Japanese writing system

The system used to write Japanese, combining Chinese-derived kanji with the syllabaries hiragana and katakana, alongside Latin letters and Arabic numerals.

Kanji: Chinese-derived characters used in Japanese writing, typically representing meaning and carrying one or more readings. Kanji commonly represent lexical roots, while kana supply readings and grammatical endings.
On'yomi: A category of kanji readings derived historically from Chinese pronunciations. On'yomi readings reflect the Chinese origins of many kanji compounds.
Chinese writing system: A writing system based on characters that represent morphemes and syllables in Chinese languages. Japanese writing adopted Chinese characters before developing ways to represent Japanese grammar and speech.
Japanese loanwords: Words adopted into Japanese from other languages, often written in katakana. Katakana commonly identifies borrowed vocabulary within Japanese sentences.
Korean writing system: The system used to write Korean, centered on Hangul and historically including Chinese characters. Korean and Japanese both have histories of Chinese-character use but organize modern writing differently.
Rōmaji: The use of Latin letters to represent Japanese sounds or words. Rōmaji adds Latin-letter spellings to a system otherwise centered on kanji and kana.
Kun'yomi: A category of kanji readings based on native Japanese words assigned to Chinese characters. Kun'yomi lets kanji represent native Japanese vocabulary as well as imported words.
Man'yōgana: An early Japanese writing practice that used Chinese characters primarily for their sounds. Man'yōgana provided the phonetic basis from which hiragana and katakana developed.
Japanese names: Personal and family names used in Japan, written with kanji, kana, or occasionally Latin letters. Kanji names can have multiple readings, making written names a distinctive challenge.
Hangul: The alphabetic writing system used for Korean, whose letters represent features of speech sounds. Hangul contrasts with Japanese kana through its alphabetic design and systematic sound structure.

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