Japanese Conventions for Punctuation

Understanding the usage of Japanese punctuation is critical for L2 Japanese learners since conventions for punctuation are different in Japanese and English. Although the usage of punctuation, such as periods and quotation marks between English and Japanese is similar, it is different when it comes to the question mark. Question marks are widely used in contemporary Japanese, especially in modern literature. However, Japanese does not traditionally have a question mark at the end of sentences. Prior to this research, the author conducted brief interviews with six native Japanese speakers, who were from all different places in Japan. All of them responded that they did not recall learning the usage of the question mark in school, and indeed, the Ministry of Education does not address the use of question marks, exclamation points, ellipsis or /ž/ for separating items in foreign phrases in its guidelines for kokugo education; however, all of the interviewees have used question marks on a daily basis in media such as e-mails and text messages. It is often unclear for a Japanese-as-a-second-language instructor whether s/he should teach the use of punctuation marks at the end of sentences. It is hoped that this paper will provide basis for beginning a discussion of this issue.