Translation guide
The middle dot (・) is a punctuation mark used in Japanese for various purposes, such as separating words, indicating decimal points, or marking items in a list. This guide explains how to refer to it and how it is used in Japanese writing.
中黒または中点です。
What is the middle dot called in Japanese?
Referring to the middle dot symbol itself.
The standard Japanese name for the middle dot. Literally 'middle black'.
この記号は中黒と呼ばれます。
This symbol is called a middle dot.
Another common name, meaning 'middle point'. Often used in typography.
中点を入力してください。
Please input a middle dot.
The symbol itself can be referred to as 'ポツ' or 'ドット' in casual contexts, but these are less formal.
このポツは何の意味？
What does this dot mean?
Explaining how the middle dot is used in Japanese writing.
The middle dot is used to separate words in multi-word katakana phrases, similar to a space in English. It helps clarify boundaries between borrowed words.
パーソナル・コンピューター
personal computer
ニュー・ヨーク
New York
In Japanese, the middle dot is sometimes used as a decimal point, especially in handwritten or traditional contexts, though the period (.) is more common in digital text.
3・14
3.14
The middle dot can be used as a bullet point in informal lists, similar to a dash or bullet in English.
買うもの：・牛乳・パン・卵
Things to buy: - milk - bread - eggs
Sometimes used to separate a person's title from their name, or to separate parts of a compound title.
課長・山田太郎
Section Chief Taro Yamada
On a Japanese keyboard, the middle dot can usually be typed by pressing the '/' key while in Japanese input mode, or by typing 'なかぐろ' and converting it.