![]() ![]() ![]() Kanji (漢字) was originally brought to Japan from China from 4th through 5th century.Īs it started to spread across the country, numerous new Kanji were coined by ancient Japanese people according to their lifestyle and culture. ラーメン / Ramen (means “Ramen noodles” in Japanese).*You can also say “Otearai” (お手洗い), which sounds more polite.トイレ / Toire (means “bathroom” in Japanese).コンビニ / Konbini (means “Convenience store” in Japanese).Here are some Katakana words that you will probably encounter during your trip to Japan! If you want to learn Japanese, try to memorize Hiragana and Katakana simultaneously as they are associated with each other in terms of the number of letters and sound. They consist of 46 signs just like Hiragana, which means they are much easier to learn than Kanji. It means that with a better understanding in Katakana, you will be able to infer the meaning of Japanese sentences to a certain extent! For example, “computer” is written “コンピューター” (co-n-pyuu-taa, and “Ha-m-baa-gaa” can be “ハンバーガー” in Katakana. ![]() One of the distinctive differences between them is that Katakana is mainly used for foreign words imported from other countries. They might look similar to Hiragana, but they are actually more angular compared to the cursive shapes of Hiragana. Katakana (カタカナ) is another sets of characters in Japanese. It is called “Joshi” (助詞) in Japanese, which is essential to connect every word such as nouns, verbs and adjectives. This is because it is the first character that most Japanese learners start to study. However, Hiragana is preferred in specific cases, including children’s books and announcements for foreigners. In many cases, however, Japanese sentences are composed of the mixture of Hiragana and Kanji because it is much easier for Japanese people to read. You can make any Japanese sentences only with Hiragana. For example, “Sa-ku-ra” is spelled “さくら”, and “sa-mu-ra-i” can be “さむらい” in Hiragana. In general, Hiragana is used for traditional Japanese words which were originally developed inside Japan. It resulted in a tremendous development and flourish in Japanese culture such as literature, as notable female writers started to use Hiragana to produce historical works and stories. They aimed to make new writing characters by simplifying Kanji, which convincingly explains why the shape of some Hiragana is similar to the corresponding Kanji. It is said Hiragana was developed during the Heian period (794-1185), after Kanji was introduced from China to Japan for the first time in the 4th or 5th century. They are usually listed according to a Japanese alphabetical order starting with “あいうえお” (a i u e o). It consists of 46 letters, each of which represents the corresponding alphabet used in Japanese writing. Children start to learn them at an early age in kindergarten or preschool. Hiragana (ひらがな) is the most basic character in the form of Japanese writing. ![]()
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