How to read in Japanese? is it from right to left or up to bottom? I dunno please tell me how?

Question

In the English alphabet, we only read from left to right (except ofcourse if the words are fixed vertically).

what about in Japanese? Here's just a sample, to clarify myself:
http://playerco.sakura.ne.jp/archive_images/ROJW-9201.jpg

1. How do you read the title? do you start from the symbol beside the D in ROWLAND going to the right or you start reading from ソ going to the left?

2. In the paragraph, do you start reading from ローラ
or do you start reading from ツーク??

3. So, should Japanese be read from "left to right", "right to left" or "top to bottom"?

Answer 1

If it is written vertically, it is ALWAYS read top to bottom starting from the right most column and progress leftwards by columns.



If written horizontally, it is written/read left to right. The only instances of right to left horizontal writing is actually a special case of vertical writing where only one character is used for each column and used only for signs or newspaper captions to give it an air of archaic-ness.

Answer 2

Japanese can be read both ways. That is, there are things written in the Western left-to-right style, but there are also many things written in the top-to-bottom style. This particular example is meant to be read from left to right. Many novels and magazines are written top to bottom. If you scroll down to the third picture here you can see an example of top-to-bottom writing: http://chickchicksewing.blogspot.com/2011/01/hexagon-book-cover.html

Answer 3

Japanese, in traditional form, is read top to bottom, right to left. I suppose you're getting it done in kanji - that's Japanese symbols, as opposed to the two alphabets, hiragana and katakana. A word of advice - double, or even triple check the symbol's real meaning, as well as any double meanings it might have, as well as the correct combination of symbols for the world/phrase. I know some people who went and got Jap tattoos - and got a totally different phrase/word to the one they wanted.

Answer 4

Nobody else has mentioned it but before the war they used to write horizontally, right to left. Even today you will see trucks with the company name written left to right on one side and right to left on the other. It does not matter which way it is written, people can still read it.

Answer 5

This one you read the same way you would read in English.



Traditionally, Japanese was written from up to down AND right to left. (So instead of lines, they had columns).

That looks like this:

http://uraruru.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/images/2008/03/15/haiku.jpg

OR

http://multiply.com/mu/leopauldelr/image/FW4pIiYuk0mc7emVmN0WPw/photos/1M/300x300/1873/Obituary-to-MM-Light-Novel-Author-Akinari-Matsuno.jpg?et=96IQRszXPIafU9WNedAGsQ&nmid=0



So if you see it being separated into lines, then you read it the same way as you would read English.

If it is separated into columns, then you read it in the traditional way (this writing style is not usually used computerisedly, it's usually printed or in picture)





1. How do you read the title? do you start from the symbol beside the D in ROWLAND going to the right or you start reading from ソ going to the left?

You start with Rowland and continue like that.





2. In the paragraph, do you start reading from ローラ

or do you start reading from ツーク??

From ローラ



3. So, should Japanese be read from "left to right", "right to left" or "top to bottom"?

Depends on whether the text is separated into columns or lines as I have said.

Texts like these will usually go like English (left to right THEN up to down) but some things are read traditionally (manga, light novels, pictures) (up to down THEN right to left)