Uniqueness of Japanese Letters: Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, and Romaji
Japanese is known for its complex writing system that involves four types of letters. These consist of hiragana, katakana, kanji, and romaji, each of which has a different role and function in Japanese sentence structure.
Introduction and History of Hiragana Letters
Hiragana is one of the four types of letters used in Japanese. Hiragana represents sounds (just like katakana), while kanji represents meanings or concepts. Meanwhile, romaji is a representation of letters using the Roman alphabet.
Originally, hiragana was created in the Nara to Heian period, around the 8th to 9th century. At that time, hiragana was used mainly by Japanese women, while men used katakana more often. This influenced the writing style of hiragana which is more curved and smooth compared to katakana which is more rigid and structured.
HIRAGANA CHART |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| あ a | い i | う u | え e | お o |
| か ka | き ki | く ku | け ke | こ ko |
| さ sa | し shi | す su | せ se | そ so |
| た ta | ち chi | つ tsu | て te | と to |
| な na | に ni | ぬ nu | ね ne | の no |
| は ha | ひ hi | ふ fu | へ he | ほ ho |
| ま ma | み mi | む mu | め me | も mo |
| や ya | ゆ yu | よ yo | ||
| ら ra | り ri | る ru | れ re | ろ ro |
| わ wa | を wo | |||
| ん n | ||||
A. Table of Derived Hiragana Letters
Derived Hiragana letters consist of a combination of Basic Hiragana letters with the addition of dakuon, handakuon, and youon.
A.1- Hiragana Dakuon
Here is the Hiragana Dakuon table with the addition of dakuten (tenten):
| Base Characters | Dakuon (Dakuten) |
|---|---|
| か (Ka) | が (Ga) |
| き (Ki) | ぎ (Gi) |
| く (Ku) | ぐ (Gu) |
| け (Ke) | げ (Ge) |
| こ (Ko) | ご (Go) |
| さ (Sa) | ざ (Za) |
| し (Shi) | じ (Ji) |
| す (Su) | ず (Zu) |
| せ (Se) | ぜ (Ze) |
| そ (So) | ぞ (Zo) |
| た (Ta) | だ (Da) |
| ち (Chi) | ぢ (Ji) |
| つ (Tsu) | づ (Zu) |
| て (Te) | で (De) |
| と (To) | ど (Do) |
| は (Ha) | ば (Ba) |
| ひ (Hi) | び (Bi) |
| ふ (Fu) | ぶ (Bu) |
| へ (He) | べ (Be) |
| ほ (Ho) | ぼ (Bo) |
Explanation
- The dakuten symbol is represented by two small strokes (ﾞ), slanting from the top left to the bottom right, resembling quotation marks. It is placed in the upper-right corner of a basic Hiragana character. This symbol is also known as dakuten or tenten.
- Dakuten (tenten) modifies the sound to become "heavier" or more "voiced."
- Characters from the Ka, Sa, Ta, and Ha rows can take dakuten, producing the sounds listed in the table above.
A.2- Hiragana Handakuon
In kanji, handakuon means "half-muddy sound." The symbol for handakuon is a small circle (°), resembling a degree mark, placed at the upper right corner of a character. In Hiragana, handakuon is also referred to as handakuten or maru.
Similar to dakuon, not all basic Hiragana characters can take handakuten/maru. Only five characters from the Ha row can be modified with this symbol: Ha, Hi, Fu, He, Ho. When modified, their sounds change as follows:
| Base | Handakuon |
|---|---|
| Ha | Pa (ぱ) |
| Hi | Pi (ぴ) |
| Fu | Pu (ぷ) |
| He | Pe (ぺ) |
| Ho | Po (ぽ) |
This transformation gives a "lighter" or "popped" quality to the sounds.
A.3- Hiragana Youon
Hiragana Youon is formed by combining base Hiragana characters from the I column with small versions of Ya (ゃ), Yu (ゅ), or Yo (ょ). These small characters modify the pronunciation, creating a softer, more flowing sound.
For example:
- Ki (き) combined with small Ya (ゃ) becomes Kya (きゃ).
- Ki (き) combined with small Yu (ゅ) becomes Kyu (きゅ).
- Ki (き) combined with small Yo (ょ) becomes Kyo (きょ).
Below is a table of Hiragana Youon combinations:
| Base + ゃ (Ya) | Base + ゅ (Yu) | Base + ょ (Yo) |
|---|---|---|
| Kya = きゃ | Kyu = きゅ | Kyo = きょ |
| Sha = しゃ | Shu = しゅ | Sho = しょ |
| Cha = ちゃ | Chu = ちゅ | Cho = ちょ |
| Nya = にゃ | Nyu = にゅ | Nyo = にょ |
| Hya = ひゃ | Hyu = ひゅ | Hyo = ひょ |
| Mya = みゃ | Myu = みゅ | Myo = みょ |
| Rya = りゃ | Ryu = りゅ | Ryo = りょ |
| Gya = ぎゃ | Gyu = ぎゅ | Gyo = ぎょ |
| Ja = じゃ | Ju = じゅ | Jo = じょ |
| Ja = ぢゃ | Ju = ぢゅ | Jo = ぢょ |
| Bya = びゃ | Byu = びゅ | Byo = びょ |
| Pya = ぴゃ | Pyu = ぴゅ | Pyo = ぴょ |
These combinations are an essential part of the Japanese writing system, allowing for smoother and more expressive sounds.
A.4- Hiragana Sukuon
Hiragana Sukuon is marked by adding a small Tsu (っ) before a consonant (k, t, p, c, s, etc.). Its function is to double the consonant sound that follows it.
Examples:
- きて (kite) becomes きって (kitte) with a small Tsu, meaning "stamp."
- がこう (gakou) becomes がっこう (gakkou) with a small Tsu, meaning "school."
A.5- Hiragana Chouon
In kanji, chouon means "long sound." Hiragana Chouon is indicated by adding a Hiragana vowel (a, i, u, e, o) after a consonant that ends with the same vowel. The usage rules for chouon in Hiragana are as follows:
- A consonant ending in -a is followed by a, creating a long aa sound.
Example: おかあさん (okaasan) meaning "mother." - A consonant ending in -i is followed by i, creating a long ii sound.
Example: おじいさん (ojiisan) meaning "grandfather." - A consonant ending in -u is followed by u, creating a long uu sound.
Example: ぎゅうにゅう (gyuunyuu) meaning "cow's milk." - A consonant ending in -e is followed by e, creating a long ee sound.
Example: おねえさん (oneesan) meaning "older sister." - A consonant ending in -o is followed by o, creating a long oo sound.
Example: べんきょう (benkyoo) meaning "study."
These rules are essential for correct pronunciation, as long vowels can change the meaning of a word in Japanese.
What is Katakana?
Katakana is one of the Japanese writing systems primarily used to transcribe foreign loanwords (gairaigo). Historically, Katakana began developing during the early Heian period by simplifying parts of Kanji characters. The name "Katakana" comes from "kata," meaning "fragment" or "part," reflecting its origin as pieces of Kanji.
Characteristics of Katakana
Katakana is recognizable by its:
- Short, straight, and angular strokes.
- Bold and rigid appearance, in contrast to Hiragana, which features soft and curved strokes.
Uses of Katakana
Katakana is used for various purposes in Japanese writing, including:
- Writing foreign loanwords (e.g., コンピュータ / konpyūta / computer).
- Transcribing the names of foreign countries, cities, and people (e.g., アメリカ / Amerika / America).
- Emphasizing words, similar to using uppercase letters in the Roman alphabet.
- Writing onomatopoeic expressions (words that imitate sounds or feelings, such as ドキドキ / dokidoki / heartbeat).
- Expressing scientific or technical terms.
Katakana Table
Katakana consists of 48 characters, including:
- 5 single vowels (a, i, u, e, o).
- 42 consonant-vowel combinations.
- 1 single consonant (ン / n/).
Basic Katakana Table
The Basic Katakana characters share the same pronunciation as Hiragana characters but differ in their written forms. Here’s an example:
| A | I | U | E | O |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ア | イ | ウ | エ | オ |
The full Katakana chart is below.
KATAKANA CHART |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ア a | イ i | ウ u | エ e | オ o |
| カ ka | キ ki | ク ku | ケ ke | コ ko |
| サ sa | シ shi | ス su | セ se | ソ so |
| タ ta | チ chi | ツ tsu | テ te | ト to |
| ナ na | 二 ni | ヌ nu | ネ ne | ノ no |
| ハ ha | ヒ hi | フ fu | ヘ he | ホ ho |
| マ ma | ミ mi | ム mu | メ me | モ mo |
| ヤ ya | ユ yu | ヨ yo | ||
| ラ ra | リ ri | ル ru | レ re | ロ ro |
| ワ wa | ヲ wo | |||
| ン n | ||||
Different Characteristics of Hiragana and Katakana
Visually, the letters hiragana and katakana have clear differences. Hiragana tends to have a more rounded and soft shape, formed with many curved lines. In contrast, katakana has sharp lines and a more defined shape, reflecting a more formal and rigid impression.