man'yōgana; kanji used as phonetic symbols
Archaic term for man'yōgana, contrasting with 女仮名 (onna-gana, hiragana). Used in historical discussions of Japanese writing systems.
In the Man'yōshū, kanji were used as man'yōgana to record waka poems.
Archaic term for hiragana, contrasting with 男仮名.
Compound of 男 (otoko, 'male') and 仮名 (kana, 'syllabic script'), reflecting a historical association of kanji-based phonetic writing with men's writing, as opposed to the cursive hiragana used by women.