Japanese Kanji and More: A Mystery Behind the Writing System!

Let’s learn how kanji, hiragana, and katakana work together to create the Japanese language from ancient beginnings to modern use! Join us on a journey through the complexities of Japanese writing and discover the secrets hidden within its characters!

A brief history of the Japanese language

Japanese is different from many other languages in the world. Did you know that over 127 million people speak Japanese globally? That’s a lot of people! One interesting thing about Japanese is that it has many different dialects or variations across different regions of Japan. These dialects can be so different that someone from one part of Japan might have difficulty understanding someone from another part of the country!

The written form of Japanese can be traced back to the 8th century, over 1,200 years ago! The Kojiki is the oldest known written text in Japanese. Over the centuries, the Japanese language has changed and evolved into the modern version we know today. Even though there are many regional dialects, a standard written form of Japanese has been established. 

How did the writing system develop?

Japanese writing has undergone many changes over the centuries. At first, the Japanese used Chinese characters and grammar. But over time, a new system called man’yō-gana became popular. In this system, Chinese characters were used to represent Japanese sounds. This eventually led to the creation of two new writing systems: hiragana and katakana.

Hiragana became popular among women and was used in famous books like The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. Today, Japanese writing combines three different writing systems: kanji (Chinese characters), hiragana, and katakana. Each system has a different purpose. Kanji helps readers understand words that sound the same but have different meanings. 

The Japanese government says people should know around 2000 kanji characters daily. These characters are taught in schools, and when newspapers use characters that are not on the list, they provide readings in hiragana to help readers understand. Japanese writing is a unique blend of different systems that have evolved over centuries.

What is kanji?

One of the three writing systems used in Japanese is called kanji. Kanji characters originally came from China and represent whole words or ideas. The kanji system was introduced to Japan long ago, around the 4th or 5th century. At first, the Japanese matched the Chinese symbols with Japanese words.

Over time, the Chinese pronunciation of kanji, called on-yomi, became part of the Japanese language alongside the Japanese pronunciation, called kun-yomi. This means that many kanji characters can be read in two ways—one using Japanese and another using Chinese.

For example, the kanji character for ‘water’ is 水. In Japanese, it’s pronounced as ‘mizu‘ (kun-yomi). But in the Chinese pronunciation (on-yomi), it’s pronounced as ‘sui‘. This double-reading system allows kanji to show meaning in Japanese and borrowed Chinese pronunciations.

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What is hiragana?

Hiragana is another basic Japanese writing system. Each hiragana character represents a sound. These characters can add grammar points or simple words in Japanese. Hiragana has a round appearance its rounded shape, commonly used in everyday words such as “konnichiwa” (こんにちは, “hello”) and adjectives like “kawaii” (かわいい, “cute”).

Hiragana is also a guide for pronouncing rare kanji characters. This is often seen with hiragana placed alongside kanji in a smaller size above or below them. Hiragana was created in the 8th century as an easier replacement for kanji by women. Because each character represented a sound, it became popular among men and eventually became used for everyday writing with kanji.

What is katakana?

Katakana is another writing system used in Japanese. It was created because reading kanji characters, especially in formal letters, was difficult. At first, katakana was just a simplified version of kanji symbols. But over time, it evolved into its own separate writing system.

Unlike hiragana, which has rounded shapes, katakana characters have straight lines and sharp angles. Katakana eventually became mainly used for writing foreign words or to express strong feelings!

Katakana has many different uses. People use it to write the names of foreign people and places, the titles of foreign books, movies, and video games, Japanese slang words, company names, and less common plants and animals. Using katakana for these words and expressions makes them stand out and seem more important in Japanese text. Today, katakana plays a vital role in modern Japanese writing.

Why use all three?

Japan uses three different writing systems—kanji, hiragana, and katakana—each with a unique role. Using them together helps make communication in Japanese easier for anyone trying to read. While it would be simple just to use hiragana (since it’s the primary writing system), using kanji also gives a sense of maturity and helps facilitate better understanding.

Whether you’re learning Japanese or are already fluent, it’s safe to say that Japanese is a unique language unlike any other in the world! Have you ever learned Japanese? What was the most challenging part about it for you? Let us know in the comments!