kana

[kah-nuh; Japanese kah-nah] /ˈkɑ nə; Japanese ˈkɑ nɑ/
noun
1.
a Japanese syllabic script consisting of 71 symbols and having two written varieties.
Compare hiragana, katakana.
Origin
1720-30; < Japanese; earlier kanna, kari-na makeshift names (i.e., characters) as opposed to ma-na true characters, i.e., kanji
Examples from the web for kana
  • It showed up perfectly in the preview, but now the kanji and kana appear as question marks.
British Dictionary definitions for kana

kana

/ˈkɑːnə/
noun
1.
the Japanese syllabary, which consists of two written varieties See hiragana, katakana
Word Origin
C18: from Japanese, literally: borrowed or provisional letters; compare kanji, which are regarded as real letters
kana in Technology

Japanese
The two Japanese syllabaries, hiragana and katakana.
(2001-03-18)

Encyclopedia Article for kana

two parallel modern Japanese syllabaries (katakana and hiragana), each of which independently represents all the sounds of the Japanese language. Although each derives its simple elements from Chinese characters, the two serve different purposes and differ stylistically.

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