Translation guide
Hiragana is one of the two Japanese syllabaries, used for native words, grammatical particles, and verb endings. This entry explains how to refer to hiragana in Japanese and how to describe writing in hiragana.
ひらがな
hiragana
Referring to the hiragana writing system itself.
The standard Japanese word for the hiragana script. Often written in hiragana itself.
ひらがなで名前を書いてください。
Please write your name in hiragana.
The kanji form of 'hiragana'. More common in formal or academic contexts.
平仮名は平安時代に成立した。
Hiragana was established in the Heian period.
Expressing that something is written using hiragana characters.
Write it in hiragana. · This word is usually written in hiragana.
The most natural way to say 'write in hiragana'. The particle で indicates the means or method.
この単語はひらがなで書くことが多い。
This word is often written in hiragana.
Means 'hiragana notation'. Used in more technical or linguistic discussions.
この語は通常ひらがな表記です。
This word is usually written in hiragana.
Referring to individual hiragana letters or the set of characters.
Literally 'hiragana characters'. Used when talking about the letters themselves.
ひらがなの文字を覚えましょう。
Let's memorize the hiragana characters.
Means 'one hiragana character'. Useful for specifying a single letter.
「あ」はひらがな一文字です。
'あ' is one hiragana character.
Distinguishing hiragana from katakana, kanji, or romaji.
When comparing scripts, use ひらがな for hiragana and カタカナ for katakana. Kanji is 漢字, romaji is ローマ字.
ひらがなとカタカナの違いを説明してください。
Please explain the difference between hiragana and katakana.
In English, 'hiragana' is not capitalized unless at the start of a sentence. In Japanese, it is written in hiragana or kanji as 平仮名, but never in katakana unless for stylistic emphasis.