Editing Classical Japanese (section)

==== {{nihongo|W-row|ワ行|wa-gyō}} rule ====

:''This section uses [[Nihon-shiki]] romanization for {{nihongo2|ゐ}}, {{nihongo2|ゑ}}, and {{nihongo2|を}}.''

* The obsolete characters {{nihongo2|ゐ/ヰ}} (''wi'') and {{nihongo2|ゑ/ヱ}} (''we'') are used, and the character {{nihongo2|を/ヲ}} (''wo'') is used in other words besides as the accusative or oblique case marker. This relates to the above rule, in that it reflects a pronunciation with initial {{IPA|/w/}} before {{IPA|/i/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, and {{IPA|/o/}} that is no longer present in the modern language. This rule applies equally to native and Sino-Japanese words. The use of {{nihongo2|を}} (''wo'') to write the aforementioned grammatical particle, which is pronounced {{nihongo2|お}} (''o'') in modern Japanese (unless preceded by {{nihongo2|ん}} ''n'' or sometimes in song, although ''all'' morpheme-medial instances of {{IPA|/o/}}, whether originally {{nihongo2|お}}, {{nihongo2|を}}, or {{nihongo2|ほ}}, tend to become {{IPA|/wo/}} in song), is a holdover from this rule.

Some examples:

'''Native Japanese words'''
* {{nihongo2|居る ('''ゐ'''る) → 居る ('''い'''る)}} →  いる (only in kana) ('''''wi'''-ru'' → '''''i'''-ru'' "to be [animate objects]")
* {{nihongo2|聲 (こ'''ゑ''') → 声 (こ'''え''')}} (''ko'''we''''' → ''ko'''e''''' "voice") (notice that an old character is also involved in this example)
* {{nihongo2|男 ('''を'''とこ) → 男 ('''お'''とこ)}} ('''''wo'''toko'' → '''''o'''toko'' "male")
'''Sino-Japanese words'''
* {{nihongo2|役員 (やく'''ゐ'''ん) → 役員 (やく'''い'''ん)}} (''yaku'''wi'''n'' → ''yaku'''i'''n'' "officer")
* {{nihongo2|圓 ('''ゑ'''ん) → 円 ('''え'''ん)}} ('''''we'''n'' → '''''e'''n'' "Yen") (again, there is an old character used here)
* {{nihongo2|家屋 (か'''を'''く) → 家屋 (か'''お'''く)}} (''ka'''wo'''ku'' → ''ka'''o'''ku'' "house")

There are no known exceptions (besides the aforementioned ones regarding {{nihongo2|を}} ''wo'') in standard Japanese, and no dialects preserve the distinction between {{IPA|/wi/}} and {{IPA|/i/}}, {{IPA|/we/}} and {{IPA|/e/}}, and/or {{IPA|/wo/}} and {{IPA|/o/}}, but some of the [[Ryukyuan languages]] (which are also descended from [[Proto-Japonic]]) do.