Why do people in Japan read from top to bottom?
Since we've been delving into Japanese culture over the past few weeks due to our crowdfunding campaign in Japan, we'd like to share our newly acquired knowledge with you.
That's why this blog post offers a short reading trip to Japan – the country where reading goes from right to left as well as from top to bottom.
The Japanese writing system consists of three main components: Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. Kanji are Chinese characters adopted into Japanese, with a wide variety of meanings. They represent words or concepts and are used for nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Hiragana and Katakana are phonetic syllabaries developed specifically for the Japanese language. Hiragana is used for grammatical purposes, particles, and more flexible pronunciations, while Katakana is mainly used for foreign words and loanwords.
In traditional Japanese writing, texts are read from top to bottom and from right to left. A text page consists of columns running from right to left. This is known as "tategaki". Nowadays, however, horizontal writing, known as "yokogaki", is also common, where the text runs from left to right, similar to English.
Learn more here: https://gogonihon.com/de/blog/japanische-schriftzeichen-und-alphabete/
But why does the "top-to-bottom" writing style even exist in Japan:
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The use of top-to-bottom writing has a long tradition in Japanese culture. Historically, this writing style was used by calligraphers and scholars to create their works in an aesthetically pleasing and traditional manner.
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Vertical writing is often used for certain types of texts such as poetry, traditional poems (Haiku), and calligraphy. The top-to-bottom reading direction gives these texts a special aesthetic and emphasizes their vertical structure.
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Manga, Japanese comics, are often read from top to bottom. This allows for a fluid presentation of panels and supports the visual narrative flow. Vertical writing is also retained in some traditional books.
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Chinese writing has a strong influence on Japanese writing. Chinese writing is also written from top to bottom. Due to the historical connection and the adoption of Chinese characters into Japanese writing, this reading direction has also become established in Japan.
The horizontal writing style from left to right, similar to English, is now widely used in Japan. It is primarily used in newspapers, books, and other everyday texts. The vertical writing style is used more for artistic, traditional, or special purposes.
The different writing styles in Japan reflect the diversity and creativity of the Japanese language and culture. They are part of a rich tradition and give certain texts and art forms a special meaning and expressive power.
We are therefore all the more excited to see how the Bookhoover is received in Japan and look forward to the feedback. Perhaps it will also help you to learn a language that is still unfamiliar to you more easily. A higher focus is definitely guaranteed through eye guidance with the Bookhoover. Try it out!
And finally, an inspiring video about Japanese calligraphy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swEUKk5doew
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swEUKk5doew
See you soon, or またね 😉
Mana from Bookhoover