View source for Kana

{{Short description|Japanese syllabic writing systems}}
{{use dmy dates |date=March 2024}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Merge from|Gojūon|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox writing system
|name = Kana
| sample = Hiragana and katakana.svg
| caption = "Kana" written in katakana (left) and hiragana (right)
| imagesize = 220px
|type = [[Syllabary]]
|languages = [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Ryukyuan languages]], [[Ainu language|Ainu]]
|fam1 = [[Oracle bone script]]
|fam2 = [[Seal script]]
|fam3 = [[Clerical script]]
|fam4 = [[Regular script]] ([[Chinese characters]])
|fam5 = [[Kanji]]
|time = {{circa|800}}{{snd}}present
|iso15924 = Hrkt
|unicode = {{ublist
 | [https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U3040.pdf U+3040–U+309F] Hiragana
 | [https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U30A0.pdf U+30A0–U+30FF] Katakana
}}
|region=[[Japan]]}}
{{Japanese writing}}

{{nihongo|'''''Kana'''''|[[wikt:仮名|仮名]]||{{IPA|ja|ka.na}}}} are [[syllabary|syllabaries]] used to write [[Japanese phonology|Japanese phonological]] units, [[Mora (linguistics)|morae]]. In current usage, ''kana'' most commonly refers to ''[[hiragana]]''<ref>{{cite book|last=Hatasa|first=Yukiko Abe|title=Nakama 1: Introductory Japanese: Communication, Culture, Context 2nd ed.|year=2010|publisher=Heinle|isbn=978-0495798187|page=2|author2=Kazumi Hatasa |author3=Seiichi Makino}}</ref> and ''[[katakana]]''. It can also refer to their ancestor {{nihongo|'''''magana'''''|真仮名|extra={{lit}} 'true kana'}},<ref name=daijirin>{{cite book|script-title=ja:[[Daijirin|大辞林]]|publisher=[[Sanseidō]]|editor-last=Matsumura|editor-first=Akira|edition=4th|date=5 September 2019|lang=ja}}</ref> which were [[Kanji|Chinese characters]] used phonetically to transcribe [[Japanese language|Japanese]] (e.g. ''[[man'yōgana]]''); and ''[[hentaigana]]'', which are historical variants of the now-standard hiragana.

Katakana, with a few additions, are also used to write [[Ainu language|Ainu]]. A [[Okinawan scripts|number of systems]] exist to write the [[Ryūkyūan languages]], in particular [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]], in hiragana. [[Taiwanese kana]] were used in [[Taiwanese Hokkien]] as [[ruby text]] for Chinese characters in [[Taiwan]] when it was [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|under Japanese rule]].

Each [[syllabogram|kana character]] corresponds to one phoneme or syllable, unlike [[kanji]], which generally each [[logogram|corresponds to a morpheme]]. Apart from the five vowels, it is always CV (consonant [[syllable onset|onset]] with vowel [[syllable nucleus|nucleus]]), such as ''ka'', ''ki'', ''sa'', ''shi'', etc., with the sole exception of the C grapheme for [[nasal consonant|nasal]] [[syllable coda|coda]]s usually romanised as ''n''. The structure has led some scholars to label the system ''[[mora (linguistics)|moraic]]'', instead of ''syllabic'', because it requires the combination of two syllabograms to represent a CVC syllable with coda (e.g. CV''n'', CV''m'', CV''ng''), a CVV syllable with complex nucleus (i.e. multiple or expressively long vowels), or a CCV syllable with complex onset (i.e. including a [[semivowel|glide]], C''y''V, C''w''V).

The limited number of [[phoneme]]s in Japanese, as well as the relatively rigid syllable structure, makes the kana system a very accurate representation of [[Japanese phonology|spoken Japanese]].

==Etymology==
''Kana'' is a compound of {{nihongo|''kari''|仮||{{lit|borrowed|assumed|false}}}} and {{nihongo|''na''|名||{{lit|name}}}}, which eventually collapsed into ''kanna'' and ultimately ''kana''.<ref name=daijirin /> ''Kana'' were so called in contrast with {{nihongo|''mana''|真名||{{lit|true name}}}} which were kanji used "regularly" (kanji used for their meanings as they are now), or more specifically the {{nihongo|[[regular script]]|楷書|kaisho}} writing of such kanji.<ref name=daijirin /><ref>''[[Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]]''</ref><ref>''[[Daijisen]]''</ref><ref>''[[Kōjien]]''</ref>

It was not until the 18th century that the early-nationalist {{Lang|ja-latn|[[kokugaku]]}} movement, which promoted a move away from [[Sinocentrism|Sinocentric]] academia, began to reanalyze the script from a phonological point of view.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tawada |first=Yoko |title=On Writing and Rewriting |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-4985-9004-4 |location=London |pages=43}}</ref> In the following centuries, contrary to the traditional Sinocentric view, ''kana'' began to be considered a national Japanese writing system that was distinct from Chinese characters, which is the dominant view today.

==Terms==
Although the term 'kana' is now commonly understood as hiragana and katakana, it actually has broader application as listed below:<ref name=daijirin /><ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典|publisher=NHK Publishing|editor=NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute|date=24 May 2016|lang=ja}}</ref>
* {{nihongo||仮名|Kana|{{IPA|ja|ka.na|}}, {{lit|false name}}}} or {{nihongo||仮字|kana| {{lit|false character}}}}: a [[syllabary]].
**{{nihongo||真仮名|Magana|{{IPA|ja|ma(ꜜ).ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|true kana}}}} or {{nihongo||男仮名|otokogana|{{IPA|ja|o.to.koꜜ.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|men's kana}}}}: phonetic [[kanji]] used as syllabary characters, historically used by men (who were more educated).
***{{nihongo||万葉仮名|[[Man'yōgana|Man'yōgana/Mannyōgana]]|{{IPA|ja|maɰ̃.joː.ɡa.na, maɰ̃.joꜜː-, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|kana used in the {{lang|ja-latn|[[Man'yōshū]]}}}}}}: the most prominent system of magana.
****{{nihongo||草仮名|[[Sōgana]]|{{IPA|ja|soː.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|[[Cursive script (East Asia)|sloppy]] kana}}}}: cursive man'yōgana.
*****{{nihongo||平仮名|[[Hiragana]]|{{IPA|ja|çi.ɾa.ɡaꜜ.na, -ŋaꜜ.na, -ɡa.na(ꜜ), -ŋa.na(ꜜ)|}}, {{lit|flat kana}}}}, {{nihongo||女仮名|onnagana|{{IPA|ja|on.naꜜ.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}},  {{lit|women's kana}}}}, {{nihongo||女文字|onnamoji|{{IPA|ja|on.na.moꜜ.(d)ʑi|}}, {{lit|women's script}}}}, {{nihongo||女手|onnade|{{IPA|ja|on.na.de|}}, {{lit|women's hands}}}} or {{nihongo||伊呂波仮名|irohagana|{{IPA|ja|i.ɾo.haꜜ.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}}}: a syllabary derived from simplified sōgana, historically used by women (who were less educated), historically sorted in ''[[Iroha]]'' order.
******{{nihongo||変体仮名|[[Hentaigana]]|{{IPA|ja|hen.ta(ꜜ)i.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|variant kana}}}} or {{nihongo||異体仮名|itaigana|{{IPA|ja|i.taꜜi.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}}}: obsolete variants of hiragana.
****{{nihongo||片仮名|[[Katakana]]|{{IPA|ja|ka.ta.kaꜜ.na, -taꜜ.ka-|}}, {{lit|fragmented kana}}}} or {{nihongo||五十音仮名|gojūongana|{{IPA|ja|ɡo.(d)ʑɯː.oŋ.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|fifty-sound kana}}}}: a syllabary derived by using bits of characters in man'yōgana, historically sorted in ''[[gojūon]]'' order.
****{{nihongo||大和仮名|Yamatogana|{{IPA|ja|ja.ma.toꜜ.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|[[Yamato people|Yamato]]'s kana}}}}: hiragana and katakana, as opposed to kanji.
***{{nihongo||音仮名|Ongana|{{IPA|ja|oŋ.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|sound kana}}}}: magana for transcribing Japanese words, using, strict or loose, Chinese-derived readings (''[[on'yomi]]''). For example, {{nihongo||山|yama|{{lit|mountain}}}} would be spelt as {{lang|ja|也末}}, with two magana with on'yomi for ''ya'' and ''ma''; likewise, {{nihongo||人|hito|{{lit|human}}}} spelt as {{lang|ja|比登}} for ''hi'' and ''to''.
***{{nihongo||訓仮名|Kungana|{{IPA|ja|kɯŋ.ɡa.na, -ŋa.na|}}, {{lit|translation kana}}}}: magana for transcribing Japanese words, using [[wago|native words]] ascribed to kanji (native "readings" or ''[[kun'yomi]]''). For example, {{nihongo||大和|Yamato}} would be spelt as {{lang|ja|八間跡}}, with three magana with kun'yomi for ''ya'', ''ma'' and ''to''; likewise, {{nihongo||懐かし|natsukashi|{{lit|evoking nostalgia}}}} spelt as {{lang|ja|夏樫}} for ''natsu'' and ''kashi''.
* {{nihongo||真名|Mana|{{IPA|ja|maꜜ.na|}}, {{lit|true name}}}}, {{nihongo||真字|mana| {{lit|true character}}}}, {{nihongo||男文字|otokomoji|{{IPA|ja|o.to.ko.moꜜ.(d)ʑi|}}, {{lit|men's script}}}} or {{nihongo||男手|otokode|{{IPA|ja|o.to.ko.de|}}, {{lit|men's hands}}}}: kanji used for meanings, historically used by men (who were more educated).
* {{nihongo||真片仮名|Shinkatakana|{{IPA|ja|ɕiŋ.ka.ta.kaꜜ.na|}}, {{lit|mana and katakana}}}}: mixed script including only kanji and katakana.

== Hiragana and katakana ==
The following table reads, in [[gojūon]] order, as ''a'', ''i'', ''u'', ''e'', ''o'' (down first column), then ''ka'', ''ki'', ''ku'', ''ke'', ''ko'' (down second column), and so on. ''n'' appears on its own at the end. Asterisks mark unused combinations.

{|
|- valign="top"
|
{| class="wikitable"
|+Japanese kana: [[hiragana]] (left) and [[katakana]] (right)<br /><small>([[:Image:Kana chart 1.png|Image of this table]])</small>
|-
!
!title="single vowels"| –
!''k''
!''s''
!''t''
!''n''
!''h''
!''m''
!''y''
!''r''
!''w''
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''a''
|[[A (kana)|{{nowrap|あア}}]]
|[[Ka (kana)|{{nowrap|かカ}}]]
|[[Sa (kana)|{{nowrap|さサ}}]]
|[[Ta (kana)|{{nowrap|たタ}}]]
|[[Na (kana)|{{nowrap|なナ}}]]
|[[Ha (kana)|{{nowrap|はハ}}]]
|[[Ma (kana)|{{nowrap|まマ}}]]
|[[Ya (kana)|{{nowrap|やヤ}}]]
|[[Ra (kana)|{{nowrap|らラ}}]]
|[[Wa (kana)|{{nowrap|わワ}}]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''i''
|[[I (kana)|{{nowrap|いイ}}]]
|[[Ki (kana)|{{nowrap|きキ}}]]
|[[Shi (kana)|{{nowrap|しシ}}]]
|[[Chi (kana)|{{nowrap|ちチ}}]]
|[[Ni (kana)|{{nowrap|にニ}}]]
|[[Hi (kana)|{{nowrap|ひヒ}}]]
|[[Mi (kana)|{{nowrap|みミ}}]]
|[[Yi (kana)|{{nowrap|𛀆𛄠}}]]*
|[[Ri (kana)|{{nowrap|りリ}}]]
|[[Wi (kana)|{{nowrap|ゐヰ}}]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''u''
|[[U (kana)|{{nowrap|うウ}}]]
|[[Ku (kana)|{{nowrap|くク}}]]
|[[Su (kana)|{{nowrap|すス}}]]
|[[Tsu (kana)|{{nowrap|つツ}}]]
|[[Nu (kana)|{{nowrap|ぬヌ}}]]
|[[Fu (kana)|{{nowrap|ふフ}}]]
|[[Mu (kana)|{{nowrap|むム}}]]
|[[Yu (kana)|{{nowrap|ゆユ}}]]
|[[Ru (kana)|{{nowrap|るル}}]]
|[[Wu (kana)|{{nowrap|𛄟𛄢}}]]*
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''e''
|[[E (kana)|{{nowrap|えエ}}]]
|[[Ke (kana)|{{nowrap|けケ}}]]
|[[Se (kana)|{{nowrap|せセ}}]]
|[[Te (kana)|{{nowrap|てテ}}]]
|[[Ne (kana)|{{nowrap|ねネ}}]]
|[[He (kana)|{{nowrap|へヘ}}]]
|[[Me (kana)|{{nowrap|めメ}}]]
|[[Ye (kana)|{{nowrap|𛀁𛄡}}]]*
|[[Re (kana)|{{nowrap|れレ}}]]
|[[We (kana)|{{nowrap|ゑヱ}}]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''o''
|[[O (kana)|{{nowrap|おオ}}]]
|[[Ko (kana)|{{nowrap|こコ}}]]
|[[So (kana)|{{nowrap|そソ}}]]
|[[To (kana)|{{nowrap|とト}}]]
|[[No (kana)|{{nowrap|のノ}}]]
|[[Ho (kana)|{{nowrap|ほホ}}]]
|[[Mo (kana)|{{nowrap|もモ}}]]
|[[Yo (kana)|{{nowrap|よヨ}}]]
|[[Ro (kana)|{{nowrap|ろロ}}]]
|[[Wo (kana)|{{nowrap|をヲ}}]]
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|+&nbsp;<br /><small>&nbsp;</small>
|- style="text-align:center; font-size:2em"
| [[N (kana)|{{nowrap|んン}}]]
|-
!'''(''n'')'''
|}
|}

*There are presently no kana for ''ye'', ''yi'' or ''wu'', as corresponding syllables do not occur natively in modern Japanese.
**The {{IPA|[jɛ]}} (''ye'') sound is believed to have existed in pre-Classical Japanese, mostly before the advent of kana, and can be represented by the [[man'yōgana]] kanji 江.<ref name="yeseely" /><ref name="yeslj">{{cite web | url=http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/yeyi.html | title=Is there a kana symbol for ye or yi? | work=SLJ FAQ | access-date=4 August 2016}}</ref> There was an archaic Hiragana ([[File:Unicode Japanese Hiragana Ye.svg|𛀁|14px]])<ref name="katou">{{cite web | url=http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n3388.pdf | title=JTC1/SC2/WG2 N3388: Proposal to encode two Kana characters concerning YE. | date=2008-01-14 | access-date=4 August 2016 | author=Katō, Nozomu | archive-date=18 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018110906/http://std.dkuug.dk/jtc1/sc2/wg2/docs/n3388.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> derived from the [[man'yōgana]] ''ye'' kanji 江,<ref name="yeseely">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCZ2ya6cg88C&q=syllable+ye&pg=PA109 | title=A History of Writing in Japan | author=Seeley, Christopher | year=1991 | pages=109 (footnote 18) | publisher=BRILL | isbn=90-04-09081-9}}</ref> which is encoded into Unicode at code point U+1B001 (𛀁),<ref name="yeunicode">{{cite web | url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/Unicode-6.0/U60-1B000.pdf | title=Kana Supplement | publisher=Unicode | work=Unicode 6.0 | date=2010 | access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref><ref>More information is available at [[:ja:ヤ行エ]] on the Japanese Wikipedia.</ref> but it is not widely supported. It is believed that ''e'' and ''ye'' first merged to ''ye'' before shifting back to ''e'' during the [[Edo period]].<ref name="yeslj" /> As demonstrated by 17th century-era European sources, the syllable ''we'' (ゑ・ヱ ) also came to be pronounced as {{IPA|[jɛ]}} (''ye'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raccoonbend.com/languages/canna.html|title=Japanese Kana Chart from the Netherlands|website=www.raccoonbend.com}}</ref> If necessary, the modern orthography allows [je] (''ye'') to be written as いぇ (イェ),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/hakusho/nc/k19910628002/k19910628002.html|title=平成3年6月28日内閣告示第2号:外来語の表記|trans-title=Japanese cabinet order No.2 (28 June 1991):The notation of loanword|author=Cabinet of Japan|publisher=[[Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology]]|access-date=25 May 2011|author-link=Cabinet of Japan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106125953/http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/hakusho/nc/k19910628002/k19910628002.html|archive-date=6 January 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> but this usage is limited and nonstandard.
**The modern Katakana ''e'', エ, derives from the man'yōgana 江, originally pronounced ''ye'';<ref name="katou"/> a "Katakana letter Archaic E" ([[File:Unicode Japanese Katakana Old E.png|𛀀|14px]]) derived from the man'yōgana 衣 (''e'')<ref name="katou"/> is encoded into Unicode at code point U+1B000 (𛀀),<ref name="yeunicode"/> due to being used for that purpose in scholarly works on classical Japanese.<ref name="katou2">{{cite web | url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2008/08359-about-n3528.pdf | title=L2/08-359: About WG2 N3528 | author=Katō, Nozomu}}</ref>
**Some [[gojūon]] tables published during the 19th century list additional Katakana in the ''ye'' ([[File:Katakana obsolete ye.svg|14px|𛄡]]), ''wu'' ([[File:Katakana obsolete wu.svg|14px|𛄢]]) and ''yi'' ([[File:Katakana obsolete yi.svg|14px|𛄠]]) positions.<ref name="itikun">{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.jp/itikun01/hibi/zat2.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080303234206/http://www.geocities.jp/itikun01/hibi/zat2.html|title=伊豆での収穫|archive-date=2008-03-03|language=ja}}</ref> These are not presently used, and the latter two sounds never existed in Japanese.<ref name="yeslj" /><ref>More information is available at [[:ja:わ行う]], [[:ja:ヤ行イ]] and [[:ja:五十音#51全てが異なる字・音: 江戸後期から明治]] on the Japanese Wikipedia.</ref> They were added to Unicode in version 14.0 in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/Unicode-14.0/U140-1B100.pdf |title=Kana Extended-A |work=Unicode 14.0 Delta Code Charts |institution=[[Unicode Consortium]] |year=2021}}</ref> These sources also list [[File:Hiragana I 01.svg|𛀆|14px]] (Unicode U+1B006, 𛀆) in the Hiragana ''yi'' position, and [[File:Unicode Japanese Hiragana Ye.svg|𛀁|14px]] in the ''ye'' position.<ref name="itikun" />
*Although removed from the standard orthography with the ''gendai kanazukai'' reforms, ''wi'' and ''we'' still see stylistic use, as in ウヰスキー for ''whisky'' and ヱビス or ゑびす for Japanese kami [[Ebisu (mythology)|Ebisu]], and [[Yebisu]], a brand of beer named after Ebisu. Hiragana ''wi'' and ''we'' are preserved in certain [[Okinawan scripts]], while katakana ''wi'' and ''we'' are preserved in the [[Ainu language]].
*''wo'' is preserved only as the [[accusative case|accusative]] [[Japanese particles|particle]], normally occurring only in hiragana.
*''si'', ''ti'', ''tu'', ''hu'', ''wi'', ''we'' and ''wo'' are usually romanized respectively as ''shi'', ''chi'', ''tsu'', ''fu'', ''i'', ''e'' and ''o'' instead, according to contemporary pronunciation.
*the [[sokuon]] or small ''tsu'' (っ/ッ) indicates [[gemination]] and is romanized by repeating the following consonant. For example, って is romanized ''tte'' (exception: っち becomes ''tchi'').

=== Diacritics ===
{{See also|Dakuten and handakuten|Yōon|Historical kana orthography}}
Syllables beginning with the voiced consonants [g], [z], [d] and [b] are spelled with kana from the corresponding unvoiced columns (''k'', ''s'', ''t'' and ''h'') and the voicing mark, ''[[dakuten and handakuten|dakuten]]''. Syllables beginning with [p] are spelled with kana from the ''h'' column and the half-voicing mark, ''[[dakuten and handakuten|handakuten]]''.

{| class="wikitable"
|+Dakuten diacritic marks, [[hiragana]] (left) and [[katakana]] (right)
!
!''g''<!--k-->
!''z''<!--s-->
!''d''<!--t-->
!''b''
!''p''<!--h/f-->
!''ng''
!''l''<!--r-->
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''a''
|[[Ka (kana)|{{nowrap|がガ}}]]
|[[Sa (kana)|{{nowrap|ざザ}}]]
|[[Ta (kana)|{{nowrap|だダ}}]]
|[[Ha (kana)|{{nowrap|ばバ}}]]
|[[Ha (kana)|{{nowrap|ぱパ}}]]
|[[Ka (kana)|{{nowrap|か゚カ゚}}]]
|[[Ra (kana)|{{nowrap|ら゚ラ゚}}]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''i''
|[[Ki (kana)|{{nowrap|ぎギ}}]]
|[[Shi (kana)|{{nowrap|じジ}}]]
|[[Chi (kana)|{{nowrap|ぢヂ}}]]
|[[Hi (kana)|{{nowrap|びビ}}]]
|[[Hi (kana)|{{nowrap|ぴピ}}]]
|[[Ki (kana)|{{nowrap|き゚キ゚}}]]
|[[Ri (kana)|{{nowrap|り゚リ゚}}]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''u''
|[[Ku (kana)|{{nowrap|ぐグ}}]]
|[[Su (kana)|{{nowrap|ずズ}}]]
|[[Tsu (kana)|{{nowrap|づヅ}}]]
|[[Fu (kana)|{{nowrap|ぶブ}}]]
|[[Fu (kana)|{{nowrap|ぷプ}}]]
|[[Ku (kana)|{{nowrap|く゚ク゚}}]]
|[[Ru (kana)|{{nowrap|る゚ル゚}}]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''e''
|[[Ke (kana)|{{nowrap|げゲ}}]]
|[[Se (kana)|{{nowrap|ぜゼ}}]]
|[[Te (kana)|{{nowrap|でデ}}]]
|[[He (kana)|{{nowrap|べベ}}]]
|[[He (kana)|{{nowrap|ぺペ}}]]
|[[Ke (kana)|{{nowrap|け゚ケ゚}}]]
|[[Re (kana)|{{nowrap|れ゚レ゚}}]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''o''
|[[Ko (kana)|{{nowrap|ごゴ}}]]
|[[So (kana)|{{nowrap|ぞゾ}}]]
|[[To (kana)|{{nowrap|どド}}]]
|[[Ho (kana)|{{nowrap|ぼボ}}]]
|[[Ho (kana)|{{nowrap|ぽポ}}]]
|[[Ko (kana)|{{nowrap|こ゚コ゚}}]]
|[[Ro (kana)|{{nowrap|ろ゚ロ゚}}]]
|}
* Note that the か゚, ら゚ and the remaining entries in the two rightmost columns, though they exist, [[Dakuten and handakuten#Phonetic shifts|are not used in standard Japanese orthography]].
*''zi'', ''di'', and ''du'' are often transcribed into English as ''ji'', ''ji'', and ''zu'' instead, respectively, according to contemporary pronunciation.
* Usually, [va], [vi], [vu], [ve], [vo] are represented respectively by バ[ba], ビ[bi], ブ[bu], ベ[be], and ボ[bo], for example, in loanwords such as [[wikt:バイオリン|バイオリン]] (''baiorin'' "violin"), but (less usually) the distinction can be preserved by using [w-] with voicing marks or by using [wu] and a vowel kana, as in ヴァ(ヷ), ヴィ(ヸ), ヴ, ヴェ(ヹ), and ヴォ(ヺ). Note that ヴ did not have a JIS-encoded Hiragana form (ゔ) until [[JIS X 0213]], meaning that many [[Shift JIS]] flavours (including [[Windows-31J|the Windows and HTML5 version]]) can only represent it as a katakana, although [[Unicode]] supports both.

=== Digraphs ===
Syllables beginning with [[palatalization (phonetics)|palatalized]] consonants are spelled with one of the seven [[consonant]]al kana from the ''i'' row followed by small ''ya'', ''yu'' or ''yo''. These [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] are called [[yōon]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+Yōon digraphs, [[hiragana]]
!
!''k''
!''s''
!''t''
!''n''
!''h''
!''m''
!''r''
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''ya''
|[[きゃ]]
|[[しゃ]]
|[[ちゃ]]
|[[にゃ]]
|[[ひゃ]]
|[[みゃ]]
|[[りゃ]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''yu''
|[[きゅ]]
|[[しゅ]]
|[[ちゅ]]
|[[にゅ]]
|[[ひゅ]]
|[[みゅ]]
|[[りゅ]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''yo''
|[[きょ]]
|[[しょ]]
|[[ちょ]]
|[[にょ]]
|[[ひょ]]
|[[みょ]]
|[[りょ]]
|}
* There are no digraphs for the [[semivowel]] ''y'' and ''w'' columns.
* The digraphs are usually transcribed with three letters, leaving out the ''i'': C''y''V. For example, きゃ is transcribed as ''kya'' to distinguish it from the two-kana きや, ''kiya''.
* ''si''+''y''* and ''ti''+''y''* are often transcribed ''sh*'' and ''ch*'' instead of ''sy*'' and ''ty*''. For example, しゃ is transcribed as ''sha'', and ちゅ is transcribed as ''chu''.
* In earlier Japanese, digraphs could also be formed with ''w''-kana. Although obsolete in modern Japanese, the digraphs くゎ (/kʷa/) and くゐ/くうぃ(/kʷi/), are preserved in certain Okinawan orthographies. In addition, the kana え can be used in Okinawan to form the digraph くぇ, which represents the /kʷe/ sound.
* In loanwords, digraphs with a small ''e''-kana [[Katakana#Extended katakana|can be formed]]. For example, キェ (or きぇ in hiragana), which is transcribed as ''kye''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haruo) |first=海津知緒(KAIZU |title=■米国規格(ANSI Z39.11-1972)—要約 |url=http://www.ab.cyberhome.ne.jp/~kaizu/roomazi/doc/ansiz3911.html |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=ローマ字相談室 |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Haruo) |first=海津知緒(KAIZU |title=■英国規格(BS 4812 : 1972)—要約 |url=http://www.ab.cyberhome.ne.jp/~kaizu/roomazi/doc/bs4812.html |access-date=2024-05-21 |website=ローマ字相談室 |language=ja}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Yōon digraphs, hiragana
!
!''g''<!--k-->
!''j'' ''(z)''<!--s-->
!''j'' ''(d)''<!--t-->
!''b''
!''p''<!--h-->
!''ng''
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''ya''
|[[ぎゃ]]
|[[じゃ]]
|[[ぢゃ]]
|[[びゃ]]
|[[ぴゃ]]
|[[き゚ゃ]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''yu''
|[[ぎゅ]]
|[[じゅ]]
|[[ぢゅ]]
|[[びゅ]]
|[[ぴゅ]]
|[[き゚ゅ]]
|- style="font-size:2em"
!style="font-size:0.5em"|''yo''
|[[ぎょ]]
|[[じょ]]
|[[ぢょ]]
|[[びょ]]
|[[ぴょ]]
|[[き゚ょ]]
|}
* Note that the き゚ゃ, き゚ゅ and き゚ょ, though they exist, [[Dakuten and handakuten#Phonetic shifts|are not used in standard Japanese orthography]].
* ''zi''+''y''* and ''di''+''y''* are often transcribed ''j*'' instead of ''zy*'' and ''dy*'', according to contemporary pronunciation. The form [[Wāpuro rōmaji#Spelling conventions|''jy*'']] is also used in some cases.

== Modern usage ==
{{See also|Japanese writing system|Hiragana|Katakana}}

The difference in usage between hiragana and katakana is stylistic. Usually, hiragana is the default syllabary, and katakana is used in certain special cases. Hiragana is used to write native Japanese words with no [[kanji]] representation (or whose kanji is thought obscure or difficult), as well as grammatical elements such as [[Japanese particles|particles]] and inflections ([[okurigana]]). Today katakana is most commonly used to write words of foreign origin that do not have kanji representations, as well as foreign personal and place names. Katakana is also used to represent [[onomatopoeia]] and interjections, emphasis, technical and scientific terms, transcriptions of the [[Sino-Japanese vocabulary|Sino-Japanese]] readings of kanji, and some corporate branding.

Kana can be written in small form above or next to lesser-known kanji in order to show pronunciation; this is called [[furigana]]. Furigana is used most widely in children's or learners' books. Literature for young children who do not yet know kanji may dispense with it altogether and instead use hiragana combined with spaces.

Systems supporting only a limited set of characters, such as [[Wabun code]] for [[Morse code]] telegrams and [[SBCS|single-byte]] digital [[character encoding]]s such as [[JIS X 0201]] or [[Japanese language in EBCDIC#Single-byte codes|EBCDIK]], likewise dispense with kanji, instead using only katakana. This is not necessary in systems supporting [[double-byte character set|double-byte]] or [[variable-width encoding|variable-width]] encodings such as [[Shift JIS]], [[EUC-JP]], [[UTF-8]] or [[UTF-16]].

== History ==
[[File:FlowRoot3824.svg|thumb|right|300px|Development of hiragana and katakana]]

Old Japanese was written entirely in kanji, and a set of kanji called ''[[man'yōgana]]'' were first used to represent the phonetic values of grammatical particles and morphemes. As there was no consistent method of sound representation, a phoneme could be represented by multiple kanji, and even those kana's pronunciations differed in whether they were to be read as {{Nihongo3|"meaning kana"|訓仮名|[[kun'yomi|kungana]]}} or {{Nihongo3|"sound kana"|音仮名|[[on'yomi|ongana]]}}, making decipherment problematic. The {{lang|ja-latn|[[man'yōshū]]}}, a poetry anthology assembled sometime after 759 and the eponym of ''man'yōgana'', exemplifies this phenomenon, where as many as almost twenty kanji were used for the mora ''ka''. The consistency of the kana used was thus dependent on the style of the writer. [[Hiragana]] developed as a distinct script from [[Sōgana|cursive ''man'yōgana'']], whereas [[katakana]] developed from abbreviated parts of [[regular script]] ''man'yōgana'' as a [[gloss (annotation)|glossing]] system to add readings or explanations to Buddhist [[sutra]]s. Both of these systems were simplified to make writing easier. The shapes of many hiragana resembled the [[Cursive script (East Asia)|Chinese cursive script]], as did those of many katakana the Korean ''[[gugyeol]]'', suggesting that the Japanese followed the continental pattern of their neighbors.<ref name=Frellesvig>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v1FcAgiAC9IC|title=A History of the Japanese Language|last=Frellesvig|first=Bjarke|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|date=2010|access-date=2022-03-07|pages=12, 17, 23–24, 158–160, 173|isbn=978-0-521-65320-6}}</ref>

Kana is traditionally said to have been invented by the [[bhikkhu|Buddhist priest]] [[Kūkai]] in the ninth century. Kūkai certainly brought the [[Siddhaṃ script]] of India home on his return from [[China]] in 806;{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} his interest in the sacred aspects of [[speech]] and [[writing]] led him to the conclusion that Japanese would be better represented by a phonetic alphabet than by the kanji which had been used up to that point. The modern arrangement of kana reflects that of the [[Devanagari|devanagari order]] used for [[Sanskrit]] in the [[Buddhist]] [[Siddhaṃ script|Siddhaṃ script hybrid]] known by the Japanese at the time,<ref name=":0">{{Cite conference |last=Buck |first=James H. |title=The Influence of Sanskrit on the Japanese Sound Systems |url=https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED043872 |conference=Southeastern Conference on Linguistics, University of North Carolina |publication-date=1970}}</ref> before, the traditional ''[[iroha]]'' arrangement used to follow the order of a poem which uses each kana once.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} Kana's vowel (a-i-u-e-o) and consonant (k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w) order coincide with the Sanskrit order, except for the letter s, but that is explained by the properties of Old Japanese and the version of Siddham buddhist monks learnt at the time. However, the first time this order was used in Japanese was during the [[Heian period]] by Myōkaku, a priest and Sanskrit scholar of the 12th century, member of the same order of Kūkai and credited as reviving Saskrit studies. In 1695, a priest named Keichū published a 5 volume book that is considered to be fundamental in fixing the sound order to this day; and this work, in turn, was probably based on an earlier 3 volume systematic study of the grammar and the writing system of the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, written by another priest, Kakugen, in 1681, also member of the order of Kūkai and Myōkaku.<ref name=":0" />

However, hiragana and katakana did not quickly supplant ''man'yōgana''. It was only in 1900 that the present set of kana was codified. All the other forms of hiragana and katakana developed before the 1900 codification are known as {{Nihongo3|"variant kana"|変体仮名|[[hentaigana]]}}. Rules for their usage as per the spelling reforms of 1946, the {{Nihongo3|"present-day kana usage"|現代仮名遣い|[[Modern kana usage|gendai kana-zukai]]}}, which abolished the kana for ''wi'' (ゐ・ヰ), ''we'' (ゑ・ヱ), and ''wo'' (を・ヲ) (except that the last was reserved as the accusative particle).<ref name=Frellesvig/>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Identical man’yōgana roots of katakana and hiragana glyphs
|-
! 
! a !! i !! u !! e !! o !! =:≠
|-
! – 
| ≠ || ≠ || = || ≠ || = || 2:3
|-
! k 
| = || = || = || ≠ || = || 4:1
|-
! s<!--/sh--> 
| ≠ || = || ≠ || = || = || 3:2
|-
! t<!--/ts/ch--> 
| ≠ || ≠ || = || = || = || 3:2
|-
! n 
| = || = || = || = || = || 5:0
|-
! h<!--/f--> 
| ≠ || = || = || = || = || 4:1
|-
! m 
| = || ≠ || ≠ || = || = || 3:2
|-
! y 
| = ||   || = ||   || = || 3:0
|-
! r 
| = || = || ≠ || = || = || 4:1
|-
! w<!--/- --> 
| = || ≠ ||   || = || ≠ || 2:2
|-
! n
|   ||   || ≠ ||   ||   || 0:1
|-
|-
| =:≠
|6:4||5:4||6:4||7:2||9:1||33:15
|}

==Collation==
Kana are the basis for [[collation]] in Japanese. They are taken in the order given by the ''[[gojūon]]'' (あ い う え お ... わ を ん), though [[iroha]] (い ろ は に ほ へ と ... せ す (ん)) ordering is used for enumeration in some circumstances. Dictionaries differ in the sequence order for long/short vowel distinction, small ''tsu'' and diacritics. As Japanese does not use word spaces (except as a tool for children), there can be no word-by-word collation; all collation is kana-by-kana.

== In Unicode ==
{{Main|Hiragana (Unicode block)|Katakana (Unicode block)|Katakana Phonetic Extensions|Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms (Unicode block)|Kana Supplement (Unicode block)}}
{{See also|Hiragana#Unicode|Katakana#Unicode}}
The hiragana range in [[Unicode]] is U+3040 ... U+309F, and the katakana range is U+30A0 ... U+30FF. The obsolete and rare characters (''wi'' and ''we'') also have their proper code points.

{{Unicode chart Hiragana}}
{{Unicode chart Katakana}}
Characters U+3095 and U+3096 are hiragana [[small ke|small ''ka'' and small ''ke'']], respectively. U+30F5 and U+30F6 are their katakana equivalents. Characters U+3099 and U+309A are combining [[dakuten]] and [[handakuten]], which correspond to the spacing characters U+309B and U+309C. U+309D is the hiragana [[iteration mark]], used to repeat a previous hiragana. U+309E is the voiced hiragana iteration mark, which stands in for the previous hiragana but with the consonant voiced (''k'' becomes ''g'', ''h'' becomes ''b'', etc.). U+30FD and U+30FE are the katakana iteration marks. U+309F is a ligature of ''yori'' ([[Yori (kana)|より]]) sometimes used in vertical writing. U+30FF is a ligature of ''koto'' ([[Koto (kana)|コト]]), also found in vertical writing.

Additionally, there are halfwidth equivalents to the standard fullwidth katakana. These are encoded within the Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms block (U+FF00–U+FFEF), starting at U+FF65 and ending at U+FF9F (characters U+FF61–U+FF64 are halfwidth punctuation marks):
{{Unicode chart Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms|subset=katakana}}

There is also a small "Katakana Phonetic Extensions" range (U+31F0 ... U+31FF), which includes some additional small kana characters for writing the [[Ainu language]]. Further small kana characters are present in the "Small Kana Extension" block.
{{Unicode chart Katakana Phonetic Extensions}}
{{Unicode chart Small Kana Extension}}

Unicode also includes "Katakana letter archaic E" (U+1B000), as well as 255 [[hentaigana|archaic Hiragana]], in the Kana Supplement block.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1B000.pdf |access-date=11 March 2024 |title=Kana Supplement |website=Unicode 15.1 |publisher=Unicode}}</ref> It also includes a further 31 archaic Hiragana in the Kana Extended-A block.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1B100.pdf |access-date=11 March 2024 |title=Kana Extended-A |website=Unicode 15.1 |publisher=Unicode}}</ref>
{{Unicode chart Kana Supplement}}
{{Unicode chart Kana Extended-A}}

The Kana Extended-B block was added in September, 2021 with the release of version 14.0:
{{Unicode chart Kana Extended-B}}

== See also ==
* [[Furigana]]
* [[Okurigana]]
* [[Yotsugana]]
* [[Gojūon]]
* [[Hentaigana]]
* [[Historical kana orthography]]
* [[Man'yōgana]]
* [[Romanization of Japanese]]
* [[Transliteration]] and [[Transcription (linguistics)]]
* [[Wabun code]] - a variant of Morse code for kana

== References ==
{{reflist|35em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|title=假字類纂|author=關根江山|date=1897|url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/jsc/1.0423014?v=oc&q=|publisher=早矢仕民治|location=[東京] 神田區}} {{--}} An illustrated book on the development of magana into kana

== External links ==
* [https://lingualift.com/blog/hiragana-chart-katakana-sheet/ Hiragana & katakana chart and writing practice sheet]
* [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/japanese_hiragana.htm Origin of Hiragana]
* [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/japanese_katakana.htm Origin of Katakana]
* [http://www.qbit.it/lab/kana/ Kana web translator] – Transliterate Kana to Rōmaji
* [http://brng.jp/50renshuu-s.pdf Kana Copybook (PDF)]
* [https://type-kana.furudean.com/setup Katakana and Hiragana study tool]

{{Japanese language}}
{{list of writing systems}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kana| ]]
[[Category:Heian period]]
[[Category:Japanese writing system]]
[[Category:Japanese writing system terms]]
[[Category:Nara period]]

[[de:Japanische Schrift#Kana]]