Decipher Japanese script and turn it into English phonetic sounds with this unique typography.
You'll love how this font translates the Japanese language
Learning a new language can be a challenge at the best of times, but the level of difficulty immediately ramps up when you have to get to grips with a new script as well.
This was the challenge faced by one of the UK's top design studios, johnson banks. After multiple trips to Japan they still couldn't read the language, so they created this unique typeface that combines English language and Japanese script.
Out of the three typographic styles used in Japan, johnson banks settled on Katakana as the phonetic wordmark used to present foreign words (or at least, the uniquely Japanese pronunciation of said words).
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By incorporating phonetic English sounds into Katakana shapes, johnson banks created Phonetikana, a readable hybrid for English speakers new to the language. Start reading Japanese right now with Phonetikana and the images below.
Phonetikana combines the English language and the Japanese script
Phonetikana is a great way to start reading Japanese script
Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.
