!tasukuchan

Japan has three alphabets, as many may know. The Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. The Hiragana is used for actual, original Japanese words, while Katakana is used for borrowed words (IE. Hamburger, pencil, American names, ETC...pretty much anything that didn't originate in Japan) Kanji are the thousands of Chinese characters that were taken from China and used to symbolize a single image (IE. A single Kanji character could represent an object, action, or a collective meaning of things)

Some consider Romaji to be part of the Japanese alphabet. Romaji is the romanized translation of Japanese characters into English-pronouncable words.

I PERSONALLY do not consider Romaji an alphabet. Romaji only 'sounds Japanese.' It is written in English.

Anyway, the Japanese have created their alphabet in the form of syllable - sounds.
Romanized, allow me to demonstrate.

(NOT IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
a, i, u, e, o
ka, ki, ku, ke, ko
ta, chi, tsu, te, to
na, ni, nu, ne, no
sa, shi, su, se, so

WITH THAT LONG COMPLEX STORY OUT OF THE WAY, ALLOW ME TO MAKE MY POINT ~
Ha, hi, hu, he, ho are part of this alphabet, dominantly. SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT when the Europeans came over and influenced Japan, the character for "HU" was stressed into "FU"...Nasty, nasty Europeans! Hence the term Mt. Huji has been mispronounced into Fuji. Europeans changing the syllabic sounds are the cause for this.

So from what I am told, if you want to be politically correct, it's actually "Mt. Huji"

Does anyone have any extra information on this???
(I heard this from a native Japanese person)

LenMiyata

Grumble Grumble Grumble

This is incorrect, as your listing for the Japanese Phonetic alphabet is woefully incomplete. Mt Fuji is actually refered to as Fuji-yama (yama means mountain) You also have Japanese corporate names like Fujitsu...

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!tasukuchan

I know, my Japanese Romaji was incomplete. I felt it redundant to list all forty some characters. My Japanese teacher was the one who told me that it was Mt. Huji... <<;;

I'm actually quite curious about this one! If anyone knows, please repost. I've never heard Mt. Fujiyama, but my friend ChanChan tells me that she has heard it 'Mt. Huji' as well!

Andi-san

that is actsactly(sp?) what i was told. and i agree.

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konitchi wa,
fave food is chokoreeto; i even drink hotto chokoreeto in the winter. i use to ride a basu but they cut the basu service for me. i just got penpals yesterday.
later,
andi-san

fuujin

If you have a japanese teacher, then you are probably learning japanese. If you are learning the kana's then you know hu/fu are the same charater and i have been taught that the sound is somewhere between the hu and the fu. While the kana is actually hu, not a big deal as fu and hu do sound real similar, at least the way i say hu and fu.

Now as for Mt Fuji, I have heard to it refered to it more as Fujisan than Fujiyama and doing a google search on both shows more about the mountian when reffering to it as Fujisan. The san suffex (thing that goes on end) is also to mean mountians as I understand it; some go by san and some by sama. As for politically correct and what ever nonsense, blah! If it makes you feel better to write it huji in romanji fine, but it isn't that big of a deal because in english it is reconized as Fuji, and in japanese.....well you should be writing in hiragana and not romanji so not a big deal.

!tasukuchan

Hahah, I had to drop out of the Japanese class after two weeks of taking it because I couldn't make the classes, they were 7 - 10 PM classes, and the bus schedule didn't work out right. Ironically, I got my license a month later ><;;

That was a year and a half ago though <<;;
( And yes I know the Hiragana alphabet by heart, but I haven't mastered memorizing Katakana ~ The sounds are all the same though u.U;; )


...So basically, in regards to the European influence on Hu and Fu...


Is it Mt. Huji or Mt. Fuji???

Dreadhawk

LenMiyata told ya its Fuji-yama, that's what I have heard so many times as well, and not to mention i climbed it! yeah its Fuji for short though...

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jaderabbit

ok heres one of my pronuciation tables hope in comes in handy to some of u people.


I agree with len all the way on this one.

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Gundam-Freedom

I think Mt. Fuji at least that what it say on the travel guide books stuff .... I dunno never been to Japan :mad2:

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Arrianna

This might help.

Japanese Hiragana

If you will notice it's "fu" instead of "hu".

While I am failing miserably at learning Japanese I have done a great deal of reading on the pronunciation. (I want to know what they're saying!) Every book I have read says that the sound is actually halfway between an F and an H. Sort of like how we combine T and H to make "th". It's an interesting sound (I have a live CD to help with pronunciation I can listen to) but if you can't do it and have to pick one or the other the "fu" is closer. As a result though when translated to english you will find it spelled both "hu" and "fu" but the "fu" is the accepted translation.

In my opinion if your going to be strictly phonetic it should be "fhu" but when has the english language ever been strictly phonetic? lol

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asraiwaters

all right. the romanji is fu and the kana is in the ha line, but is pronounced almost like and english f sound with the lips close together but without the teeth touching.

to answer your questions bluntly, its neither fu or hu because its not an english word.