Kimigayo (ja. 君が代, pron. [kʲimʲiɡa̠ꜜjo̞] "kee-mee-gah-yoh"; "His Imperial Majesty's Reign") is the national anthem of Japan, adopted on 13 August 1999. The lyrics are based on a Heian-era waka poem and the music was composed by Yoshiisa Oku and Akimori Hayashi, and arranged by Franz Eckert in 1880.[1]

It is one of the shortest anthems and contains the world's oldest lyrics to date.

History edit

From 1888 to 1945 "Kimigayo" served as the national anthem of the Empire of Japan. After WWII, the empire collapsed following the successor State of Japan, "Kimigayo" was then retained as de facto, then official in 1999 after the Act on National Flag and Anthem.

Lyrics edit

Official (Kanji/Kana) Kana (Hiragana) Rōmaji IPA transcription English translation Poetic translation
(by the Basil Hall Chamberlain)
~ 君が代 ~
Kimigayo

君が代は
千代に八千代に
細(さざれ)石の
巌(いわお)となりて
苔(こけ)の生す迄(まで)[2]

きみがよは
ちよにやちよに
さざれいしの
いわおとなりて
こけのむすまで[3]

Kimigayo wa
Chiyo ni yachiyo ni
Sazare-ishi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made[4]

[kʲi.mʲi.ɡa̠.jo̞ ɰᵝa̠]
[t͡ɕi.jo̞ ɲ̟i ja̠.t͡ɕi.jo̞ ɲ̟i]
[sa̠.za̠.ɾe̞.i.ɕi no̞]
[i.ɰᵝa̠.o̞ to̞ na̠.ɾʲi.te̞]
[ko̞.ke̞ no̞ mɯ̟ᵝ.sɨᵝ ma̠.de̞]

May your reign
Continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations,
Until the pebbles
Grow into boulders
Lush with moss[5]

Thousands of years of happy reign be thine;
Rule on, my lord, until what are pebbles now
By ages united to mighty rocks shall grow
Whose venerable sides the moss doth line.[6]

In other scripts edit

These are adopted scripts which are not (and have never been) officially used to write Japanese.

Cyrillization of Japanese edit

Polivanov (Russian) Japonskij Vukovica Alternate phonetic Cyrillization Ukrainian Cyrillization

Кимигаё ва
Тиё ни ятиё ни
Сазарэ-иси но
Ивао то наритэ
Кокэ но мусу мадэ

Кімігајо ва
Ћіјо ні јаћіјо ні
Сазаре-іҫі но
Ивао то наріте
Коке но мусу маде[7]

Кимигаё ва
Чиё ни ячиё ни
Сазарэ-иши но
Ивао то наритэ
Кокэ но мысы мадэ

кімі ґа йо ва
чійо ні ячійо ні
садзаре іші но
івао то наріте
коке но мусу маде

Alternate Romanizations edit

Gaj's Romaji Common Turkic Alphabet (Turkish Romaji) Pinyin (Chinese Romaji) Latino Romaji Magyar Romaji Malay-Indonesian

Kimigajo va
Čijo ni jačijo ni
Sazare-iši no
Ivao to narite
Koke no musu made

Kimigayo va
Çiyo ni yaçiyo ni
Sazare-işi no
İvao to narite
Koke no musu made

Kimigayo wa
Qiyo ni yaqiyo ni
Sazare-ixi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made

Quimigayo wa
Chiyo ni yachiyo ni
Sazare ixi no
Ivao to narite
Coque no musu made

Kimigajo va
Csijo ni jacsijo ni
Szazare isi no
Ivao to narite
Koke no muszu made

Kimigayo wa
Ciyo ni yaciyo ni
Sazare-isyi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made

Hangulization edit

기미가요와
지요니야치요니
사자레이시노
이와오토나리테
고케노무스마데

Thai transliteration edit

คิมิ งา โยะ วา
จิโย นิ ยาจิโย นิ
ซาซาเร อิชิ โนะ
อิวาโอ โท นาริเทะ
โคเก โนะ มูซู มาเดะ

Lao transliteration edit

ຄິມິ ງາ ໂຍະ ວາ
ຈິໂຍະ ນິ ຍາຈິໂຍ ນິ
ຊາຊາເຣ ອິຊິ ໂນະ
ອິວາໂອະ ໂທ ນາຣິເທະ
ໂຄເກ ໂນະ ມຸຊຸ ມາເດະ

Khmer transliteration edit

គីមីហ្គាយ៉ុវ៉ះ
ឈីយ៉ុនិ យ៉ាឈីយ៉ុនិ
សាហ្សារេ អ៊ីស្ស៊ីណុ
អ៊ីវ៉ាក់អុ តុ ណារីទេ
ខូខេណុ មុស៊ុម៉ាដិ

Devanagarization edit

किमि-गा यो वा
चियो-नि याचियो-नि
साज़ारे-इशि-नो
इवा-ओ तो नारिते
कोके नो मूसू मादे

Tamilization edit

கிமிஙாயொ வா
சீயொ நி யாசீயோ நி
ஸாட்சாரெ-இஷி நொ
இவாஓ தொ நாரித்தே
கோகே நொ மூசு மாதே

Bengalization edit

কিমিগায়ো ওয়া
চিয়োনি ইয়াচিয়োনি
সাজারে ইশি নো
ইওয়াও তো নারিতে
কোকে নো মুসু মাদে

Arabization edit

Arabic script Urdu script

كيمي غا يو وا
ياتشي-يو ني
سازاريه إيشي نو
أيوا أوتو ناريتيه
كوكي نو موسو مادي

کی-می گائیووا
چی یو-نی یاچی یو-نی
سازارے-اِشی-نو
اِوا-او تو نا ری تو
کوکے نو موسو مادے

Hellenization edit

Κιμιγαιο βα
Τζιιο νι ιατζιιο νι
Σαζαρε-ισι νο
Ιβαο το ναριτε
Κοκε νο μυσυ μαδε

Georgianization edit

კიმიგაჲო ვა
ჩიჲო ნი ჲაჩიჲო ნი
საძარე-იში ნო
ივაო ტო ნარიტე
კოკე ნო მუსუ მადე

Armenianization edit

Կիմիգայո ւա
Ճիյո նի յաճիյո նի
Սազարե-իշի նո
Իւաօ տո նարիտե
Կոկե նո մուսու մադե

Hebraization edit

קִימִי גַא יוֹ וַּא
צִ'יוֹ נִי יַאצִ'יוֹ נִי
סַאזַארֶה אִישִׁי נוֹ
אִיוַּאוֹ טוֹ נַארִיטֶה
קוֹקֶה נוֹ מוּסוּ מַאדֶה

References edit

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20111227000629/http://nationalanthems.me/japan-kimigayo/
  2. http://law.e-gov.go.jp/htmldata/H11/H11HO127.html
  3. http://law.e-gov.go.jp/htmldata/H11/H11HO127.html
  4. https://web-japan.org/factsheet/en/pdf/11NFlagAnthem.pdf
  5. Hood, Christopher (2001). Japanese Education Reform: Nakasone's Legacy. Routledge. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-415-23283-8. Retrieved 2010 October 13.
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20100428014321/http://www.yu.emb-japan.go.jp/Srpski/UpoznajteJapan-PolitikaEkonomija.htm
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Yhynerson1/sandbox&oldid=762401023#Japanese_Cyrillic