Free Romaji-to-Japanese, online Japanese IME
Just like the Japanese IME bundled with Windows or macOS — type romaji on the web and watch the hiragana appear live, with smart candidate-word suggestions for common words. No installation, copy and go.
Smart suggestions cover greetings, verbs, and adjectives; long input convert per-word in the annotation row.
Quick phrases: click one to drop it in and try it out:
Result
Type a few romaji letters and the kana will appear here as you go
Input rules
Romaji is always lowercase: arigatou → ありがとう (uppercase is treated as katakana by convention).
IME mode: a lone n / ny sits in the buffer and waits for the next letter to decide between ん or a contracted sound; a trailing vowel also stays buffered.
Hepburn style by default: konnichiwa → こんいちわ (we do not double the nn or nch — it matches how the letters are pronounced in isolation).
Trailing buffer characters: a lone n / sh waits for the next character. Click Commit below the input to force-flush them (e.g. sumimasen → すみません).
Want to type Japanese with romaji in Word, your browser, anywhere?
Step-by-step setup guides for Windows, macOS, iPhone, and Android: See "Romaji input method setup" →
Pair these with the IME for the best learning loop
Kana chart
Have not learned all the kana yet? The complete chart with audio + an interactive keyboard drill is right here.
Japanese to romaji
The reverse direction: paste a Japanese sentence (lyrics, dialogue, a name) and get kana + romaji annotations.
How to type Japanese
Romaji vs kana input, why we recommend romaji, complete reference tables, and a troubleshooting guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a real Japanese input method?▾
It is an online romaji-to-kana IME. The conversion engine is the same logic Windows and macOS use — type romaji, get kana. The difference is you do not have to install or switch system input methods.
How accurate are the suggestions?▾
Suggestions are driven by a curated common-word list covering greetings, time, numbers, and frequent verbs / adjectives — high hit rate for everyday use. For rare words, the kana preview above is the source of truth.
How does it differ from the system Japanese IME?▾
The conversion engine is the same, but the system IME lets you type inside any app; this tool is focused on web practice and lookup. They complement each other: use the system IME for daily typing, and this tool for checking an unfamiliar reading or verifying a quick conversion.
Why does konnichiwa give me こんいちわ instead of こんにちは?▾
This page uses Hepburn-style romaji, which matches how the letters sound in isolation (konnichiwa → こんいちわ, nichiwa → にちわ). Output also follows Hepburn conventions (とうきょう → toukyou rather than tōkyou), staying consistent with our Japanese-to-romaji converter.
Why does sumimasen show すみませn?▾
IME mode holds the trailing letter (n / sh) in a buffer, waiting for the next keystroke — same as Windows / macOS built-in IMEs. Click the Commit button below the input to force-flush the buffer, and sumimasen will become すみません.
Why hiragana only and not katakana?▾
Hiragana is what learners need first — for understanding pronunciation and matching romaji. For katakana, paste all-uppercase romaji into a tool that supports katakana output.
Does it support kanji?▾
This version only does romaji → kana. To convert kana back into kanji words, use the romaji typing practice on the home page — it has full-sentence input, candidate words, and instant feedback.
Is anything saved or sent to a server?▾
No. Conversion runs entirely in the browser (WanaKana is a pure JS library): no network requests, no server-side logging, no account tied to your input.
Is this tool free?▾
Completely free, no signup, no limits.