ひらがな

ひ

ら

が

な

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

hiragana

usually written using kana alone

The cursive Japanese syllabary used primarily for native Japanese words, function words, and inflections. Often contrasted with カタカナ.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉を平ひら仮が名なで書かくto write something in hiragana
自じ分ぶんの名な前まえを平ひら仮が名なで書かいてください。
Please write your name in hiragana.
平ひら仮が名なを覚おぼえるto learn/memorize hiragana
子こ供どもはまず平ひら仮が名なを覚おぼえる。
Children first learn hiragana.
漢かん字じを平ひら仮が名なに直なおすto convert kanji into hiragana
難むずかしい漢かん字じを平ひら仮が名なに直なおした。
I converted the difficult kanji into hiragana.

Kanji

平even, flat, peace
仮sham, temporary, interim
名name, noted, distinguished

Don't confuse with

カタカナN4
平仮名 and 片仮名 differ by only one kanji and sound similar, but 平仮名 is the cursive script for native words while 片仮名 is the angular script for loanwords and emphasis.
漢かん字じN5
漢字 are logographic characters borrowed from Chinese, while ひらがな is a native phonetic syllabary used for grammar and native words.

Built from

平ひら+仮か名な

Written forms

ひらがなUsage72%
The word is usually written in kana; this is the most common and recommended spelling.
平ひら仮が名なUsage28%
Kanji spelling; still seen in formal or technical contexts, but kana is preferred in everyday use.

Etymology

Derived from simplified cursive forms of man'yōgana (Chinese characters used phonetically). The term 平仮名 literally means 'plain' or 'ordinary' kana, contrasting with 片仮名 (katakana), which means 'partial' kana.