The quickest way to revise Japanese markup is to stop treating ruby readings and emphasis marks as one kind of decoration. Decide first whether a phrase needs a reading, visual emphasis, or no markup. Then process one class at a time while keeping the base text unchanged.
This guide covers a mixed-markup editing pass over a short story. It does not replace the separate guide to inserting one ruby reading, and it does not claim that every e-reader renders Japanese typography identically.
Sort the candidates before editing
Make three lists: readings, emphasis, and exclusions. A difficult name and a technical term belong in the readings list. A decisive word in dialogue may belong in the emphasis list. Punctuation that merely resembles an emphasis mark belongs in exclusions.
This small decision removes repeated judgment from the editing pass. You can move through all ruby candidates, then all emphasis candidates, instead of switching tools and intentions on every line.
Work through one representative chapter
Use a copy containing four names, three technical terms, two emphasis candidates, and two look-alike exclusions. Record each base string beside its intended reading or emphasis range.
- Apply a reading to one name and check that the base characters remain.
- Continue through the other reading candidates.
- Select only the intended words for emphasis, excluding punctuation.
- Review readings, ranges, and line breaks separately in preview.
- Compare the edited copy with the source before exporting.
Rune Studio documents tools for inserting ruby and emphasis marks. Tests completed for this guide confirm one ruby insertion on “漢字” and one emphasis insertion on “強調.” It does not yet contain a completed seven-ruby, two-emphasis run or a full inspection of the generated XHTML. This guide therefore does not present a batch result as verified.
Recover according to the type of error
If the reading is wrong, correct the reading without replacing the base word. If emphasis reaches into punctuation, narrow only that range. If both treatments collide on one word, remove one and decide which purpose matters more.
A correct preview is not a promise about every EPUB reader. For a book release, inspect the exported content and the readers you actually plan to support as separate checks.
Keep this article distinct
The one-word mechanics of adding ruby belong to the ruby insertion guide. The choice between ruby and emphasis on a competing phrase belongs to the decoration guide. Here, the task is a complete mixed-markup revision pass.
Conclusion
To speed up Japanese markup editing, separate selection from application: classify the candidates, apply one markup type at a time, and compare the base text after each pass. If you evaluate Rune Studio, begin with one confirmed case and expand only after checking the result. Explore Rune Studio’s Japanese editing tools
