カタカナ

also: かたかな

カ

タ

カ

ナ

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

katakana; angular Japanese syllabary used primarily for loanwords

usually written using kana alone

One of the two Japanese syllabaries, characterized by angular strokes. Used mainly for foreign loanwords, onomatopoeia, and emphasis.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉をカタカナで書かくto write something in katakana
外がい国こくの名な前まえはカタカナで書かきます。
Foreign names are written in katakana.
カタカナを使つかうto use katakana
オノマトペにはよくカタカナを使つかいます。
Katakana is often used for onomatopoeia.
〈物もの〉をカタカナで表ひょう記きするto notate/transcribe something in katakana
会かい社しゃの名な前まえはカタカナで表ひょう記きされている。
The company's name is written in katakana.

Kanji

片one-sided, leaf, sheet
仮sham, temporary, interim
名name, noted, distinguished

Don't confuse with

ひらがなN4
片仮名 (カタカナ) is the angular script used mainly for loanwords and emphasis, while 平仮名 is the cursレット cursive script used for native Japanese words and grammar particles.
漢かん字じN5
漢字 carry meaning as logographs, whereas カタカナ is a phonetic syllabary mainly used for foreign loanwords and emphasis.

Built from

片かた+仮か名な

Written forms

カタカナUsage79%
kana-only spelling
Standard katakana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
片かた仮か名なUsage19%
Kanji spelling; rarely used in modern writing.
かたかなUsage2%
Hiragana spelling; less common than katakana but still encountered.
片かたかなUsage1%

Etymology

Derived from parts of Chinese characters used phonetically in the Heian period. The name 片仮名 literally means 'fragmentary kana', referring to the practice of taking only a part of a kanji to represent a sound.

search-only kanji form

Search-only kanji-kana mixed form; not a standard spelling.