JPH0524998Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a romaji-kana character conversion device for converting input romaji into kana characters.

[Conventional technology]

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there are small electronic devices that can input kana characters such as katakana and hiragana. The kana character input method of this small electronic device includes a type that is equipped with kana character input keys for the number of kana characters and inputs them directly, or a type that is equipped with a romaji-kana character converter that inputs romaji using alphabetic characters and then converts the characters into kana. There is.

However, in small electronic devices, the number of keys that can be installed is limited due to miniaturization. A type with a device is also commercialized.

In such a Roman-ji-kana character conversion device, kana character input is performed using a screen display provided by a screen display device.

A cursor indicating the input digit is displayed on the screen of the screen display device, and each time an alphanumeric character is input at the cursor position, the cursor moves one digit at a time, and Roman characters can be entered by sequentially inputting alphanumeric characters at the cursor position. It's getting old. The entered Roman characters were converted to kana characters by operating the katakana conversion key, and kana characters were then entered.

[Problems with conventional technology]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional Romaji-kana character conversion device, only input digits are indicated by a cursor, and therefore, when a beginner who is not familiar with Romaji input operations inputs Romaji, there are many input errors. For this reason, there has been a need for a Romaji-kana character conversion device that can reduce the number of Romaji input errors even for beginners.

[Purpose of invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional apparatus, an object of the present invention is to provide a Romaji-kana character conversion device that allows even beginners to reliably input Kana characters with fewer errors in Romaji input.

[Key points of the idea]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention is designed so that when the initial letter of a Roman alphabet is input, the digits that can be input after the initial letter are clearly indicated according to the type of input initial letter. Make it the main point.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external view showing a small electronic wristwatch according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a watch body 1 includes a display section 2 such as a liquid crystal display device for displaying various displays, and keys S ₁ to _{S 4} for performing various operations.
and a key arrangement section 3 for data input. The display section 2 is a display device capable of displaying alphanumeric characters, numbers, symbols, etc. in units of dots. The above key S ₁ is a key for mode switching, and the key S ₁
Each time you operate , the basic time display mode and data memo mode are switched. In the basic time display mode, the current time (month, day, day of the week, hour, minute,
(seconds, etc.) is displayed, and in the data memo mode, data can be referenced and data can be input/edited. The above key S ₂ is a cursor right shift key that has the function of moving the cursor position indicating the character input position to the right, and key S ₄ is a cursor left shift key that has the function of moving the cursor position in the opposite direction (to the left) as S ₂ . be. Note that the key S ₂ is also a conversion key when converting Romaji input into Kanakana, as will be explained in detail later. The above key S ₃ is as described below.
It is used to switch the input mode in the data memo mode, and each time the key _S3 is operated, it switches between alphanumeric input mode and katakana input mode.

The data input arrangement 3 is equipped with keys for selectively inputting alphanumeric characters, numbers, symbols, etc. For example, when the key 3a is pressed once, "A" is input at the cursor position on the display section 2. Press twice to get “B”, press three times to get “:”, press fourth to get “×”
can be entered.

2 is a block diagram showing the internal circuit of this embodiment. In the figure, ROM 4 is a fixed memory that contains microprograms and data for controlling the entire system. CPU
The central processing unit 5 takes in the data required according to the program, or executes the
It performs arithmetic processing while exchanging data with the RAM 6 etc., and outputs the processed data as necessary. The RAM 6 is a memory that outputs address data input from the CPU 5 to the CPU 5, and inputs and stores the results of each data processed and processed by the CPU 5. The oscillator 7 outputs a clock signal with a fixed period, and the timing generator 8 divides the clock signal to a specified frequency and outputs a timing signal that controls each block in time series. The key input section 9 is a block that sends signals to instruct the system to perform each processing operation, and includes the keys _S1 to _S4 shown in Figure 1 and the key arrangement section 3 for data input. The frequency divider circuit 10 is a counter that divides the output from the oscillator 7, and creates a clock signal with a fixed period, which is used to update the current time, etc.

The display section 2 is a block that displays data processed by the CPU 5 via a display buffer 2a, and is the same as that shown in FIG.

The romaji-katakana conversion section 11 is connected to the key input section 9
This unit has a function of outputting katakana when there is a katakana corresponding to an alphabet character inputted from a roman character, and a single character roman katakana conversion unit 11a, which converts a roman character consisting of one alphabet character into katakana, and an alphabet 2. A 2-character Roman-to-Katakana conversion unit 11b converts Roman letters consisting of letters into Katakana, and a 3-character Roman-to-Katakana conversion unit 11c converts Roman letters consisting of 3 alphanumeric characters into Katakana.
have.

Next, FIG. 3 shows the main internal configuration of the RAM 6 mentioned above. In the same figure, the display register DSP
is a register that stores the display data displayed on the display unit 2, and the current time register T stores the current date (year, month, day, day of the week, etc.) and time (hour,
This is a register that stores minutes, seconds, etc.).

The mode flag M has a value of "0" (basic time display mode) or "1" (data memo mode) corresponding to each motor when in various display modes (basic time display mode, data memo mode). This is a flag to remember. The flag L is a flag that stores "0" when the input mode is alphanumeric characters, and stores "1" when the input mode is katakana. Further, the character number counter P is a counter that stores the number of input alphanumeric characters (unconverted), and stores values of 0, 1, 2, and 3 when the input character numbers are 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The cursor pointer _Cs is a pointer that indicates the position of the cursor, and the cursor counter C stores the number of digits that light up following the cursor position.

Further, the data register R is a register that stores schedule data such as a telephone memo, a schedule memo, and a general-purpose memo.

Next, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mode switching method by operating the keys S ₁ and S ₃ described above.

In the figure, basic time display mode (M=0)
, by operating key S ₁ , you can switch from data memo mode (M=1) to katakana input mode (M=
1 and L=0), and by inputting Romaji, Katakana can be input.
When key S ₃ is operated in katakana input mode (M=1 and L=0), alphanumeric input mode (M=
1 and L=1), and the alpha bet (A
~Z), numbers (0 to 9), symbols (hyphen "-",
It is now possible to input characters such as a space "〓", period ".", etc.). Katakana input mode (M=1 and L=
0) and alphanumeric input mode (M=1 and L=1)
can be switched alternately by operating key _S3 . Also, data memo mode (M=
In 1), by operating the key _S1 , it is possible to return to the basic time display mode (M=0).

Next, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a method for inputting katakana after switching the mode to katakana input mode (M=1 and L=1) by operating the keys S ₁ and S ₃ described above. Based on this figure, the display operation in the katakana input mode of this embodiment will be briefly explained.

The figure shows a part of the screen on the display section 2 when "Kaigijiyou" is input. In the same figure, the circled “J” is displayed as “J” on the screen.
It is an inverted display and a blinking display, and is a cursor that indicates the input digit in the katakana input mode (M=1 and L=0) (hereinafter referred to as a blinking cursor). Also, "J" that is not circled.
is an inverted display of J and not a blinking display (hereinafter referred to as a lit cursor). Furthermore, the circled area indicates that it is blinking.

First, in the figure, when the alphanumeric character "K" is input, "K" is displayed at the position of the blinking cursor, and a lit cursor is displayed on the two digits following the display digit of "K" to clearly indicate it.

When you enter the alphanumeric character "K" in this way, the two digits of the illuminated cursor will be displayed following "K".As shown in the Romaji-Katakana conversion table in Figure 6, the Romaji with K as the initial letter are: There are three characters: ``KYA'', ``KYI'', ``KYU'', ``KYE'', and ``KYO''.
This indicates that there is a possibility of inputting two alphanumeric characters after K.

Next, move the cursor with the S ₂ key, and the 2
The digit becomes a blinking cursor. Then, when you input the alpha alphabet "A" and operate key S ₂ , the Roman alphabet "KA" will be automatically converted to the katakana "KA", "KA" will be displayed in the first digit, and a blinking cursor will appear in the second digit. Become. Next, when the alphabet "I" is input, only "I" is displayed blinking and the lit cursor is not displayed. As shown in Figure 6, this is a Roman letter with the initial letter "I" as "I".
This is because (a) is the only one. Next, when the key S ₂ is operated, the Roman letter "I" is converted to the katakana "i" and displayed in the second digit, and a blinking cursor is displayed in the digit following "i". Next, when you enter the alpha alphabet "G", "G" will be displayed blinking.
A lit cursor will be displayed on the digit next to "G". As shown in Figure 6, the convertible Roman letters with the initial letter "G" are "GA", "GI", "GU",
This is because "GE" and "GO" are both two characters. Then, by inputting the alphabet "I" and operating the key _S2 , "GI" is converted to the katakana "gi", and up to "kaigi" is input.

Then, when you enter the alphabet "Z", the two digits following "Z" will be displayed as a lit cursor, and up to three Roman letters with "Z" as the initial letter will be displayed.
Indicates that it is composed of letters (actually, as shown in Figure 6, it is "ZYA", "ZYI",
It is only a Roman alphabet consisting of three letters: "ZYU", "ZYE", and "ZYO".

Then, following "Z", while moving the cursor with key S ₂ , enter the alphabet "Y",
By inputting "O" and operating the key _S2 , the Roman alphabet "ZYO" is converted to "Jiyo". Then, by inputting the alphabet "U" and operating the key _S2 , the Roman letter "U" is converted to the katakana "U", and the input of "Kaigijiyou" is completed.

Next, the CPU to enable the display mentioned above.
The specific processing operation based on the control in step 5 will be explained.

Figures 7a and 7b show keys S ₁ to S ₄ and key arrangement part 3.
3 is a flowchart showing the flow of key input processing based on the operation of each key.

In the figure, it is first checked in step _C1 whether or not the key _S1 has been operated. If the key _S1 has been operated, the process proceeds to step _C2 , and the value of the mode flag M is "0", that is, the basic time display mode ( M=0). If it is the basic time display mode (M=0), the value of the mode flag M is set to "1" in step _C3 , and the values of the character number counter P and cursor pointer _Cs are initialized to "0". . Further, if the value of the mode flag M is "1" in step _C2 , that is, data memo mode (M=1), the value of the mode flag M is set to "0" in step _C4 .

That is, by operating key _S1 , if the current mode is basic time display mode (M=0), the mode switches to data memo mode (M=1) and a blinking cursor is displayed on the first digit. (Steps C ₁ to C ₃ ), and if the data memo mode (M=1), the mode is switched to the basic time display mode (M=0) (Steps C ₁ →C ₂ →C ₄ ).

On the other hand, if the key _S1 has not been operated in step _C1 , it is checked in step _C5 whether or not the key _S3 has been operated. If the key _S3 has been operated, the process advances to step _C6 to check whether the value of the mode flag M is "1", that is, the data memo mode (M=1). If it is data memo mode (M=1), proceed to step _C7 and set flag L.
is “1”, that is, alphanumeric input mode (M=1
and = 1), and if it is alphanumeric input mode (M = 1 and L = 1), step C ₈
Sets the value of flag L to "0" and switches to katakana input mode (M=1 and L=0). Also, in step _C7 above, the value of flag L is "0", that is, katakana input mode (M=1 and L=0).
If so, set the value of flag L to “1” in step _C9 .
and alphanumeric input mode (M=1 and L=
Switch with 1).

Furthermore, if it is not the data memo mode (M=1) in step _C6 , the process ends.

In other words, in data memo mode (M=1), by operating key S ₃ , if alphanumeric input mode (M=1 and L=1), the mode changes to katakana input mode (M=1 and L=0). (steps _C5 to _C8 ), and the katakana input mode (M
= 1 and L = 0), alphanumeric input mode (M
=1 and L=1) (steps _C5 to _C7 → _C9 ).

On the other hand, if the key _S3 is not operated in step _C5 , it is checked in step _C10 whether an alphanumeric input (including space input) has been made. If alphabetic input is being performed, the values of mode flag M and flag L are checked in steps C ₁₁ and C ₁₂ , and katakana input mode (M=
1 and L=0), the process proceeds to step _C13 , and if it is the alpha-betting input mode (M=1 and L=1), the process proceeds to step _C18 . In step _C13 , the value of the character counter P is checked and if it is "0", that is, if the alphabet that has just been inputted is the first letter of a Roman alphabet, the process proceeds to step _C14 , where the inputted alphanumeric character is "Y" or "Y". If the alphabet is any one of them, in step _C15 , the cursor counter C is set to 1, and the cursor is moved through the display buffer 2a. Display the next digit of the cursor position indicated by pointer C _s with the illuminated cursor and proceed to step C ₁₈
Proceed to.

On the other hand, if an input other than alphabets "Y", "W", "J", or "F" is made in step _C14 , then alphabets "A", "A", or "F" are entered in step _C16 .
It is checked whether "I", "U", "E", or "O" have been input. If not, "2" is set in the cursor counter C in _{step C17} , and the cursor is moved through the display buffer 2a. The two digits following the cursor position indicated by pointer C _s are displayed as a lit cursor,
Proceed to step C ₁₈ . Also, in step _C16 above,
Alphabet “A”, “I”, “U”, “E”, “O”
”
If the input has been made, the process directly advances to step _C18 .
Then, in step _C18 , 1 is added to the value of character number counter P, and in step _C15 , display register DSP is added.
The input alpha-betting data is stored at a predetermined position, and the input alpha-betting data is blinkingly displayed at the cursor position indicated by the cursor pointer _Cs .

In other words, Katakana input mode (M=1 and L
=1), if the input alphabet is the first letter of a Roman alphabet, a lighting cursor is displayed following the blinking display of the input alphabet corresponding to the input alphabet. To explain in more detail, Alphabet is “Y”, “W”,
For "J" and "F", as is clear from Figure 6, the Roman letters that can be converted into katakana are Alphabet 2.
Since there are only roman letters consisting of letters, the input alphabet is displayed blinking, followed by a lit cursor at the next digit, clearly indicating that it is necessary to input one more letter. ”, “I”,
In the case of "U", "E", "O", "A", respectively.
Since there is a possibility that the characters will only be converted into katakana such as "i", "u", "e", and "o", only the entered alphanumeric characters are displayed blinking at the cursor position.

Furthermore, if it is an alpha bet other than the above, 3
Since the characters may be in Roman letters, the entered alphanumeric characters will be displayed blinking at the cursor position, and the two digits following the cursor position will be displayed as a lit cursor (see Figure 6).

On the other hand, if there is no alpha alphabet input in step C ₁₀ , the process proceeds to step C ₂₀ to check whether key S ₂ has been operated, and if key S ₂ has not been operated, then in step C ₄₂ other keys such as key S ₄ are entered. Perform processing. Other key processing is not an essential part of the present invention, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. On the other hand, if key _S2 is operated, the value of mode flag M is checked in step _C21 , and if the data memo mode (M=1) is checked, the value of flag L is checked in step _C22 , and alphanumeric input mode is entered. If (M=1 and L=1), step
Add 1 to the value of the cursor pointer C _s at C ₂₃ , make the cursor digit currently blinking on the display section 2 a static display, and make the digit indicated by the cursor pointer C _s blink (cursor display) (cursor shift). . The cursor display in the alphanumeric input mode (M=1 and L=1) is a blinking display of all dots (5×5).

Also, in step _C22 above, the value of flag L is “0”.
In other words, Katakana input mode (M=1 and L=
0), the value of character number counter P is “1” at step _C24 (already input alphanumeric character is 1 character)
, and if it is one character, step
Alphabetical input data (1 character) to the 1-character Romaji-Katakana converter 11a via the CPU 5 on the C ₂₅
It is checked whether the single input alphanumeric character can be converted to katakana, and if it is, the katakana data output by the single character katakana converter 11a is stored in a predetermined position of the display register DSP, and the cursor pointer is C Display at the cursor position on display section 2 indicated by _s (step
_C24 - _C27 ).

Then, in step _C28 , the value of the character counter P is reset to "0", and in step _C29 , 1 is added to the value of the cursor pointer _Cs , the cursor position is moved to the next digit, and the display section is The currently blinking cursor digit above 2 is displayed statically, and the new cursor digit is displayed as a blinking cursor.

In other words, Katakana input mode (M=1 and L
=0), the input alphanumeric character is a Roman letter "A", "I", which can be converted into katakana.
"U", "E", "O" (hereinafter referred to as "A" to "O")
If so, katakana "a", "i", "u", "e",
It is converted to "O", and the blinking "A" to "O" display on the display section 2a changes from the static display to "A" to "O".
Switch to "O". Then, a blinking cursor is displayed for the next digit of "A" to "O", allowing new input of Roman characters (steps _C24 to _C29 ). Also,
Romaji "A" which can be converted into Katakana with one character ~
If it is other than "O", only the cursor is moved and the next alphabetic bet can be input (steps _C24 to _C26 → _C29 ).

On the other hand, if the number of alpha characters already input in step _C24 is not 1 (P=1), the process advances to step _C30 , and the value of the character counter P is set to "2".
It is checked whether the number of alphabet characters that have already been input is 2), and if it is "2", the alphabet input data (2 characters) is sent to the 2-character romaji-katakana conversion unit 11b, and the input 2 alphabet characters are converted to katakana. Check whether it is a possible Roman character (steps C ₃₀ to _{C 32} ). And if it is a romaji that can be converted into katakana, take an additional step.
At _C33 , it is checked whether the katakana to be converted is a voiced or semi-voiced sound, and if it is a voiced or semi-voiced katakana, the above-mentioned steps _C27 to _C29 are performed.

On the other hand, if it is not a voiced or semi-voiced katakana, the converted katakana data is displayed in the digit immediately before the current cursor position on the display section 2 in step _C34 , and the value of the character counter P is displayed in step _C35 . is reset to “0”.

On the other hand, if it is not a Roman character that can be converted into Katakana in step _C32 , the process proceeds to step _C29 and only the cursor is shifted.

That is, if the input two alphabetic characters are Roman characters that can be converted into katakana, they are automatically converted into the corresponding katakana characters, and the katakana characters are displayed on the display section 2a in place of the inputted alphabetic characters. In the katakana display,
When two Roman letters are converted to katakana other than voiced or semi-voiced, the converted katakana character will be displayed in the position of the first letter of the Roman letter, and a blinking cursor will be displayed at the second letter of the Roman letter. , becomes the starting position for the next Roman character input (e.g.
(Conversion from "KA" to "KA", etc.)

On the other hand, if the two entered Romaji characters are converted to voiced or semi-voiced katakana (e.g. "BA"
→ "Ba", "PA" → "Pa", etc.), "゛", "." require a display area of 1 digit, so the converted voiced or semi-voiced katakana will be converted into two input alphanumeric characters. is displayed in the same area as , and the cursor moves to the next digit.

Furthermore, if the two input characters are not Roman characters, no katakana conversion is performed and only the cursor moves to the next digit, making it possible to input the next alphabet.

Next, in step _C36 , if the value of the character counter P is "3" (three alpha characters have been input), the input alpha alpha data of three characters is sent to the three character katakana converter 11c. ,
Check whether the 3-character alpha alphabet data is a Roman character that can be converted into Katakana (Step C ₃₇ )
~C ₃₈ ), if conversion is possible, check whether the katakana converted in step C ₃₉ is a voiced or semi-voiced sound (e.g., Ziya [ZYA], Piya [PYA], etc.), and if it is a voiced or semi-voiced sound. For example, the above steps
Process _C27 to _C29 . Further, if the katakana is a katakana other than a voiced sound or a semi-voiced sound (for example, Kiya [KPYA], Sya [SYA], etc.), the above-mentioned steps _C34 to _C35 are performed.

On the other hand, in step _C38 above, if the input three alphanumeric characters are not Roman characters that can be converted into Katakana, then incorrect Roman characters were input.
In step _C40 , the display digit of the input three alphanumeric characters on the display section 3 is set to "blank display", and in step _C41 , the value of the character counter P is reset to "0", and the value of the cursor pointer _Cs is reset. Subtract 2 and move the cursor back two digits.

Furthermore, if the value of the character number counter P is not "3" in step _C34 above, that is, if the value of the character number counter P is "0", the alpha alphabet has not been input yet, so processing is performed without performing katakana conversion. finish.

That is, if the input three alpha characters are Roman characters that can be converted into katakana, they are automatically converted into katakana by operating the key _S2 , and displayed in place of the input alpha characters. In that case, in the case of accelerated katakana that includes voiced or semi-voiced sounds (e.g. ``batsu'', ``pattu'')
etc.), are displayed in three digits, and other katakana characters (for example, "kiya", "siya", etc.) are displayed in two digits. Also, the next digit after the katakana display becomes a blinking cursor, allowing you to enter the next Roman character.

On the other hand, if an incorrect Roman character is input, the input alphanumeric character is cleared by "blank" and the cursor position returns to the position before inputting the incorrect Roman character, allowing re-input. Furthermore, if the key _S2 is operated without inputting an alphanumeric value, no processing is performed.

Although the processing of this embodiment is performed as described above, the display mode is not limited to the above-described one, and the shape of the cursor can also be freely set.

Furthermore, the kana characters into which the Roman alphabet is converted may be either katakana or hiragana.

In this way, according to this embodiment, when one character is written in Roman letters, only that digit is lit, and by operating the right shift key S ₂ it is automatically converted to katakana, so it is possible to accidentally write another letter in succession. There is no need to enter the alpha alphabet of ``Katakana'' and become unable to convert it to katakana. Also, Alphabet 2
If you enter an alphanumeric character that is the initial letter of only Roman letters in the character structure, the 1 following the initial letter
Only the digit will light up, indicating that you are inputting a Roman character consisting of two alphanumeric characters.
The next alphabetic input is the vowels "A", "I",
You can see that it is either "U", "E", or "O" (However, if the first letter is "N", enter "space" to change "N〓" to katakana "N".
is converted to ), reducing the possibility of input errors and increasing certainty. Furthermore, if there is a possibility of entering Roman letters consisting of three alphanumeric characters, the two digits following the input initial letter will light up to clearly indicate this.
After entering two alphanumeric characters, the next digit will light up to represent the vowels "A", "I", "U", "E", "O".
Since you can see that you only need to input one of the following, the certainty of input increases.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above in detail, according to the present invention,
When you input the first letter of a Roman alphabet, the display digits corresponding to the number of letters of the alphabet that can be input after that are clearly displayed, so the following effect can be obtained.

a If only the displayed digit of the alphabet you entered lights up, the Roman alphabet you entered is the vowel "A",
Since it is one of "I", "U", "E", and "O", when inputting a vowel, it can be immediately confirmed whether the correct input has been made.

b If the first digit lights up after the input alphanumeric character, the vowel "A",
Since the user knows that it is sufficient to input either "I", "U", "E", or "O", input errors are reduced.

c Following the display of the input alphabet, 2
If the digit lights up, you will know that you need to enter either the vowel "A", "I", "U", "E", or "O" in one of the two digits, reducing input errors. .

d Due to the above three effects, kana input can be performed reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a small electronic wristwatch according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal circuit configuration of the embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the main internal configuration of the RAM 6; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a mode switching operation; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of katakana input in the katakana input mode;
FIG. 6 shows the rules for converting romaji to katakana in this embodiment, and FIGS. 7a and 7b are flow charts showing key input processing. 2: Display unit; 3: Key arrangement unit; 4:
ROM, 5...CPU, 6...RAM, 11...Roman alphabet to katakana conversion unit, 11a...1-character Roman alphabet to katakana conversion unit, 11b...2-character Roman alphabet to katakana conversion unit, 11c...3-character Roman alphabet to katakana conversion unit, DSP...display register, M...mode flag, L...flag, P...character count counter, _Cs ...cursor pointer, C...cursor counter, R...data register.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A Roman to Kana character conversion device that converts input and displayed Roman characters into Kana characters, comprising a data input means for inputting alpha-abed data, and a cursor for inputting data input by the data input means. a display means for displaying at a display position specified by the data input means; and when alpha alphabet data of a consonant that is the initial letter of a Roman alphabet is inputted by the data input means, the input alpha alphabet data has a maximum number of characters of 3 digits. If the input alphabet data is the first letter of a Roman alphabet, the two digits following the display position are displayed separately from other digits, and the input alphabet data has a maximum number of characters of two digits. A Romaji-kana character conversion device comprising: display control means for displaying only one digit following the display position, distinguishing it from other digits when the data is Roman alphabetic data.