OSM Romaji Transliterator

Description

This Python script applies Hepburn transliteration to Japanese names in an OpenStreetMap (OSM) file. It leverages the osmium and cutlet libraries to read, modify, and write OSM files. This tool is intended as an intermediate step before sending an OSM file to a tool that lacks proper transliteration such as mkgmap.

This tool is not a proper translator, and there is a lot of room for improvement.

Behavior

• Ignores names fully in Latin script.
• Transliterates names in Japanese scripts to Hepburn Romaji.
• Updates or replaces designated name fields with transliterated names.
• Keeps original names as name:ja tag.

Setup

git clone https://github.com/enfyrneaux/osm-romaji-transliterator
cd osm-romaji-transliterator
python3 -m venv venv # or your preferred virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Run the osm-romaji-transliterate.py script to convert and manipulate Japanese Kana and Romaji tags in OSM (OpenStreetMap) files.

python3 osm-romaji-transliterate.py \
    --input-osm input.osm \
    --output-osm output.osm \
    --verbose

Required Arguments

• --input-osm INPUT_OSM: Specify the input OSM/O5M/PBF file.
• --output-osm OUTPUT_OSM: Specify the output OSM/PBF file. O5M outputs are not directly supported.

Optional Arguments

• -h, --help: Show help message and exit.
• --verbose: Print conversions.
• --romaji-system ROMAJI_SYSTEM: Choose the Romanization system ('hepburn' [default], 'nihon', or 'kunrei').

Tag Handling

All tag lists are space-delimited.

• --kana-source-tags [KANA_SOURCE_TAGS ...]: Source tags for Kana names.
• --romaji-source-tags [ROMAJI_SOURCE_TAGS ...]: Source tags for Romaji names.
• --romaji-dest-tags [ROMAJI_DEST_TAGS ...]: Destination tags for generated Romaji.
• --kana-dest-tags [KANA_DEST_TAGS ...]: Destination tags for extant Kana.

Miscellaneous

• --disable-loanwords: Disable detection of known foreign loanwords.
• --clobber-romaji-tags: Overwrite Romaji destination tags.
• --clobber-kana-tags: Overwrite Kana destination tags.
• --ensure-ascii: Force ASCII output for all converted Romaji.

Examples

Basic usage (PBF):

osm-romaji-transliterate.py \
    --input-osm input.osm.pbf \
    --output-osm output.osm.pbf

Using a different Romaji system and disable loanword detection:

osm-romaji-transliterate.py \
    --input-osm input.osm \
    --output-osm output.osm \
    --romaji-system nihon \
    --disable-loanwords

Overwrite the name tag:

osm-romaji-transliterate.py \
    --input-osm input.osm \
    --output-osm output.osm \
    --romaji-dest-tags name \
    --clobber-romaji-tags

Known Issues

• Tag replacement logic is a bit all-or-nothing
• Macrons are not supported, (those already present in the name:ja_rm tag will be imported, depending on precedence)
• Chinese names (or anything else not handled by Cutlet) will be ignored

License

MIT License