noun
kana
KAH-nuh
noun
1
The two Japanese phonetic writing systems, hiragana and katakana, in which each symbol represents a spoken syllable rather than a whole word or idea.
"Beginners usually learn kana before tackling kanji."
"Japanese menus for tourists are often written mostly in kana."
2
A single character from one of these syllabaries.
"Each kana represents a sound like "ka," "shi," or "mu.""
How to Use Kana
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe phonetic Japanese alphabets (hiragana and katakana), as opposed to the meaning-based kanji characters.
Common mistake
Don’t confuse kana (phonetic symbols, one per syllable) with kanji (characters borrowed from Chinese that represent whole words or ideas).
Easily confused with
Word Forms
kana plural, kanas plural, Kanas plural
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Beginners usually learn _____ before tackling kanji.
Etymology
From Japanese kana, literally "borrowed name/character" — because the symbols were originally Chinese characters repurposed just for their sound.