Question No Gaps

[Ukigumo]

Why are there no gaps, separating words, in printed Japanese text

 

[mdchachi]

Why are there no gaps, separating words, in printed Japanese text

Because it doesn't add to legibility or understanding unless it's written in romaji or only hiragana. But perhaps the bigger reason is tradition. Classical Chinese which is what Japanese was originally patterned after also didn't have spaces.

 

[Ukigumo]

Because it doesn't add to legibility or understanding unless it's written in romaji or only hiragana. But perhaps the bigger reason is tradition. Classical Chinese which is what Japanese was originally patterned after also didn't have spaces.

There can often be considerable lengths of kana in text however.

 

[mdchachi]

There can often be considerable lengths of kana in text however.

Also just think about how many trees have been saved by the simple design choice of having no spaces.
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This is a fascinating and creative question! Calculating how many trees have been "saved" in Japan by not using spaces in written Japanese is a complex estimation, but let's break it down step by step with reasonable assumptions and calculations.

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Step 1: Estimate the Effect of Spaces on Text Length

How much extra space do spaces take up?

• In English, spaces take up about 1 character per word.
• Japanese words average about 2–3 characters (kanji or kana) per word.
• If Japanese used spaces, it would add about 1 space per word.

Estimate:

• Japanese text would be about 30–40% longer if spaces were used (based on the ratio of words to characters).

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Step 2: Estimate the Amount of Printed Japanese Text

Historical Perspective

• Japanese writing has existed for ~1,300 years (since around the 8th century).
• Let's focus on the modern era (say, the last 150 years) for significant printed material.

Modern Printing Estimate

• Japan publishes about 70,000 new book titles per year (recent stats).
• Assume an average book is 200 pages.
• Assume 1,000 characters per page (a typical density).

Annual characters printed in books:
70,000 books × 200 pages × 1,000 chars = 14,000,000,000 characters/year
Over 150 years:
14,000,000,000 × 150 = 2,100,000,000,000 characters (2.1 trillion)

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Step 3: Estimate Extra Pages Needed With Spaces

• If text is 30% longer with spaces:
  2.1 trillion × 0.3 = 630,000,000,000 extra characters
• At 1,000 characters per page:
  630,000,000,000 ÷ 1,000 = 630,000,000 extra pages

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Step 4: Estimate Trees Saved

• One tree yields about 8,333 pages (source: Conservatree, average for book paper).
• Trees saved:
  630,000,000 ÷ 8,333 ≈ 75,600 trees

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Step 5: Consider Other Printed Materials

• Newspapers, magazines, and other forms of print would add to this number, possibly multiplying it by 2–3 times.
• Let's conservatively double the estimate:
  75,600 × 2 = 151,200 trees

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Final Estimate

By not using spaces in printed Japanese text over the past 150 years, Japan may have saved approximately 150,000 trees, or more, due to increased text density.

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Caveats

• This is a rough estimate with many assumptions.
• Actual numbers could be higher or lower depending on print volumes, page density, and historical data.
• The environmental impact is even greater if you consider energy, water, and other resources saved.

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Summary Table

Factor	Estimate
Extra pages avoided	630 million
Trees saved	~150,000
Time span	150 years (modern era)

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In short:
The Japanese practice of omitting spaces has likely saved the equivalent of over 150,000 trees in the modern printing era, thanks to more compact text and fewer pages required for the same content!

 

[Ukigumo]

…and they used those saved trees (as paper) to multiply wrap everything that's already wrapped in cellophane anyway!



When I returned from my first trip to Japan, I gave up recycling because I saw how much was wasted over there. 'Urinating against the wind', as they say.