Post by Kelly on Apr 3, 2009 18:31:06 GMT -5
Unlike English, the "basic blocks" of Japanese are syllables, not letters. There are 46 basic syllables and some variations on these. Each syllable can be written in two different syllabaries (like alphabets, but with syllables). That means there are more like 92 syllables to learn to read/write. On the bright side, though, syllables in Japanese are (almost) always pronounced the same, unlike English letters. Spelling isn't much of a problem with these syllabaries, either, because you'd write each word as it's said (unlike English words island, comb, etc. and confusing things like cat/kat or see/sea).
Hiragana is the syllabary used for Japanese things. Some examples would be the grammar-y bits between words, words that don't have kanji (or you don't know the kanji
), and names. The symbols themselves have curvy, kind of weird shapes.
Katakana is the syllabary used for foreign things and most sound effects. Foreign things would be loan words to Japanese (e.g. computer, hotel, concrete, taxi) and non-Japanese names. Katakana symbols have blocky shapes with straight lines that are very different from Hiragana.
Kanji are symbols imported from China. They represent things or ideas. These symbols are read using Japanese syllables, and many kanji can be read differently depending on how they're used (i.e. alone or forming a compound word). There are 1,945 kanji (called the Jouyou Kanji) that are taught in Japanese schools. It takes through high school to learn all of them.
Furigana are small hiragana or katakana placed next to kanji in writing to tell how the kanji are read. They are usually found in things directed at younger kids, who haven't finished learning kanji in school. Most shounen and shoujo manga have furigana for every kanji. Things written for older audiences usually only have furigana on obscure kanji or ones with irregular readings.
Hiragana is the syllabary used for Japanese things. Some examples would be the grammar-y bits between words, words that don't have kanji (or you don't know the kanji
), and names. The symbols themselves have curvy, kind of weird shapes.Katakana is the syllabary used for foreign things and most sound effects. Foreign things would be loan words to Japanese (e.g. computer, hotel, concrete, taxi) and non-Japanese names. Katakana symbols have blocky shapes with straight lines that are very different from Hiragana.
Kanji are symbols imported from China. They represent things or ideas. These symbols are read using Japanese syllables, and many kanji can be read differently depending on how they're used (i.e. alone or forming a compound word). There are 1,945 kanji (called the Jouyou Kanji) that are taught in Japanese schools. It takes through high school to learn all of them.
Furigana are small hiragana or katakana placed next to kanji in writing to tell how the kanji are read. They are usually found in things directed at younger kids, who haven't finished learning kanji in school. Most shounen and shoujo manga have furigana for every kanji. Things written for older audiences usually only have furigana on obscure kanji or ones with irregular readings.
