Appendix:Japanese script

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This appendix explains characters written in the Japanese script.

According to ISO 15924, the Japanese script is an alias to refer to these three scripts simultaneously:

  • hiragana
    Some examples of hiragana characters: あ, か, さ, た, etc.
  • katakana
    Some examples of katakana characters: ア, カ, サ, タ, etc.
  • Han
    Some examples of Han characters: 愛, 一, 守, 月, etc.

Origins of hiragana and katakana

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Hiragana and katakana characters were derived from certain Chinese characters used in the man'yōgana system, as set out in the following table. See Man'yōgana on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Syllable Hiragana Katakana
a
i
u ,
e
o ,
ka ,
ki , ,
ku ,
ke
ko ,
sa
shi ,
su
se ,
so ,
ta
chi
tsu ,
te ,
to ,
na ,
ni ,
nu ,
ne ,
no ,
ha
hi ,
hu ,
he ,
ho ,
ma ,
mi
mu
me ,
mo ,
ya ,
yu ,
yo
ra ,
ri ,
ru
re ,
ro ,
wa ,
wi
we ,
wo
n