What is the Difference Between Hiragana and Kanji

Hiragana and Kanji are two of the three writing systems in the Japanese language. The third writing system in the Japanese language is Katakana. The combination of these three scripts makes Japanese a unique and versatile writing style.

What is the difference between Hiragana and Kanji? Hiragana represents sounds, while Kanji represents more complex ideas and concepts with characters that each have specific meanings.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Hiragana 
     – Definition, Features
2. What is Kanji
     – Definition, Features
3. Similarities Between Hiragana and Kanji
     – Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Hiragana and Kanji
     – Comparison of Key Differences
5. FAQ: Hiragana and Kanji
     – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Key Terms

Hiragana, Japanese, Kanji

What is Hiragana

Hiragana is one of the three writing systems used in Japanese, along with katakana and kanji. It is a phonetic alphabet and represents every sound in the Japanese language. It is possible to write everything in hiragana, but it is usually combined with kanji to make text easier to read. Japanese children learn Hiragana first before moving on to Kanji and Katakana. Hiragana is mainly used for grammatical purposes, like verb, adjective endings, and particles. It’s also used for words that do not have kanji.

It also appears as furigana, small hiragana placed above kanji to help with pronunciation. Additionally, hiragana is sometimes used for writing words when the kanji is difficult or uncommon.

There are 46 basic hiragana characters. Each of these characters have a specific sound but they do not have an independent meaning.

What is Kanji

Kanji are characters used in the Japanese writing system to represent words or ideas. Kanji are ideograms. Each kanji has its own meaning. By combining different characters, new words can be formed. For example, the kanji for “electricity” and “car” together mean “train.”

Kanji originally came from China, and when Japan adopted them, they kept both the Chinese pronunciations (on-yomi) and the native Japanese readings (kun-yomi). This means most kanji have at least two ways to be read, which makes learning them more complex.

There are tens of thousands of kanji, but about 2,000 to 3,000 are needed to read newspapers. Moreover, the Japanese government has officially designated 2,136 characters as “kanji for everyday use.”

Furthermore, kanji are mainly used for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. However, Japanese cannot be written entirely in kanji. This is why two additional scripts, hiragana and katakana, are used for grammar and words without kanji.

Similarities Between Hiragana and Kanji

1. Hiragana and Kanji are used in the Japanese writing system.
2. In fact, they are taught as part of the standard Japanese language curriculum.
3. Both are used in everyday Japanese writing, such as books, newspapers, and signs.
4. Both are important for understanding Japanese grammar and structure.

Difference Between Hiragana and Kanji

Definition

• Hiragana is a phonetic script used in Japanese to represent sounds rather than words or meanings. Kanji is a script made up of characters, and each character represents a word or idea.

Usage

• Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammatical particles, verb and adjective endings, and words without kanji. Kanji, on the other hand, is mainly used for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs and represents more complex ideas.

Structure

• Hiragana has 46 basic characters, and each one represents a syllable or sound whereas Kanji has thousands of characters, and each one represents a specific meaning or concept.

Complexity

• Hiragana is easier to learn because it only has a small set of characters, all with one pronunciation. But Kanji is more difficult to learn because there are many characters, and each one can have multiple readings or pronunciations.

FAQ: Hiragana and Kanji

1. Do Japanese use kanji or hiragana?

Japanese use both kanji and hiragana. Kanji is used for most nouns, verbs, and adjectives, while hiragana is used for grammar, particles, and words without kanji.

2. Is it better to learn hiragana or kanji?

It’s better to start with hiragana because it’s the basic alphabet. Once you’re comfortable with hiragana, you can start learning kanji, which is more complex.

3. Is kanji mostly used in Japan?

Yes, kanji is mostly used in Japan. It is often combined with hiragana and katakana to form full sentences in the Japanese writing system.

4. Are the Japanese fluent in kanji?

Most Japanese people are fluent in kanji, but they typically know around 2,000 to 3,000 characters. Learning kanji takes years, so it’s a gradual process for most.

5. Are signs in Japan in kanji or hiragana?

Signs in Japan are usually written in kanji, but some may also include hiragana or katakana. Hiragana is often used for readings, while katakana is used for foreign words or names.

Reference:

1. “Kanji.” Japan Guide.com

2. “What Is Hiragana?” Japanese Up.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Person Holding Brush Drawing Kanji Script” (CC0) via Pexels

2. “Table hiragana” By User:Pmx – Based upon Table hiragana.jpg Original autor: Karine WIDMER. From: escale-japon.com (archived) at the Wayback Machine (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia