| System | Writing | Pronunciation | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiragana | あいうえお | a-i-u-e-o | Pure Japanese words, grammar |
| Katakana | アイウエオ | a-i-u-e-o | Words of foreign origin |
| Kanji | 日本語 | ni-hon-go | Concepts, ideas, names |
Have you ever wondered why Japanese writing seems so mysterious with its characters all mixed together? Unlike us who use a single alphabet, Japanese people juggle three different writing systems in the same sentence. At first, it’s dizzying, but once you understand the logic, it’s brilliant!
Imagine yourself reading a manga and seeing round characters, others more angular, and complex symbols that seem to come from an art book. Each has its precise mission. It’s as if you had three different tools in your kit: each serves something specific.
Hiragana: The Alphabet of the Japanese Heart
Hiragana look like little harmonious curves dancing on the page. Historically, they were called “women’s writing” because women used them for their novels and poems during the Heian period.
- あ (a) – The first sound, simple and round like a smile
- か (ka) – With its fluid strokes, perfect for authentic Japanese words
- さ (sa) – Used in ありがとう (arigatou) to say thank you
- は (ha) – Pronounced “wa” when it’s a grammatical particle
- ん (n) – The only true consonant in Japanese
In daily life, you’ll encounter hiragana everywhere. When you start learning and want to say hello in Japanese, you’ll write おはよう (ohayou) entirely in hiragana.
Furigana, those little hiragana above complicated kanji, save the day when you come across a character you don’t know. It’s the GPS of Japanese reading!
Katakana: For Everything That Comes From Elsewhere
Straighter, sharper than their hiragana cousins, katakana have character. They transcribe everything that’s not originally Japanese, with some surprises.
- ア (a) – Angular version of hiragana あ
- コーヒー (koohii) – “Coffee” becomes Japanese with this elongation mark
- フランス (furansu) – France according to Japanese phonetics
- テレビ (terebi) – Television shortened Japanese-style
- ミク (miku) – Foreign first names like Hatsune Miku’s
Be careful, transcription rules follow Japanese pronunciation. Silent “e” in French disappears, and final consonants take a “u”. “Paris” becomes パリス (parisu), not “pari”!
In manga, katakana also serve for screams, robotic sounds, or when a character speaks with a foreign accent. It’s the equivalent of our italics to mark emphasis.
Kanji: The Giants of Japanese Writing
Here are the stars of the show! These Chinese characters adopted by Japan are true condensed packages of information. A single kanji can express an entire concept.
Basic Kanji to Know
- 日 (hi/nichi) – The sun, but also day in 日本 (Nihon – Japan)
- 水 (mizu/sui) – Water, which really looks like flowing water
- 人 (hito/jin) – A person, like a stylized stick figure
- 山 (yama/san) – Mountain with its three peaks
- 火 (hi/ka) – Fire with its dancing flames
The Mystery of Multiple Readings
Each kanji can be read in different ways depending on the context:
- KUN reading – The original Japanese pronunciation
- ON reading – The pronunciation inherited from Chinese
For example, 水 is read “mizu” when alone (KUN reading) but “sui” in 水曜日 (suiyoubi – Wednesday, ON reading). It’s as if we had two ways of pronouncing the same word depending on whether it’s alone or with others!
How Do These Three Systems Coexist?
In a normal Japanese sentence, you’ll find:
– Kanji for main words (nouns, verbs, adjectives)
– Hiragana for grammar and common words
– Katakana for foreign loanwords
Concrete example: 私はコーヒーを飲みます
– 私 (kanji) = I
– は (hiragana) = grammatical particle
– コーヒー (katakana) = coffee
– を (hiragana) = object particle
– 飲 (kanji) = to drink
– みます (hiragana) = polite verb ending
The Little Secrets of Japanese Writing
Vowel Elongations
In hiragana, to lengthen an “o”, you sometimes add う (u): そう (sou) is pronounced “soo”. In katakana, it’s simpler: a dash ー does the trick.
The Small Tsu っ
This small character marks a pause, like a hiccup in the word. In きっと (kitto – surely), you need to mark a stop before the “to”.
Tenten and Maru
These little marks ゛ and ゜ transform sounds: か (ka) becomes が (ga), は (ha) becomes ぱ (pa). It’s magic!
Practical Tips for Beginners
Start with hiragana – they’ll already open the doors of Japanese reading for you. Once you’ve got these 46 characters down, tackle katakana. Kanji will come naturally afterward.
Don’t get discouraged by the 2000+ kanji to learn! Even Japanese people sometimes forget how to write certain characters by hand with their smartphones. Focus on the most common ones and progress at your own pace.
Japanese writing isn’t just a communication system, it’s an art that tells the story of Japan. Each stroke carries centuries of culture. So, ready to discover this fascinating world with our online Japanese courses?