How Do You Spell HIRAGANA?

Pronunciation: [hˌɜːɹɐɡˈɑːnə] (IPA)

The word "hiragana" is spelled as /hiɾaɡana/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The first syllable "hi" is pronounced like "hee" with the lips spread slightly apart. The second syllable "ra" is pronounced like "rah" with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. The third syllable "ga" is pronounced like "gah" with the back of the tongue touching the soft palate. "Hiragana" is a Japanese writing system that consists of phonetic characters, and it is used to write native Japanese words and grammatical elements.

HIRAGANA Meaning and Definition

  1. Hiragana is a basic component of the Japanese writing system, primarily used to represent and phonetically write native Japanese words. It is one of the three main scripts used in Japanese writing, along with kanji and katakana. Hiragana consists of 46 characters, each representing a particular syllable or sound in the Japanese language. These characters are derived from more complex kanji characters and have evolved over time.

    Hiragana is primarily used for grammatical purposes such as particles, verb conjugations, and sentence endings. It is also used for writing words that do not have a corresponding kanji, foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, and children's literature. Hiragana characters are phonetic symbols that represent syllables, making it easier for beginners to learn compared to kanji characters, which are logographic symbols representing words or concepts.

    The stroke order and direction of writing hiragana are standardized to maintain consistency. Each character can be written in a certain number of strokes, with specific rules for stroke order and stroke direction. Learning and mastering hiragana is essential for reading, writing, and understanding the Japanese language fluently. Hiragana is often introduced as the first step in learning Japanese writing, and once mastered, it serves as the foundation for further studies in kanji and katakana.

Common Misspellings for HIRAGANA

Etymology of HIRAGANA

The word "hiragana" is derived from two Japanese words: "hira" (ひら) meaning "flat" or "plain", and "gana" (がな) which refers to a phonetic writing system. "Hiragana" is a script used in the Japanese writing system that consists of syllabic characters. The name "hiragana" signifies that the characters are relatively simple and have a uniform or flat appearance compared to the more complex kanji characters.

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