Vertical or horizontal? Reading directions in Japanese

Abstract

The Japanese language was traditionally written vertically. Recently, journals, textbooks and academic reference works have appeared with the script written horizontally. One reason for this may be that quotations of foreign names and articles (written in European languages) and mathematical equations often appear in technical texts, and it is therefore more convenient to have the main text of this kind of work written horizontally.

Study on the effect of text direction and temporal focus on advertising persuasiveness

“…In the past, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans characters were written vertically on bamboo pieces connected by rope at the top and bottom of each piece (Deng et al., 2019). In addition, in China, people used to roll up paper from right to left when they were writing (Obana, 1997). Even after the use of brushes and paper ceased, this tradition continued to exist (Obana, 1997).…”

“…In addition, in China, people used to roll up paper from right to left when they were writing (Obana, 1997). Even after the use of brushes and paper ceased, this tradition continued to exist (Obana, 1997). However, text displayed horizontally is becoming increasingly common in modern society.…”

“…However, text displayed horizontally is becoming increasingly common in modern society. With the widespread use of Western languages, sciences, and mathematical formulas, Arabic numerals, and other international standards or norms, as well as the reliance on the authority of international publications and documents (Obana, 1997), Asian countries have gradually begun to adapt the Western text display direction. Taking China as an example, vertical text was widely used until the founding of New China in 1949.…”