石には何か書かれていた。彼らは何が書いているかを判読しようとした。

Sentence Analyzer

English Translation

There was something written on the stone, and they tried to make out what it was.

Furigana

石(いし)には何(なに)か書(か)かれていた。彼(かれ)らは何(なに)が書(か)いているかを判読(はんどく)しようとした。

Romanji

Ishi ni wa nani ka kakareteita. karera wa nani ga kaiteiru ka o handokushiyou to shita.

Words

石 (いし)

stone; gem; jewel

に (に)

at (place, time); in; on; during; to (direction, state); toward; into; for (purpose); because of (reason); for; with; by; from; as (i.e. in the role of); per; in; for; a (e.g. "once a month"); and; in addition to; if; although

は (は)

topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis

何 (なに、なん)

what; how many; you-know-what; that; whatsit; what's the expression; what do you call them; what?; hey!

か (か)

indicates a question (sometimes rhetorical); or; whether or not; some- (e.g. something, someone); indicates doubt, uncertainty, etc.; emphatic prefix; suffix forming adjectives or adverbs; in that way

書く (かく)

to write; to compose; to pen; to draw; to paint

彼ら (かれら)

they (usually male); them

が (が)

indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; still; and

を (を)

indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.

判読 (はんどく)

decipherment; interpretation; making out; identification

と (と)

if; when; and; with; particle used for quoting (with speech, thoughts, etc.); quoting particle; promoted pawn; indicates question (sentence end)

為る (する)

to do; to cause to become; to make (into); to turn (into); to serve as; to act as; to work as; to wear (clothes, a facial expression, etc.); to judge as being; to view as being; to think of as; to treat as; to use as; to decide on; to choose; to be sensed (of a smell, noise, etc.); to be (in a state, condition, etc.); to be worth; to cost; to pass (of time); to elapse; verbalizing suffix (applies to nouns noted in this dictionary with the part of speech "vs"); creates a humble verb (after a noun prefixed with "o" or "go"); to be just about to; to be just starting to; to try to; to attempt to