KANA CHART
Basic hiragana and katakana
Select a character for its sound, matching kana and history.
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Kana groups and marks
Find voiced and small kana, sound combinations, writing marks and historical forms.
SCRIPT HISTORY
How the two scripts developed
Japanese writers first borrowed kanji sounds. Hiragana grew from cursive whole forms; katakana from abbreviated parts. Both emerged in the early Heian period. The first recorded use of an individual kana may be unknown; entries say where evidence is missing.
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