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1. Writing

The Japanese writing system is said to be the most complicated of any language in the world. Here are answers to some common questions about this extraordinary system. 1.1. Hiragana and katakana gives details about the Japanese native syllabaries hiragana and katakana. 1.2. Kanji (漢字) discusses the use of Chinese characters in Japanese, which are known as kanji. 1.3. Other questions on writing discusses other aspects of the Japanese writing system such as how it is taught (see 1.3.5. How is Japanese writing taught to Japanese children?) and the names of the many symbols used in writing Japanese that are neither kanji nor kana (see 1.3.6. What are the names of the Japanese non-kana, non-kanji symbols?).

For further information on the Japanese writing system, see also the FAQ's list of books about the Japanese writing system and list of kanji to English dictionaries.

Sub-pages

• 1.1. Hiragana and katakana
  • 1.1.1. How did katakana and hiragana originate?
  • 1.1.2. Is there a kana symbol for ye or yi?
  
  • 1.1.3. What is the use of the "we" and "wi" kana?
  • 1.1.4. Is there a mnemonic for remembering the order of kana signs?
  • 1.1.5. What is the origin of the gojuuon kana ordering?
  • 1.1.6. How does the i-ro-ha ordering go?
  • 1.1.7. What is historical kana usage?
  • 1.1.8. What is okurigana?
  • 1.1.9. What is katakana used for?
  • 1.1.10. What is the small kana "tsu" used for?
• 1.2. Kanji (漢字)
  • 1.2.1. What are the origins of the kanji for sushi?
  • 1.2.2. How many kanji are there?
  • 1.2.3. What is the difference between touyou kanji and jouyou kanji?
  • 1.2.4. What are the jouyou kanji?
  • 1.2.5. Which kanji were created in Japan?
    • 1.2.5.1. A list of kokuji (国字)
  • 1.2.6. Why do some gairaigo words have kanji?
  • 1.2.7. Why do kanji have several different pronunciations?
  • 1.2.8. Can a word have mixed on and kun readings?
  • 1.2.9. Can a kanji word have more than one reading?
  • 1.2.10. What are kanji radicals?
    • 1.2.10.1. What are the names of the kanji radicals?
  • 1.2.11. How is a kanji dictionary used?
  • 1.2.12. Why do some kanji have alternative forms?
    • 1.2.12.1. Table of new and old kanji forms
  • 1.2.13. How does kanji stroke order work?
• 1.3. Other questions on writing
  
  • 1.3.1. What is the small katakana ke in 霞ヶ丘 and 一ヶ月?
  • 1.3.2. How are animal and plant names written in Japanese?
  • 1.3.3. What is furigana?
  • 1.3.4. What are the systems of romanization of Japanese?
    • 1.3.4.1. What is Nippon-shiki romanization?
    • 1.3.4.2. What is Kunrei or Kunrei-shiki romanization?
    • 1.3.4.3. What is wapuro romaji?
    • 1.3.4.4. Other systems of romanization
    • 1.3.4.5. A table of romanizations
  • 1.3.5. How is Japanese writing taught to Japanese children?
  • 1.3.6. What are the names of the Japanese non-kana, non-kanji symbols?
  • 1.3.7. What are the symbols on Japanese maps?
  • 1.3.8. Can Japanese be written right to left?
  • 1.3.9. What are the different styles of Japanese lettering?
    • 1.3.9.1. Ancient Chinese styles
    • 1.3.9.2. Printed styles
    • 1.3.9.3. Handwritten styles
    • 1.3.9.4. Edomoji (江戸文字)
    • 1.3.9.5. Other font styles
  • 1.3.10. What is man'yougana?
  • 1.3.11. Is Japanese ever written with spaces between the words?
  • 1.3.12. Writing reforms in modern Japan

• Next article: 2. Grammar

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