にほんごスタート (Let’s begin Japanese) | Introduction to Japanese scripts
Explanations and examples of Japanese script
Katakana
Hiragana
Kanji
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46 characters
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46 characters

over 2000 in current use in Japan
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straight lines
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curvy lines due to calligraphy origins

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used for words whose origin is not
Japanese, for example chocolate,
which was introduced to Japan and
hence is written in katakana and
pronounced chokoreeto

the main Japanese alphabet
complicated; generally more strokes
involved than hiragana and katakana


different ways of reading one kanji
character

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used for items of Japanese origin such
as items and ideas that existed before
interaction with other countries, for
example rice and eggs
sometimes used for emphasis
characters can be a pictographic
representation


phonetic, only shows the sound
used for particles, verb endings,
conjunctions and suffixes

shows sound as well as meaning

phonetic, only shows the sound
© Department of Education WA 2011
LOTE1777
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