Japanese alphabet: hiragana and katakana

The study of the Japanese language includes three sections. In the first, we learn hieroglyphs, which mean whole words. They are borrowed mainly from Chinese letters, but are slightly modified. This section is called "kanji". Then the Japanese alphabet - hiragana and katakana is studied. These two writing systems consist of syllables that give the Japanese language an identity and uniqueness. Well, let's consider in order, what is the Japanese alphabet as a whole, how to learn it and what it is based on.

Cana

This is a generalized name for the Japanese system of writing and reading, which covers both hiragana and katakana. Kana consists of graphical records - that is, characters that have a certain sequence of writing lines and a certain appearance. For example, syllables hiragana have rounded forms and steep endings. In katakan hieroglyphs are more angular and precise in spelling. Modern Japanese rarely use kana as an independent system of writing or sayings. As a rule, this indigenous Japanese alphabet plays a supporting role when clarification is needed for some kanji characters, or for other languages.

Cane Record

Unlike kanji, where hieroglyphs can be written in any way, in native Japanese languages, the sequence of drawing lines plays a very important role. How the hieroglyph will be written can help determine its author, establish, so to speak, the handwriting of the owner, sometimes even affect its meaning. In addition, the alphabet of the Japanese language has such strict rules for writing hieroglyphs, not only for the sake of unification. By sticking to them, you will be able to draw the sign you need in the shortest possible time, and disregard for the rules will delay the writing process.

Hiragana and its description

This type of writing is used to write down words that are not in kanji. This is necessary in cases when the writer does not know certain hieroglyphs or does not fully understand their meaning. In this letter system, one character indicates one moras (that is, the Japanese syllable). Because to write a word, you need to use two or more characters. This Japanese alphabet can transmit three kinds of sounds. The first is any vowel; The second is the combination of the consonant and the vowel that follows it; The third is the nasal sonant. Here it is noteworthy that the last category of sounds in Japanese can sound very tough (Russian "n", "m"), and have a certain "French" accent.

Origin of writing

The Japanese alphabet of hiragana was born around the 5th century. Her ancestor is considered Manegan. This complex word refers to the writing system that was in Japan in the course of time until the appearance of hiragana. With its help, hieroglyphs were recorded, which sounded about the same as Chinese, but they were written in a completely different way. In fairness, it should be noted that later, when the manegana was transformed, the influence of the Chinese language on it became even greater. Hiragana originated by writing these ancient hieroglyphs with the style of tsaosh, which was inherent in Chinese calligraphy. Such a metamorphosis caused many written signs to change their forms beyond recognition. And to find the similarity between the ancient language and the modern system of writing, perhaps, only a professional for whom the Japanese language is native can.

How to quickly learn hiragana

This Japanese alphabet, oddly enough, contains quite a few hieroglyphs that are easy to remember. For this there is a unique poem - Iroha, which translates as "a song of flowers". It was written in the 10th century, and since then the sound of many written signs has changed, resulting in the loss of rhyme. Nevertheless, you can learn it, which will help to quickly remember the entire alphabet of hiragana. In the pictures the poem is given in the original, in Japanese, and next to it there is a transcription in Latin.

Description of the katakana

The system of this writing can not exist autonomously, at least in modern Japanese. The Japanese alphabet katakana is used to describe phenomena, objects or names that have a foreign, including Russian or European origin. Also, the hieroglyphs of this group are often found in paintings, verses and prose. This is necessary in order to give the work a special, unique color. Also very often katakana comes across our eyes in the correspondence of people, in their conversational speech (mainly in the regions of Japan), in foreign posters and slogans.

Hieroglyphs and their pronunciation

Katakana, like the Japanese syllabic alphabet, fully corresponds to all canons of cana. It has exclusively vowel sounds and combinations of consonants, followed by open vowels. Very rarely there are nasal sonants, which are mostly mildly pronounced. Hieroglyphs in the alphabet are few: nine vowel letters, 36 open moras (syllables) and one nasal 'n, which is denoted by the ン sign. It is also important to note that in katakana all the hieroglyphs have precise and strict outlines. Their lines are straight, the endings are clear, the intersections are always carried out in certain places.

The study of katakana

Unfortunately, in this system of writing, no one composed a simple poem that would help us to learn all the hieroglyphs at once, using a pleasant rhyme hearing. Therefore, it is possible to learn katakana thoroughly by studying the Japanese spoken language. Very often, for the transmission of any phenomena, names, names of animals and plants and other borrowed words, hieroglyphs are used precisely from this alphabet. However, it is worth remembering that, unlike hiragana, katakana does not combine with kanji and does not, in principle, have anything in common with Chinese writing and pronunciation.

Conclusion

In Japanese, there are a number of alphabets, many of which are already considered dead. Residents of the country of the Rising Sun use these days only three of them - it's kanji (based on Chinese), hiragana and katakana. It is important to note that there is another system of writing that is used in Japan - it is a romaji. It consists of Latin letters, but the writing conveys the sound of hieroglyphics. This writing system was developed for more comfortable communication with the inhabitants of the Western world.