called ruby typography on the web. It keeps the written word visible while giving the reader pronunciation support.

Pay attention to the whole word being annotated. A reading above a compound may belong to the compound as a unit. You cannot always split it into one reading per character and reuse those pieces in another word.

Furigana, okurigana, and romaji do different jobs

In 食べる, the full-size べる after the kanji is part of the written word. It is okurigana, not furigana. A small た placed above 食 would be a reading guide. One contributes to the spelling of the word; the other helps you read it.

Romaji uses the Latin alphabet, as in kanji for かんじ. Furigana normally uses kana. Once you recognize kana, reading the guide directly avoids an extra trip through English spelling conventions.

Use the guide without letting it do all the work

For a new word, use furigana to connect the sound, spelling, and meaning. When the word becomes familiar, try reading the kanji before checking the guide. If you need support, look: understanding a passage matters more than keeping a reading aid hidden.

It can help to separate two questions: “Do I know what this word means?” and “Can I recall its reading?” A missed reading does not automatically mean you have forgotten everything about the word.

KotobaHoshi articles follow saved furigana display preferences for signed-in learners. Readings are shown where reading data exists; unfamiliar names or compounds should be checked rather than annotated by guesswork.

Try a small reading check

Look at 日本語, say the reading, and then check the kana above it. Next, read the complete example aloud. To understand why a kanji can have different readings in different words, continue with on’yomi and kun’yomi.