Hiragana and katakana, together referred to as the kana, are two scripts which represent the same set of sounds.
- -Hiragana and katakana, together referred to as the kana, are two phonetic scripts, each containing 46 characters. They represent the same sounds, but are used for different purposes.
-Hiragana (ひらがな) is a syllabary (think of it as an alphabet) which represents the sounds used to speak Japanese. While uncommon to do so, it is possible to write Japanese entirely in hiragana. Hiragana is used for conjugating verbs and writing certain words, among other things.
- -For further information on hiragana, see the following resources:
- - -Katakana (カタカナ) is also an “alphabet” of syllables, representing the same sounds as hiragana, but visually different. Katakana is mainly used for loanwords and to replace words that are written with obscure kanji, but is used quite liberally in any written text.
- -For further information on katakana, see the following resources:
- +Hiragana (ひらがな) is used for grammatical parts and words which have no kanji form, or which the writer chooses not to use kanji for. Katakana (カタカナ) is used for loanwords and emphasis (similar to italics), among other purposes. For more information, see Tae Kim's articles on hiragana and katakana.
Hiragana will be your bread and butter for reading anything in Japanese. The approach to Japanese presented in this guide, as well as all the resources linked (except for those about the kana), are intended for people who can at least read hiragana. Thus, hiragana is the first thing that you are expected you learn.
-Kanji are the third part of the Japanese writing system, and by far the most extensive. These logographic characters of varying complexity represent words or parts of words in conjunction with the kana. The average Japanese adult knows at least 2136 kanji (the number of kanji students learn by the end of high school as a part of the curriculum), but around 2,500 to 3,000 are used in all facets of life. -Reading kanji will quickly become an inevitable reality once you dive into learning Japanese. The various methods of learning these will be discussed in greater depth below.
+Kanji are the third part of the Japanese writing system, and by far the most extensive. These logographic characters of varying complexity represent words or parts of words in conjunction with the kana. Japanese high school students are required to learn at least 2136 kanji as part of the curriculum, but around 3,000 are used in all facets of life.
