When reading Japanese, you will immediately notice that the punctuation is different from English. Instead of ” “, Japanese uses these distinct brackets to mark quotations and dialogue. These Japanese quotation brackets 「 and 」, are called 鉤括弧 (かぎかっこ – kagikakko), which literally means “key brackets.” They are fundamental for indicating speech, titles, and emphasis.


The Primary Use: Quoting Direct Speech

The most common function of 「」 is to enclose direct dialogue, just like double quotation marks in English. The sentence-ending punctuation, such as a period (。) or question mark (？), is placed inside the closing bracket.

Example 1: Basic Dialogue

田中さんは「おはようございます。」と言いました。
たなかさんは「おはようございます。」といいました。
Tanaka-san wa “Ohayō gozaimasu.” to iimashita.
Mr. Tanaka said, “Good morning.”

田中さん (たなかさん) = Mr./Ms. Tanaka
は                                    = (topic marker particle)
おはようございます      = Good morning (formal)
と                                   = (quotative particle)
言いました (いいました) = said


Beyond Dialogue: Titles and Emphasis

Kagikakko are not just for speech. They are also used to denote titles of books, films, songs, or articles. Additionally, they can be used to highlight a specific word or concept for emphasis, much like italics or single quotes might be used in English.

Example 2: A Book Title

村上春樹の「ノルウェイの森」を読みました。
むらかみはるきの「ノルウェイのもり」をよみました。
Murakami Haruki no “Noruwei no Mori” o yomimashita.
I read Haruki Murakami’s “Norwegian Wood.”

村上春樹 (むらかみはるき) = Haruki Murakami
の                                     = (possessive particle)
ノルウェイの森                   = Norwegian Wood
を                                     = (object marker particle)
読みました (よみました)       = read (past tense)


Quotes Within Quotes: Double Brackets 『』

So what happens when you need to put a quote inside another quote? Japanese uses a second, outer set of quotation brackets called 二重鉤括弧 (にじゅうかぎかっこ – nijū kagikakko). These are the equivalent of using single quotes inside double quotes in American English.

Example 3: A Nested Quote

先生は「教科書の『明治維新』という章を読んでください。」と言いました。
せんせいは「きょうかしょの『めいじいしん』というしょうをよんでください。」といいました。
Sensei wa “Kyōkasho no ‘Meiji Ishin’ to iu shō o yonde kudasai.” to iimashita.
The teacher said, “Please read the chapter in the textbook called ‘The Meiji Restoration’.”

先生 (せんせい)               = Teacher
教科書 (きょうかしょ)     = Textbook
明治維新 (めいじいしん) = Meiji Restoration
章 (しょう)                         = Chapter
読んでください (よんでください) = Please read


Key Formatting Rules

  • No Leading Space: Unlike in some Western styles, there is no space between the quotation mark and the first character of the text inside.
  • Punctuation Inside: The final period (。), question mark (？), or exclamation mark (！) always goes inside the final bracket (」 or 』).
  • Vertical Text: The shape and function of 「」 and 『』 remain the same whether the text is written horizontally (横書き) or vertically (縦書き).

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