Why does Japanese have 3 alphabets?

The Japanese language has three alphabets. If you have not yet learned or begun to learn Japanese, you will think about the reason why Japanese has three alphabets first.

Each of the three letters is very important in expressing the Japanese language. We'll explain the importance of Japanese three alphabets.

We consider an alphabet as a group of letters here, which is a little different from the alphabet used in Western countries. We can say the Japanese three alphabets are the writing system.

We need Hiragana and Katakana because of Kanji

The three alphabets are Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.

In the history of the Japanese language, Kanji was first introduced from China to Japan and developed. Hiragana and Katakana were created after Kanji.

The reason why Hiragana and Katakana were created is because Kanji alone could not fully express all of the Japanese language. Therefore, Hiragana and Katakana exist to support kanji.

Which one is the most important?

The most important part of the Japanese alphabet is Kanji.

If you do not know Kanji, you will not be able to read signs or place names when you come to Japan. Although many things are now written in English, Kanji is very important to know Japan widely and deeply.

Kanji is the core of the Japanese language

Kanji is the core of the Japanese language. However, of the three alphabets, Kanji is the most difficult to learn.

While Hiragana and Katakana have 46 characters each, Kanji is quite huge with 2,136 characters for regular use alone. The level of the Japanese language depends on whether you know Kanji or not.

You also need to learn Hiragana. Katakana is also important to know expressions in depth. It is very hard to study all Kanji, but it is important to know that every letter of the alphabet is important and cannot be skipped.

For non-Kanji speakers, learning Kanji is the biggest obstacle. Some people have a negative opinion that the difficulty of Japanese notation makes it difficult to learn Japanese.

Why did Kanji come from China?

The reason why kanji came to Japan is due to cultural exchanges with ancient China and the Korean Peninsula. Kanji were respected symbols of culture and politics in Japan, widely used from ancient times to the medieval period.

The spread of Buddhism and Chinese influence further expanded the knowledge of kanji. Even after that, kanji continued to be an indispensable element of Japanese culture and documents.

Additionally, when Buddhism was introduced, there was a need to translate Buddhist scriptures using kanji, further contributing to the widespread knowledge of kanji.

Amazingly, a script that has been around for thousands of years is still in use today. Since characters are an important part of culture and history, it is a good idea to study them in addition to learning Japanese.