kana syllabary

(noun)

Syllabic Japanese scripts, a part of the Japanese writing system, contrasted with the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji (漢).

Related Terms

Examples of kana syllabary in the following topics:

  • Painting and Calligraphy in the Heian Period

    • Writing had been popularized and the kana syllabary was devised to deal with elements of pronunciation that could not be written with the borrowed Chinese characters.

  • Japanese Calligraphy in the Kamakura Period

    • For many years, the most esteemed calligrapher in Japan had been Wang Xizhi, a Chinese calligrapher in the 4th century; however, after the invention of Hiragana and Katakana, the Japanese unique syllabaries, a distinctive Japanese writing system developed, and calligraphers produced styles intrinsic to Japan.