noun
old kana orthography; historical kana usage
Refers to the kana spelling system used before the 1946 reform, based on classical pronunciation. Contrasts with 新仮名遣い (modern kana usage) and is synonymous with 歴史的仮名遣い.
旧仮名遣いでは「蝶」を「てふ」と書いた。
In old kana orthography, 'butterfly' was written as てふ.
Reading classical Japanese requires knowledge of historical kana usage.