先生 introduced us to the plain form of verbs and adjectives last week, prompting a review of the adjective layouts I'd set up a while a go but had stopped using. I also set up a button next to the 'adjective type' field, which displays the appropriate layout (i-adjective or na-adjective).

Here's an example of each:-

i adj mazui
na adj junchou

After a question from Heather, I took another look at the Furigana field option in Filemaker.  I thought it might be a useful way of finding the pronunciation of text written in kanji.

I set up a 'kanji' field, and an associated 'furigana' field.  Copy text into the kanji field, hit enter, and the hiragana appears in the furigana field.

(For some reason, though, the font for the 'furigana' field is automatically set to Helvetica, and this is locked by default.  To change the font, go to Layout, select the field, then as you select the Japanese font, hold down Alt-Apple.  That overrides the format lock. Then it works like a charm).

I used it 'in anger' this evening.  I came across the website of a translation company, that has a few pages of Japanese proverbs with kanji, romaji and translations, but I thought one of the romaji versions wasn't quite right.   



'Shitage' for 従え didn't look right. But the company e-mailed back to say the translator had confirmed it was correct.

So, 'furigana' field to the rescue. Here's what it gave me:-



I need a definitive answer from someone. But at least I know my instinct wasn't completely wrong.