Forms Of Japanese Writing

Japanese language is often viewed as the most unique and interesting language out there. Their language has its own unique sounds. These sounds and words represent the inherent need to treat people with respect that is so prominent in their culture. The Japanese language is one full of beautiful, flowing words that link together sayings of wisdom and inspiration. Even looking at the writing one can see this respect and elegance transferred through their penmanship. Originally the language set out based on the Chinese writing; however, over time it has evolved into its own unique patterns and characters. Japanese language can serve as a course in confusion for those who are not fully researched in the culture. There are four different types of writing. One of those, Romanji, is actually only used for special types of purposes. The other three, though, are used throughout every day culture which will only lead to confusion.

Romanji

As mentioned above Romanji is a special writing. Mainly it is a form of translation for the Latin alphabet. It is used for words in English or the Latin alphabet that cannot directly translate to Japanese.

Kanji

The second type of Japanese writing is Kanji. This language is loosely based on the word, “hanzi,” or Han characters. Han stands for two things: the Chinese name for themselves and the Han Dynasty. Kanji has somewhere between 5000 and 10,000 characters; so, as you can guess using this form of the language is very hard. However, in 1981 the government of Japan tried to help simplify this by making Kanji hy or a guide for the main Kanji characters. The book holds the secrets to 1.945 characters used in everyday language and 166 that are specifically used for people’s names. Official documents, textbooks, newspapers and any other form of publication use the Kanji writing system.

Hiragana

Hiragana, the third Japanese writing system, is based largely on the Chinese form of writing. The exact translation for the word Hiragana is “ordinary syllabic script.” In the older times Hiragana was known as a women’s writing because women were mostly the people who used it. However that has changed and women and men both write with it today. Originally Hiragana had many different characters for the same symbol. Today, however, it has been simplified and it is very easy to use with only one character for every symbol.

Katakana

The Katakana alphabet is the last type of Chinese language. Its past is one of diversity and rich history. It is said that the language originally derived from the abbreviations that the Buddhist monks used. This was only used in the 9th century so that there would be accurate translations between what was said and what was written in Chinese text. Like the Hiragana, in the beginning every syllable had many different symbols. Over time, however, this confusing language has simplified. In the beginning Katakana was really only used by men. Now however it is used to write all types of things like, foreign names, onomatopoeic words, non-Chinese loan words, and telegrams. Today the Katakana language only has 48 syllables.