Hiragana or katakana

[Castor Troy]

There are two alphebets in Japanese and I don't know which to memorize. Which one is more commonly used? Or are they both commonly used?

Just learn Kanji. It's easier

I know Kanji like the back of my hand!

Hiragana or katakana is sooo hard!

[Otohiko]

The hardest to learn is Romaji. Never even try Romaji. It's so hard it makes your head rotate 180 vertically and stay in that position for the rest of your life.

[MrScribble]

The hardest to learn is Romaji. Never even try Romaji. It's so hard it makes your head rotate 180 vertically and stay in that position for the rest of your life.

Would you also make chickenly noises? Because that would be really awkward.

[danielwang]

The hardest to learn is Romaji. Never even try Romaji. It's so hard it makes your head rotate 180 vertically and stay in that position for the rest of your life.

Would you also make chickenly noises? Because that would be really awkward.

Learn Hiragana first. As it is the base standard from which Japanese originated, it is the most pure and explicitly used form. Katakana, used primarily for foriegn words ported from another language, can be thought of as an accent emphasis. Kanji is ported Chinese.

Although the use of English and other latin-based definitions is cut down by word generation (they have their own word for Thermodynamics!!!), there is no equivalent of the Academe Francais in Japan and therefore you do have some Latin ports leaking in.

Unfortunately, the only thing WORSE than the Latin to Japanese ports is Fink.


<?xml version="1.0"><dtd content="nihongo" /><psuedocode>
#!/nihongo
#include hiragana.l
#include latin.l
#define katakana As nihongo.symbol
#define alphabet As latin.alphabeta
use Nihongo::symbol
dim Hiragana as nihongo.symbol == c/[kstnhmyrgzdbp:aiueo]
dim Katakana as nihongo.symbol == Hiragana
use Latin::alphabeta
dim Alphabet As latin.alphabeta
void port_latin(english); {
for each count(english) {
find c/[c,f,j,l,q,s,v,w,x] and replace c/[kstnhmyrgzdbp:aiueo];
return Japanenglish; } }
</psuedocode></xml>

[Otohiko]

Actually, both Hiragana and Katakana originated from Kanji, something easily traceable if you look at them carefully.

So learn Kanji first.

[danielwang]

Actually, both Hiragana and Katakana originated from Kanji, something easily traceable if you look at them carefully.

So learn Kanji first.

Hiragana was recoded from Chinese, so technically it is a derivative system. However, it varies enough not to violate the ZPL (Zhongwen Public License).

There are several thousand Kanji (chinese ported symbols). Hiragana is a shortened definition language, and instead of using abstract symbol combinations (the symbol for leather is present somewhat in show), it follows defined, objective suffix-prefix-descriptor-subject linguistic, etc.

If you want bad ports, look to Fink at fink.sf.net.
It's really perverted there.