HOB: Japanese Writing Systems

Japanese Writing Systems

Japanese writing is made up of three different syllabaries (sets of characters):

  • Hiragana
  • Katakana
  • Kanji

Additionally, Japanese can be written using the Roman alphabet, a system called Roomaji or Rooma-ji. This is not a syllabary in Japanese, but is rather a system used to transliterate the Japanese characters.

Hiragana

Hiragana characters are usually the first learned when starting Japanese. Hiragana is used for regular Japanese vocabulary, to assist with reading kanji and will always be used when writing particles. Review the image below, which includes the hiragana characters along with the roomaji spelling:

This image contains the complete hiragana syllabary.

Katakana

Katakana is system that generally follows the hiragana system, and several characters look similar, though simplified. Katakana is used, generally, for words borrowed from other languages and names. Review the image below, which includes the katakana characters along with the roomaji spelling:

This image contains the complete katakana syllabary.

Kanji

The final and most complex syllabary is called Kanji. These characters were mostly borrowed from Chinese, and can have multiple readings (readings will often be displayed in hiragana characters to assist in learning and reading unfamiliar characters). In Japanese I and II you learned a few of these kanji characters, which will be reviewed as the course progresses.

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