name: translate-jpn-chirho description: Japanese (日本語) Bible translation skill. Use when translating into Japanese. Includes kanji/hiragana/katakana conventions, honorifics, and Japanese-specific handling.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,

that all who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

— John 3:16

Japanese (日本語) Translation Skill

Script: Mixed

Japanese uses three scripts:

Kanji (漢字): Chinese characters for content words
Hiragana (ひらがな): Native particles, inflections
Katakana (カタカナ): Foreign names, loanwords

Divine Names

Original	Japanese	Notes
יהוה (YHWH)	ヤハウェ	Katakana transliteration
אלהים (Elohim)	神 (かみ)	Kami - God
אדני (Adonai)	主 (しゅ)	Shu - Lord
Χριστός	キリスト	Kirisuto (established)
Ἰησοῦς	イエス	Iesu (established)
Κύριος	主 (しゅ)	Lord
Θεός	神 (かみ)	God

Proper Names (Greek → Japanese)

Use katakana for biblical names:

Greek	Japanese	Notes
Ἰούδας	ユダ	Yuda
Ἰάκωβος	ヤコブ	Yakobu
Πέτρος	ペテロ	Petero
Παῦλος	パウロ	Pauro
Μωϋσῆς	モーセ	Mōse
Ἀβραάμ	アブラハム	Aburahamu
Δαυίδ	ダビデ	Dabide

Particle Conventions

Japanese particles are already bound. Show relationships with:

Topic marker: は (wa)
Subject marker: が (ga)
Object marker: を (wo/o)
Location: に (ni), で (de)
Direction: へ (e)

Use n-dash only when representing Greek/Hebrew bound morphemes.

Grammar Notes

Word Order: SOV in Japanese
- Subject often omitted
- Verb final
Honorifics: Critical for religious text
- 神様 (かみさま) - God (respectful)
- 主イエス様 - Lord Jesus (honorific)
- Use ます form for formal narrative
No Articles: Japanese lacks articles
- Definiteness from context
- Represent Greek articles with demonstratives if needed
Counting/Classifiers: Require appropriate counters
- 一人 (one person), 一匹 (one animal)

Lemma Decisions

H3820 (לֵב, lev) - heart

Decision: 心 (こころ) Notes: Heart/mind/spirit

G26 (ἀγάπη, agape) - love

Decision: 愛 (あい) Notes: Divine love

G4102 (πίστις, pistis) - faith

Decision: 信仰 (しんこう) Notes: Faith, belief

G1680 (ἐλπίς, elpis) - hope

Decision: 希望 (きぼう) Notes: Hope

G5485 (χάρις, charis) - grace

Decision: 恵み (めぐみ) Notes: Grace, blessing

Furigana

Include furigana (ruby text) for complex kanji:

神（かみ）
愛（あい）

Quality Standards

Use formal written Japanese (書き言葉)
Maintain consistency with existing Japanese Bible traditions
Include furigana for uncommon readings

Status

Jude: Complete
Obadiah: Complete

Modifications Log

Record any new decisions or convention changes here:

2024-01: Initial skill created with core conventions

Name	translate-jpn-chirho
Description	Japanese (日本語) Bible translation skill. Use when translating into Japanese. Includes kanji/hiragana/katakana conventions, honorifics, and Japanese-specific handling.

translate-jpn-chirho

SKILL.md