The Japanese Scripts

Hiragana / katakana / kanji

ajJB2

Hiragana

• More of a curved shape

• Each hiragana represents 1 sound

• There are 46 basic hiragana

Flickr photo by: abuckingham

Flickr photo by: Ashitaka96

Katakana

• Sharper & more acute angles than hiragana• Mainly used to write words that have

originated in other languages• Our names are written in katakana• Examples of words:

– Aisukuriimu– Rajio– Oosutoraria

Flickr photo by: mctrent

ベン (Ben)トム (Tom)ジェームズ (James)サリー (Sally)マディソン (Maddison)スミス (Smith)ジェパセン (Jeppesen)

HIRAGANA, KATAKANA OR KANJIWhich one is it?

Flickr storm link for scripts

Flickr photo by: nofrills

Flickr photo by: nofrills

Flickr photo by: mctrent

Flickr photo by: nofrills

Flickr photo by: nofrills

Flickr photo by: wonder al

Flickr photo by: Totoro!

Flickr photo by: nofrills

Kanji

• Kanji originated as pictures or shapes to represent an object or an idea.

• For some kanji it is possible (just by looking at it) to work out what the original object may have been.

FlickrStorm 　 link

耳

Flickr photo by: Pandiyan

口

Flickr photo by: orangeacid

Flickr photo by: BombDog

手

Flickr photo by: tochis

Flickr photo by: kiddharma

目

Flickr photo by: orangeacid

Flickr photo by: cdw9

足

Flickr photo by: rich115

人

Flickr photo by: Cayusa

NATUREHow about a new theme!

木

Flickr photo by: ~Prescott

Flickr photo by: Iguana Jo

川

Flickr photo by: tochis

Flickr photo by: moogs

山

Flickr photo by: gigi62

日

Flickr photo by: Thai Jasmine

Flickr photo by: Chris Gin

月

Flickr photo by: una cierta mirada

Flickr photo by: machado17

火

Flickr photo by: Ottoman42

Flickr photo by: cobalt123

Kanji are made up of parts

• Quite often you can work out the meaning by

looking at the different parts of a kanji

• How about these …

林

Flickr photo by: janusz l

休

Flickr photo by: Grant MacDonald

森

Flickr photo by: Elephi Pelephi

Words in Kanji

• Often words can also seem quite logical

• We learnt what the following kanji mean on

their own …

• What do they mean together as a word?

火山

Flickr photo by: wildphotons