jaconv
Pure-Python Japanese character interconverter for Hiragana, Katakana, Hankaku, Zenkaku and more
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. jaconv is a stable, actively maintained library with no dependencies, permissive licensing, and a focused scope for Japanese character conversion. Install it if you work with Japanese text preprocessing, normalization, or transliteration. The recent release cycle and broad Python version support make it reliable for production use.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained as of 2026-02-08 with recent support for Python 3.13 and 3.14.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT License (permissive) — MIT License permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
last release 2026-02-08 (187 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-20 · 350 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 3,626,219 downloads/mo, #2,552 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install jaconv
import jaconv
# Hiragana to Katakana
jaconv.hira2kata('ともえまみ')
# => 'トモエマミ'
# Half-width to full-width
jaconv.h2z('ﾃｨﾛ･ﾌｨﾅｰﾚ')
# => 'ティロ・フィナーレ'
# Hiragana to romanized alphabet
jaconv.kana2alphabet('じゃぱん')
# => 'japan'What it is and what it does
jaconv is a pure-Python library for converting between Japanese character representations. It handles transformations between Hiragana and Katakana scripts, conversion between half-width (Hankaku) and full-width (Zenkaku) character forms, and bidirectional transliteration between Japanese kana and romanized alphabet. The library also provides Unicode normalization tailored for Japanese text, including handling of small kana characters and phonetic format conversion for speech synthesis tools like Julius.
The package is designed for text preprocessing and normalization workflows in Japanese natural language processing. It has no external dependencies and runs on Python 2.7 through 3.14, making it straightforward to integrate into existing pipelines. Each conversion function accepts optional parameters to control which character types are affected, allowing fine-grained control over transformations.
Use it for
- Normalize Japanese text input by converting mixed character widths to consistent full-width or half-width forms before processing.
- Prepare Japanese text for search or indexing by converting between Hiragana and Katakana to handle user input variations.
- Convert user-entered romanized text (romaji) to Hiragana or Katakana for Japanese input method simulation.
- Generate phonetic representations for Japanese text in Julius speech synthesis format.
- Preprocess Japanese datasets for machine learning by standardizing character representation across training data.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
jaconv is a stable, actively maintained library with no dependencies, permissive licensing, and a focused scope for Japanese character conversion. Install it if you work with Japanese text preprocessing, normalization, or transliteration. The recent release cycle and broad Python version support make it reliable for production use.
Install
jaconv on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained as of 2026-02-08 with recent support for Python 3.13 and 3.14.
License in practice
MIT License permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install jaconv
import jaconv
# Hiragana to Katakana
jaconv.hira2kata('ともえまみ')
# => 'トモエマミ'
# Half-width to full-width
jaconv.h2z('ﾃｨﾛ･ﾌｨﾅｰﾚ')
# => 'ティロ・フィナーレ'
# Hiragana to romanized alphabet
jaconv.kana2alphabet('じゃぱん')
# => 'japan'Package facts
| License | MIT License permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 187 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 3,626,219 / month, #2,552 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyNatural Language :: JapaneseOperating System :: MacOSOperating System :: MicrosoftOperating System :: POSIXProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Text ProcessingTopic :: Text Processing :: General |
Evidence: jaconv-0.5.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also habachen · mojimoji · pykakasi · kanjize · misaki · fold-to-ascii · anyascii · wetext · cutlet · hangul-romanize