noun
syllabary; phonetic symbol
A character or symbol representing a sound, used in linguistic or phonetic contexts. Often refers to kana or other phonetic writing systems.
日本語の音字にはひらがなとカタカナがある。
Japanese syllabary includes hiragana and katakana.
この辞書では発音を音字で示している。
This dictionary indicates pronunciation using phonetic symbols.
Compound of 音 (on, 'sound') and 字 (ji, 'character'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in linguistic descriptions of writing systems.