Romanization of Wu Chinese

Wu Chinese has four major schools of romanization.

The most popular school, Common Wu Pinyin (通用つうよう吴语拼音), was developed by amateur language clubs and local learners. There are two competing schemes; both adhere to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and are very similar to each other. The initial scheme was "Wu Chinese Society pinyin" (吴语协会拼音, developed around 2005), and it formed the basis of "Wugniu pinyin" (吴语学堂がくどう拼音, around 2016). Wu Chinese Society pinyin in general does not mark tones.^[1] The name Wugniu comes from the Shanghainese pronunciation of 吴语. Either of them is the default romanization scheme in most learning materials.

The second and historical school is the missionary school (see zh:吴语拉ひしげ丁ひのと化か方案ほうあん). This school of English-based Latin orthographies was developed by Western missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and used to write Bible translations and other educational texts. A representative romanization from this school is the Edkins romanization of Shanghainese.^[2]

Another school is the Latin Phonetic Method (吴语拉ひしげ丁ひのと式しき注ちゅう音おと法ほう, French-Wu or Fawu [法ほう吴]). Its use is in decline. It utilizes the similarities between French and Wu phonetics and thus adheres to both IPA and French orthography. It was developed in 2001 by a Shanghai-born surgeon living in Lyon, France.^[3]^[4]

The final, and least used school, is developed by modifying Hanyu pinyin as sanctioned by the State Council. It is the only school developed by professional linguists, mostly working in state-administered universities. While more than 20 competing schemes within this school have been published since the 1980s, the most notable one is the Shanghainese Pinyin (上海しゃんはい话拼音おん方案ほうあん, often shortened to Qian's Pin [钱拼]), developed by Qian Nairong in 2006.^[5] This school is often used in formally published dictionaries and textbooks compiled by Qian and others.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Comparison chart[edit]

All examples are given in Shanghainese and Suzhounese.

Initials[edit]

IPA	Romanization schemes				Characters
IPA	Wu Chinese Society	Wugniu	French-Wu	Qian's Pinyin	Characters
p	p	p	p	b	巴ともえ百ひゃく
pʰ	ph	ph	ph	p	怕捧
b	b	b	b	bh	旁つくり别
m	m	m	m	mh	没ぼつ母はは
ˀm	'm	m	mh	m	闷美
f	f	f	f	f	夫おっと反はん
v	v	v	v	fh	佛ふつ犯はん
ˀv	v	v	vh	v	朆/ˀvəɲ⁵³/
t	t	t	t	d	多た德とく
tʰ	th	th	th	t	体からだ通どおり
d	d	d	d	dh	地ち同どう
n	n	n	n	nh, -n	纳努
ˀn	'n	n	nh	ng	囡呢
ȵ	ny	gn	gn	nh	尼あま女おんな
ˀȵ	'ny	gn	kn	n	研けん妞
l	l	l	l	lh	勒路
ˀl	'l	l	lh	l	拎了
ts		ts	tz	z	煮に增ぞう質しつ
tsʰ		tsh	ts	c	處ところ倉くら出いずる
s	s	s	s	s	书三
z	z	z	z	sh	传食
ˀz	'z	z	zh	sh	乳ちち（杭州こうしゅう）/ˀzʉ⁵³/
tɕ	c	c	c	j	居い尖とんが
tɕʰ	ch	ch	ch	q	曲きょく青あお
dʑ	j	j	dj	jh	求もとめ极
ɕ	sh	sh	x	x	需血
ʑ	zh	zh	j	xh	谢墙
k	k	k	k	g	工こう各かく
kʰ	kh	kh	kh	k	苦く客きゃく
ɡ	g	g	g	gh	共きょう搞
ŋ	ng	ng	ng	nhg-, -ng	鹅牙
ˀŋ	ng	ng	nk	ng	我わが砑
h	h	h	h	h	好こう黑くろ
ɦ	gh / w / y	gh / w / y	r /w / y	hh/wh/yh	红合
ˀɦ			rh	h	嗨 /ˀɦɛ⁵³/
ˀ	-/u/i	-/u/i	-/u/i	-/w/y	恩おんen乌u衣ころもi迂まがiu

Finals[edit]

Shanghainese IPA	Suzhounese IPA^[9]	Romanization schemes				Characters
Shanghainese IPA	Suzhounese IPA^[9]	Wu Chinese Society	Wugniu	French-Wu	Qian's Pinyin	Characters
a	ɑ	a	a	a	a	蟹かに
ua	uɑ	ua	ua	ua	ua	怪かい
ia	iɑ	ia	ia	ia	ia	写うつし
o	o	o	o	au	o	沙すな
io	io	io	io	iau	io	靴くつ
ɿ(ɨ)	ɿ(ɨ)	y	y	y	y	斯
-	ʮ(ʉ)	yu	yu	y	y	书
i	i	i	i	i	i	移うつり
u	u	u	u	u	u	副ふく
-	əu	ou	ou	u	u	乌
y	y	iu	iu	ü	(y)u	遇ぐう
ɛ	ɛ	ae	ae	e	ae	兰
e	ᴇ	e	e	e	e	雷かみなり
uɛ	uɛ	uae	uae	ue	ue	还
ɔ	æ	au	au	o	ao	包つつみ
iɔ	iæ	iau	iau	io	iao	萧
ɤ	øʏ	eu	eu	oe	ou	勾
iɤ	iøʏ	ieu	ieu	ioe	iou	旧きゅう
-	iɪ	ie	ie	i	i	先さき
ø	ø	oe	oe	eu	oe	干ひ
uø	uø	uoe	uoe	ueu	uoe	碗わん
yø	iø	ioe	ioe	ieu	ioe	捐
ã	ã	an	an	aen	an	梗
uã	uã	uan	uan	uaen	uan	横よこ
iã	iã	ian	ian	iaen	ian	阳
ɑ̃	ɑ̃	aon	aon	an	ang	刚
uɑ̃	uɑ̃	uaon	uaon	uan	uang	黄き
iɑ̃	iɑ̃	iaon	iaon	ian	iang	旺
oŋ	oŋ	on	on	on	ong	东
ioŋ	ioŋ	ion	ion	ion	iong	兄あに
ən	ən	en	en	en	eng	真しん
uəɲ	uəɲ	uen	uen	uen	ueng	昆こん
iɪɲ	iɪɲ	in	in	in	in	清きよし
yɪn	yən	iuin	iun	ün	(y)un	君きみ
ɐʔ	aʔ	aeh	aeq	aq	ak	鸭
uɐʔ	uaʔ	uaeh	uaeq	uaq	uak	刮
iɐʔ	iaʔ	iaeh	iaeq	iaq	iak	甲きのえ
yɪʔ	yaʔ	iuaeh	iuaeq	uiq	yuik	曰
ɐʔ	ɑʔ	ah	aq	aq	ak	格かく
uɐʔ	uɑʔ	uah	uaq	uaq	uak	猾
iɐʔ	iɑʔ	iah	iaq	iaq	iak	脚あし
əʔ	əʔ	eh	eq	eq	ek	黑くろ
uəʔ	uəʔ	ueh	ueq	ueq	uek	阔
iɪʔ	iəʔ	ih	iq	iq	ik	立だて
yɪʔ	yəʔ	iuih	iuq	uiq	yuik	决
oʔ	oʔ	oh	oq	oq	ok	读
ioʔ	ioʔ	ioh	ioq	ioq	iok	局きょく
ɦəl	əl	r	er	er	er	而
m̩	m̩	m	m	m	m	无
n̩	n̩	n	n	n	n	尔
ŋ̍	ŋ̍	ng	ng	ng	ng	五ご

Tones[edit]

Shanghainese IPA	Suzhounese IPA^[9]	Wenzhounese IPA	Romanization schemes				Characters
Shanghainese IPA	Suzhounese IPA^[9]	Wenzhounese IPA	Wu Chinese Society	Wugniu	French-Wu	Qian's Pinyin	Characters
˥˧(53)	˥(44)	˧(33)	1	1	/		天てん听知
˦(22)or˩˩˧(113)	˨˨˦(223)	˨˧(23)	1	2	/		人ひと华词
˦˧˦(434)or˨˨˥(334)	˥˩(51)	˧˥(35)	2	3	-h		可か海うみ洗あらい
˨˩˧(213)or˩˩˧(113)	-	˧˥(35)	2	4	-h		尾お有ゆう近ちか
˨˨˥(334)	˥˨˦(523)	˥˨(42)	3	5	-r		去さ会かい唱
˩˩˧(113)	˨˧˩(231)	˨˧(23)	3	6	-r		定てい烂自
˥(55)	˥˧(43)	˨˩˧(213)	4	7	-q		只ただ不ふ结
˩˨(12)	˨˧(23)	˨˩˧(213)	4	8	-q		日にち绝缚

References[edit]

^ [1] – Wu chinese (Tones)
^ "Shanghainese Romanization". 吴语协会. 吴语协会 (Wu Chinese Society). Retrieved 15 May 2024.
^ 唐から骋华; 孔あな亮あきら (19 August 2007). "都市とし年ねん轻人为传承上海しゃんはい方言ほうげん走はし到いた一いち起おこり". Youth Daily [青年せいねん报] (in Chinese). Shanghai. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013.
^ "吳くれ語ご拼音草案そうあん" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 March 2010.
^ Qian, Nairong (6 December 2006). "首くび届とどけ国こく际上海しゃんはい方言ほうげん学がく术研讨会审定上海しゃんはい话拼音おん方案ほうあん". 北大ほくだい中ちゅう文ぶん论坛 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 February 2021.
^ Qian, Nairong (August 2007). 上海しゃんはい话大词典. Shanghai: 上海しゃんはい辞じ书出版しゅっぱん社しゃ. ISBN 9787532622481.
^ Qian, Nairong (September 2013). 新しん上海しゃんはい人じん学がく说上海しゃんはい话. Shanghai: 上海しゃんはい大学だいがく出版しゅっぱん社しゃ. ISBN 9787567108820.
^ Ding, Dimeng (January 2015). 学がく说上海しゃんはい话. Shanghai: 上海しゃんはい科技かぎ技わざ术文献ぶんけん出版しゅっぱん社しゃ. ISBN 9787543964181.
^ ^a ^b 刑けい雯芝 (3 February 2018). Shíyòng Sūzhōuhuà 实用苏州话 [Practical Suzhou Dialect] (in Simplified Chinese, Wu, and English). Peking University Press. ISBN 978-7-301-18998-6.

[1] [1] – Wu chinese (Tones)

[2] "Shanghainese Romanization". 吴语协会. 吴语协会 (Wu Chinese Society). Retrieved 15 May 2024.

[3] 唐から骋华; 孔あな亮あきら (19 August 2007). "都市とし年ねん轻人为传承上海しゃんはい方言ほうげん走はし到いた一いち起おこり". Youth Daily [青年せいねん报] (in Chinese). Shanghai. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013.

[4] "吳くれ語ご拼音草案そうあん" (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 March 2010.

[5] Qian, Nairong (6 December 2006). "首くび届とどけ国こく际上海しゃんはい方言ほうげん学がく术研讨会审定上海しゃんはい话拼音おん方案ほうあん". 北大ほくだい中ちゅう文ぶん论坛 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 16 February 2021.

[6] Qian, Nairong (August 2007). 上海しゃんはい话大词典. Shanghai: 上海しゃんはい辞じ书出版しゅっぱん社しゃ. ISBN 9787532622481.

[7] Qian, Nairong (September 2013). 新しん上海しゃんはい人じん学がく说上海しゃんはい话. Shanghai: 上海しゃんはい大学だいがく出版しゅっぱん社しゃ. ISBN 9787567108820.

[8] Ding, Dimeng (January 2015). 学がく说上海しゃんはい话. Shanghai: 上海しゃんはい科技かぎ技わざ术文献ぶんけん出版しゅっぱん社しゃ. ISBN 9787543964181.

[practical-suzhou-9] 刑けい雯芝 (3 February 2018). Shíyòng Sūzhōuhuà 实用苏州话 [Practical Suzhou Dialect] (in Simplified Chinese, Wu, and English). Peking University Press. ISBN 978-7-301-18998-6.

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