Japanese Morse Code Translator (Wabun Code)

How to Translate Japanese to Morse Code

1. Keep the direction on Japanese → Morse, then pick Kana if you are typing Japanese script or Romaji if you are typing Japanese in Latin letters.
2. Type or paste your text. Hiragana and katakana can be mixed, and every space you type becomes a / between words.
3. Read the Wabun Morse output with the Sent as line under it, which spells the message the way it is keyed: きゃ shows as キヤ and が as カ゛.
4. Set the Speed in words per minute and press Play to hear the message; Stop ends playback.
5. Use Copy Morse for the code, or Download WAV or Download MP3 for the sound. Tick Add DO and SN when the Japanese part sits inside an International Morse message.

How to Decode Wabun Morse Back to Japanese

1. Switch the direction to Morse → Japanese.
2. Paste the code with one space between characters and / between words. The middle dots (・) and full-width dashes (－) used on Japanese charts are read the same as . and - in this input.
3. Read the Japanese result. A .. that follows a kana is joined to it as a voiced mark, so .-.. .. comes out as ガ rather than two separate characters.
4. Choose Katakana or Hiragana for the result, and check the Romaji line if you cannot read kana yet.
5. Look for # in the output: it marks a group that exists nowhere in the Wabun table, usually because the space between two characters is missing, so two codes were read as one.

Wabun Code Chart: All 48 Kana in Iroha Order

Wabun assigns one pattern to each of 48 basic kana, listed below in Iroha order, the traditional kana sequence that still includes the old characters ゐ (wi) and ゑ (we). The two shortest codes belong to へ, a single dot, and む, a single dash. Hiragana and katakana share every code.

Seven marks complete the set. The voiced mark and the long vowel line are the two you will meet most often in real words.

Digits 0–9 keep their International Morse patterns, so 1 is .---- and 0 is ----- in a Wabun message too.

How Voiced Kana, Small Kana and Long Vowels Are Sent

Wabun has no separate codes for が, ぱ, or small kana like ゃ. A voiced sound is sent as its plain kana followed by the voiced mark as its own character, and a small kana is sent at full size. The table shows how the translator handles each case on the Sent as line.

The receiver restores the small kana from context, the same way a Japanese reader would. That is why キヤ on paper still means きゃ to anyone who reads Wabun.

Hiragana, Katakana, Romaji or Kanji: What You Can Type

Wabun encodes sounds, not writing systems, so hiragana and katakana give identical Morse. Romaji works because the translator converts it to kana first, while kanji cannot be sent because one character can have several readings.

Romaji is converted by sound, and that matters for one common word. Typing konnichiwa produces コンニチワ, while Japanese writing uses は for that final "wa" (こんにちは, ---- .-.-. -.-. ..-. -...). When the exact spelling matters, type the kana.

Wabun vs International Morse Code

The two systems share the same timing and the same digits, but almost nothing else. Morse Beacon plays both with standard Morse timing: a dash lasts three dots, with three dot-lengths between characters and seven between words.

Every one of the 26 International letter patterns also means something in Wabun: 25 are kana and I (..) is the voiced mark. A decoder has to know which system a message uses before it reads a single character.

DO and SN: Switching Between Wabun and International Morse

DO (-..---) tells the receiving operator that Wabun starts, and SN (...-.) says the message returns to International Morse. Each is sent as one run with no letter space inside it, which is what makes it a procedural signal rather than two letters. With Add DO and SN ticked, the translator puts DO before your Japanese text and SN after it, ready for a mixed transmission.

Japanese Words in Morse Code: Worked Examples

Each code below was built character by character from the Wabun table above, so you can trace every group back to its kana. Long vowels are typed the way they are spelled in kana, so Tokyo becomes とうきょう.

Why a Japanese Morse Translation Looks Wrong

Most bad results come from using the wrong table, not from a typo. Match the symptom to its cause below.

Where Wabun Code Is Used Today

Morse for kana grew up with Japan's telegraph in the Meiji era, and the Wabun table was developed during the early years of Japanese telegraphy. A 1942 article in QST, the American amateur radio magazine, described Japanese Morse as the code of Japan's landline telegraph and of its ship and fixed radio stations, with International Morse kept for messages abroad.

Today Wabun lives on mainly among Japanese amateur radio operators who send kana on the air. It also turns up with Japanese learners practicing kana by ear and with puzzle makers who hide a message in dots and dashes. For the Latin alphabet, use the Morse code translator or the full Morse code alphabet; for the older American landline code, try the telegraph.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Wabun code?

Wabun code is the Japanese form of Morse code, with one dot-dash pattern for each kana syllable instead of each Latin letter. It covers 48 basic kana, voiced and semi-voiced marks, the long vowel mark, and a few punctuation signs.

Is Japanese Morse code the same as International Morse code?

No. Both use the same dots, dashes, timing, and digits, but the patterns mean different characters. .- is A in International Morse and イ in Wabun, so a message has to be read with the right table.

How do I translate Japanese Morse code to English?

Decode it to Japanese first with Morse → Japanese, then translate the Japanese. The Romaji line shows how the kana sound, which helps when you look the words up in a dictionary or paste them into a translation tool.

Can Wabun code send kanji?

No. Wabun only has codes for kana, so kanji have to be written out by their reading. Type 桜 as さくら or sakura, and the translator sends the three kana of that reading.

Why is the Wabun chart in Iroha order?

Wabun tables follow the Iroha sequence, the traditional order for kana that includes ゐ and ゑ. Most learners today use the a-i-u-e-o (gojūon) grid, which is why the chart above also lists the romaji for each kana.

Can I save the Morse code as a sound file?

Yes. Download WAV or Download MP3 saves the message at the speed you set. The file is created in your browser, so the text is not uploaded anywhere.