The is a radiotelephony spelling alphabet

Spelling alphabet

A spelling alphabet, radio alphabet, or telephone alphabet is a set of words which are used to stand for the letters of an alphabet. Each word in the spelling alphabet typically replaces the name of the letter with which it starts...

, similar in purpose to the NATO phonetic alphabet, but designed to communicate Japanese kana

Kana

Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...

 rather than Latin letters

Latin alphabet

The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...

. The alphabet was sponsored by the now-defunct Ministry for Posts and Telecommunications.

Each kana is assigned a code word, so that critical combinations of kana (and numbers

Japanese numerals

The system of Japanese numerals is the system of number names used in the Japanese language. The Japanese numerals in writing are entirely based on the Chinese numerals and the grouping of large numbers follow the Chinese tradition of grouping by 10,000...

) can be pronounced and clearly understood by those who transmit and receive voice messages by radio or telephone, especially when the safety of navigation or persons is essential.

There are specific names for kana, numerals, and special characters (i.e. vowel extender, comma, quotation mark, and parentheses).

kana

Every kana name takes the form of a . For example, means "ri of ringo". Voiced kana do not have special names of their own. Instead, one simply states the unvoiced form, followed by "dakuten

Dakuten

, colloquially ten-ten , is a diacritic sign most often used in the Japanese kana syllabaries to indicate that the consonant of a syllable should be pronounced voiced. Handakuten , colloquially maru , is a diacritic used with the kana for syllables starting with h to indicate that they should...

". /P/ sounds are named similarly, with "handakuten". Thus, to convey , one would say "". To convey , one would say "".

Kana	Spelling	Kana	Spelling	Kana	Spelling	Kana	Spelling	Kana	Spelling
あ/ア A (kana) あ in hiragana or ア in katakana is one of the Japanese kana that each represent one mora. あ is based on the sōsho style of kanji 安, and ア is from the radical of kanji 阿. In the modern Japanese system of alphabetical order, it occupies the first position of the alphabet, before い. Additionally, it...	Asahi Asahi Asahi means "morning sun" in Japanese. It may refer to one of the following:-Towns:* Asahi, Aichi * Asahi, Fukui * Asahi, Hokkaido * Asahi, Mie...  no "a"	い/イ I (kana) い in hiragana or イ in katakana is one of the Japanese kana each of which represents one mora. い is based on the sōsho style of the kanji character 以, and イ is from the radical of the kanji character 伊. In the modern Japanese system of alphabetical order, it occupies the second position of the...	Iroha Iroha The is a Japanese poem, probably written in the Heian era . Originally the poem was attributed to the founder of the Shingon Esoteric sect of Buddhism in Japan, Kūkai, but more modern research has found the date of composition to be later in the Heian Period. The first record of its existence...  no "i"	う/ウ U (kana) う in hiragana or ウ in katakana is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. In the modern Japanese system of alphabetical order, they occupy the third place in the modern Gojūon system of collating kana. In the Iroha, they occupied the 24th position, between む and ゐ...	Ueno Ueno Ueno can refer to a number of places in Japan:*Ueno, Mie: a former city in Mie Prefecture, now part of the city of Iga*Ueno, Gunma: a village in Gunma Prefecture:*Ueno, Okinawa: a village in Okinawa Prefecture:...  no "u"	え/エ E (kana) In Japanese writing, the kana え and エ occupy the fourth place, between う and お, in the modern Gojūon system of collating kana. In the Iroha, they occupy the 34th, between こ and て. In the table at right , え lies in the first column and the fourth row...	Eigo English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...  no "e"	お/オ O (kana) In Japanese writing, the kana お and オ occupy the fifth place, between え and か, in the modern Gojūon system of collating kana. In the Iroha, they occupy the 27th, between の and く. In the table at right , お lies in the first column and the fifth row...	Ōsaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...  no "o"
か/カ Ka (kana) か, in hiragana, or カ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent . The shapes of these kana both originate from 加....	Kawase Trade Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...  no "ka"	き/キ Ki (kana) き, in hiragana, キ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent and are derived from a simplification of the 幾 kanji...	Kitte Postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...  no "ki"	く/ク Ku (kana) く, in hiragana, or ク in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent , and their shapes come from the kanji 久....	Kurabu Club A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.- History...  no "ku"	け/ケ Ke (kana) け, in hiragana, or ケ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both represent . The shape of these kana come from the kanji 計 and 介, respectively....	Keshiki Landscape Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...  no "ke"	こ/コ Ko (kana) こ, in hiragana, or コ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both represent . The shape of these kana comes from the kanji 己....	Kodomo Child Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...  no "ko"
さ/サ Sa (kana) さ, in hiragana, or サ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent . The shapes of these kana originate from 左 and 散, respectively....	Sakura Sakura A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...  no "sa"	し/シ Shi (kana) し, in hiragana, or シ in katakana, and the variant form ㋛, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent the phoneme although for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is . The shapes of these kana have origins in the character 之...	Shinbun Newspaper A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...  no "shi"	す/ス Su (kana) す, in hiragana, or ス in katakana is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Their shapes come from the kanji 寸 and 須, respectively. Both kana represent the sound )...	Suzume no "su"	せ/セ Se (kana) せ, in hiragana, or セ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both represent the sound , and when written with dakuten represent the sound [ze]...	Sekai World World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....  no "se"	そ/ソ So (kana) そ, in hiragana, or ソ, in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both represent .-Stroke order:-Alternative form:...	Soroban Abacus The abacus, also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool used primarily in parts of Asia for performing arithmetic processes. Today, abaci are often constructed as a bamboo frame with beads sliding on wires, but originally they were beans or stones moved in grooves in sand or on tablets of...  no "so"
た/タ Ta (kana) た, in hiragana, or タ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent . た originates from the Chinese character 太, while タ originates from 多.-Stroke order:...	Tabako Tobacco Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...  no "ta"	ち/チ Chi (kana) ち, in hiragana, or チ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both are phonemically although for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is ....	Chidori Plover Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...  no "chi"	つ/ツ Tsu (kana) つ, in hiragana, or ツ in katakana, and the variant form ㋡, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both are phonemically although for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is...	Tsuru Crane (bird) Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back... kame Turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...  no "tsu"	て/テ Te (kana) て, in hiragana, or テ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both represent .-Stroke order:...	Tegami no "te"	と/ト To (kana) と, in hiragana, or ト in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both represent the sound , and when written with dakuten represent the sound...	Tōkyō Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...  no "to"
な/ナ Na (kana) な, in hiragana, or ナ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. The hiragana な is made in four strokes, the katakana ナ two. Both represent . な and ナ originate from the man'yōgana 奈. な is used as part of the okurigana for the plain negative forms of Japanese verbs, and...	Nagoya no "na"	に/ニ Ni (kana) に, in hiragana, or ニ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. The hiragana is written in three strokes, while the katakana in two...	Nippon Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...  no "ni"	ぬ/ヌ Nu (kana) Nu, ぬ in hiragana, or ヌ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana each representing one mora. Both hiragana and katakana are made in two strokes and represent . They are both derived from the Chinese character 奴...	Numazu Numazu, Shizuoka is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 205,636 and a population density of 1,100 persons per km². The total area was 187.11 km².- Geography:...  no "nu"	ね/ネ Ne (kana) ね, in hiragana, or ネ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. The hiragana is made in two strokes, while the katakana is made in four...	Nezumi Mouse A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...  no "ne"	の/ノ No (kana) の, in hiragana, or ノ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. In the gojūon system of ordering of Japanese syllables, it occupies the 25th position, between ね and は . It occupies the 26th position in the iroha ordering...	Nohara no "no"
は/ハ Ha (kana) は, in hiragana, or ハ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represent one mora. Both represent ). They are also used as a grammatical particle and serve as the topic marker of the sentence...	Hagaki Postcard A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....  no "ha"	ひ/ヒ Hi (kana) ひ, in hiragana, or ヒ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both can be written in two strokes, sometimes one for hiragana, and both are phonemically although for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is...	Hikōki Aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...  no "hi"	ふ/フ Fu (kana) ふ, in hiragana, or フ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. The hiragana is made in four strokes, while the katakana in one. It represents the phoneme , although for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is , which is why it is romanized fu in Hepburn...	Fujisan Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...  no "fu"	へ/ヘ He (kana) へ, in hiragana, or ヘ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which represents one mora. The two ways of writing this mora are almost identical. Each is written in one stroke and represents . In the Sakhalin dialect of the Ainu language, ヘ can be written as small ㇸ to represent a final h after an...	Heiwa Peace Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...  no "he"	ほ/ホ Ho (kana) ほ, in hiragana, or ホ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both are made in four strokes and both represent . In the Sakhalin dialect of the Ainu language, ホ can be written as small ㇹ to represent a final h sound after an o sound .-Stroke order:...	Hoken Insurance In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...  no "ho"
ま/マ Ma (kana) ま, in hiragana, or マ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. The hiragana is made in three strokes, while the katakana in two...	Match Match A match is a tool for starting a fire under controlled conditions. A typical modern match is made of a small wooden stick or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat generated by striking the match against a suitable surface... i no "ma"	み/ミ Mi (kana) み, in hiragana, or ミ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. The hiragana is written in two strokes, while the katakana is made in three. Both represent .-Stroke order:...	Mikasa Japanese battleship Mikasa is a pre-Dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, launched in Britain in 1900. She served as the flagship of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō during the Battle of the Yellow Sea on 10 August 1904, and the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War. The ship is preserved as...  no "mi"	む/ム Mu (kana) む, in hiragana, or ム in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both hiragana and katakana are made with three strokes, they represent . The kanji 無, read "mu", represents "none", nothingness, or the state of oblivion upon death, if written alone.In the Ainu language,...	Musen Radio Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...  no "mu"	め/メ Me (kana) め, in hiragana, or メ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both versions are written in two strokes and represent .-Stroke order:...	Meiji Meiji period The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...  no "me"	も/モ Mo (kana) も, in hiragana, or モ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Both are made in three strokes and both represent .モー is sometimes used as the onomatopœia for cows.-Stroke order:...	Momiji Maple Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...  no "mo"
や/ヤ Ya (kana) や, in hiragana, or ヤ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. Hiragana is written in three strokes, while the katakana is written in two. Both represent...	Yamato Yamato period The is the period of Japanese history when the Japanese Imperial court ruled from modern-day Nara Prefecture, then known as Yamato Province.While conventionally assigned to the period 250–710 , the actual start of Yamato rule is disputed...  no "ya"			ゆ/ユ Yu (kana) ゆ, in hiragana, or ユ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both are written in two strokes and represent ....	Yumiya Bow (weapon) The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon system that predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.-Description:A bow is a flexible arc that shoots aerodynamic projectiles by means of elastic energy. Essentially, the bow is a form of spring powered by a string or cord...  no "yu"			よ/ヨ Yo (kana) よ, in hiragana, or ヨ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. The hiragana is made in two strokes, while the katakana in three. Both represent ....	Yoshino Yoshino, Nara is a town located in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan.As of September 1, 2007, the town had an estimated population of 9397 and a density of 97.93 persons per km². The total area was 95.65 km².-Geography:...  no "yo"
ら/ラ Ra (kana) ら, in hiragana, or ラ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both versions are written with two strokes and have origins in the character 良; both characters represent In the Ainu language, Japanese linguists developed a small katakana ㇻ that is used to represent...	Rajio Radio Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...  no "ra"	り/リ Ri (kana) り, in hiragana, or リ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represent one mora. Both are written with two strokes and both represent the sound . Both originate from the character 利...	Ringo Apple The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...  no "ri"	る/ル Ru (kana) る, in hiragana, or ル in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represent one mora. The hiragana is written in one stroke; the katakana in two. Both represent the sound...	Rusui no "ru"	れ/レ Re (kana) れ, in hiragana, or レ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. The hiragana is written in two strokes, while katakana in one. Both represent the sound...	Renge Nelumbo nucifera Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus, is a plant in the monogeneric family Nelumbonaceae...  no "re"	ろ/ロ Ro (kana) ろ, in hiragana, or ロ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represents one mora. The hiragana is written in one stroke, katakana in three. Both represent the sound and both have origins from the Chinese character 呂...	Rōma Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...  no "ro"
わ/ワ Wa (kana) わ, in hiragana, or ワ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. It represents and has origins in the character 和. There is also a small ゎ/ヮ, that is used to write the morae /kwa/ and /gwa/ , which are obsolete in contemporary standard Japanese but still exist in the...	Warabi Bracken Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...  no "wa"	ゐ/ヰ Wi (kana) ゐ, in hiragana, or ヰ in katakana, is a nearly obsolete Japanese kana, each of which represent one mora. It is presumed that ゐ represented and that ゐ and い indicated different pronunciations until somewhere between the Kamakura period and the Taishō period when they both came to be pronounced...	Ido no "i"			ゑ/ヱ We (kana) ゑ, in hiragana, or ヱ in katakana, is a nearly obsolete Japanese kana.It is presumed that ゑ represented . It is thought that, after ゑ and え came to denote the same pronunciation as イェ in the Kamakura period, they came to be pronounced as the modern エ ; there is also the view that the pronunciation...	Kagi Key (lock) A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...  no aru "e"	を/ヲ Wo (kana) を, in hiragana, or ヲ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represent one mora.-Modern usage:In Japanese, this kana is used almost exclusively for a particle; therefore, the katakana form is fairly uncommon in everyday language — mostly used as a stand-in for its hiragana...	(W)owari Owari Province was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of present day Aichi Prefecture, including much of modern Nagoya. Its abbreviation is Bishū .-History:The province was created in 646....  no "(w)o"
ん/ン N (kana) ん, in hiragana, or ン in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. ん is the only kana that does not end in a vowel sound . The kana for mu, む/ム, was originally used for the n sound as well, while ん was originally a hentaigana used for both n and mu...	sensei no "n"	゛ Dakuten , colloquially ten-ten , is a diacritic sign most often used in the Japanese kana syllabaries to indicate that the consonant of a syllable should be pronounced voiced. Handakuten , colloquially maru , is a diacritic used with the kana for syllables starting with h to indicate that they should...	dakuten	゜	handakuten

Numerals

To spell out numerals, one simply uses "" (sūji no...), and then states the name of the number. This is analogous to the English language practice of saying "the number nine" or "the number five", etc.

When a number can be named in multiple ways, one uses the most distinctive name. For example, 1 is spelled as "hito", since its more common reading "ichi" could be confused with "shichi", a reading of 7. 7, in turn, is spelled out as "nana", never "shichi", lest it be confused with 1 or 4 ("shi"). 4, in turn, is always spelled out "yon".

Special symbols

Symbol	Spelling	Symbol	Spelling	Symbol	Spelling	Symbol	Spelling	Symbol	Spelling
ー	Chōon Choon The , also known as ', ', or Katakana-Hiragana Prolonged Sound Mark by the Unicode Consortium, is a Japanese symbol which indicates a chōon, or a long vowel of two morae in length. Its form is a horizontal or vertical line in the center of the text with the width of one kanji or kana character...	、	Kugiri ten	∟	Danraku	（	Shitamuki kakko	）	Uwamuki kakko