Ahead of Japan PM Sanae Takaichi's India visit, here's how the Japanese writing system works

As India prepares to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to New Delhi for her first official visit, buzz around Japanese culture has increased. From anime to cuisine, enthusiasts are exploring several aspects of the country's rich heritage. But have you ever wondered how the Japanese writing system works?

Unlike English, which depends on a single alphabet, written Japanese consists of three scripts, kanji, hiragana and katakana. For someone new to the system, a page of Japanese text can appear overwhelming, but once you understand the role of each script, the language begins to feel far more logical.

Also Read: Why Japan PM Sanae Takaichi's India visit is strategically significant

Why does Japanese use three scripts?

Japanese writing has developed over many centuries. As the language changed, new scripts were added without replacing the old forms of writing.

Kanji is used for the core meaning of words, hiragana for grammatical structure, and katakana mostly for foreign words and emphasis.

How to start?

If you want to learn the Japanese language, the first step is hiragana. It is a phonetic script that consists of characters that represent individual sounds rather than meanings. It appears frequently in everyday writing because it is used for grammatical particles, verb endings and words that either do not have kanji or are commonly written without them.

Also Read: Japan PM Sanae Takaichi to make first official visit to India in July

Pronunciation is the key

People who learn hiragana also become familiar with the sound system of Japanese. Developing accurate pronunciation early can be helpful to prevent habits that become difficult to correct later.

Paying attention to vowel length, doubled consonants and rhythm while your vocabulary is still small makes speaking and listening considerably easier.

Why is kanji tough?

Kanji is said to be the most difficult part of learning Japanese because thousands of characters exist.

Also Read: WION Decodes | What could be biggest takeaways from Japan PM Sanae Takaichi's first India visit?

It is said to be originally adapted from Chinese characters and represents meanings rather than individual sounds. Most newspapers, books and everyday signs rely heavily on them.

Instead of trying to memorise hundreds of isolated characters, individuals generally make better progress by studying each kanji alongside its meaning, common pronunciation and useful vocabulary.

Also Read: From Bollywood to cricket, how yoga became India's biggest global success story

How is katakana used?

Katakana represents the same sounds as hiragana but has a different purpose. It is mainly used for foreign names, imported vocabulary, scientific terms, product names and certain forms of emphasis. Words such as "coffee", "computer," and many international brand names are typically written in katakana.

For those wondering how the three scripts work together, here's a simple explanation. A typical Japanese sentence often contains all three scripts.

Kanji carries the primary meaning of nouns and verbs. Hiragana connects those words through grammar and verb endings. If a borrowed or foreign word appears, katakana is used for that part of the sentence.