カタカナ

• Reading: カタカナ
• Romaji: katakana
• Kanji breakdown: 片 (kata/hen) — fragment, partial; 仮 (ka/kari) — temporary, borrowed; 名 (na/mei) — name
• Pronunciation: /ka.ta.ka.na/

Meaning

Katakana. The angular Japanese syllabary used primarily for loanwords, foreign names, onomatopoeia, and emphasis.

A noun referring to one of Japan's three writing systems. Katakana also has 46 basic characters and is used for words borrowed from other languages (外来語), foreign names, scientific terms, onomatopoeia, and for emphasis similar to italics in English. Learning katakana alongside hiragana is essential for beginners.

Examples

1. カタカナでコーヒーと書きます。 You write 'coffee' in katakana as コーヒー.
2. 外国の名前はカタカナで書きます。 Foreign names are written in katakana.
3. カタカナは外来語に使います。 Katakana is used for loanwords.

Usage Guide

Context: language learning, writing, loanwords

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Literally 'fragmentary kana,' from 片 (kata, fragment/partial) and 仮名 (kana, borrowed characters). Developed by Buddhist monks in the 9th century who extracted parts of kanji to create a shorthand for annotating Chinese texts.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal