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I came across this tweet today:

> Is this the least confidence-inspiring use of inverted commas ever?
>
> ![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RURHu.jpg)

The English part of the sign has "Safe" and "Comfortable" in inverted commas,
and the Japanese part likewise has "安心" (relief, peace of mind) and "快適"
(pleasant; agreeable; comfortable) in quotation marks / corner brackets.

I've previously seen people, including native speakers of English, use
quotation marks for emphasis in English, though it's listed as a "Word Crime"
in ["Weird Al" Yankovic's song](http://youtu.be/8Gv0H-vPoDc?t=2m34s). Do
people use quotation marks for emphasis in Japanese as well?

(Note for non-native speakers of English: Don't worry about the stuff said in
"Word Crimes" - it's complaining about mistakes made by native speakers, not
those learning it as a second language, and some experts disagree with some of
the rules about English espoused in the song)
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-13T01:18:09.150
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2017-09-18T16:39:04.927
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question
quotes
Do Japanese people use quotation marks for emphasis?
Yes, we use quotation marks (of our own kinds, not yours) for emphasis **_all
the time_**.

The kinds we use are 「」、『』、〈〉、《》、〔〕 and there might possibly be more. Just
like the rules regarding punctuations, Japanese is more lenient than English.
More is left to your own aesthetic preferences in Japanese.

「」 and 『』 are the ones used most often for emphasis -- particularly 「」. These
two are also used for direct quotation and showing titles.

〈〉and 《》 are used nearly exclusively for emphasis.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-13T07:53:43.110
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2015-01-13T07:53:43.110
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answer
Japanese language doesn't have italics or all-uppercase. Emphasis using square
brackets (`「」`) is natural in Japanese, especially when other means of
emphasis (like [傍点](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/15270/5010) or bolder
fonts) is not applicable.

For example, when you have to write in plain-text format, something like this
is totally natural:

> 机の上ではなくて、「下」を探してください。

Such usage of square brackets is also natural in serious novels. (Using
katakana ("シタ") is out of the question, by the way. You can't use asterisks
(`*like this*`), either.)

That said, to my eyes, this JAL sign (or at least the Japanese part of it)
looks poorly-designed, if not instantly laughable.

Well, I think I understand why this English is funny, although I don't know
how many of native English speakers will instantly find this English
laughable.

I think "安全" and "快適" in this Japanese sentence are not something that should
be strongly emphasized, either. A few Japanese people may actually doubt if
the flight is really safe and comfortable.

I believe it's best not to emphasize these words at all, but when I really
felt like highlighting these words a bit, there are better ways than brackets,
like using a different color or font.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-13T11:25:09.483
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2017-04-13T12:43:44.207
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answer