Kanjikirjoitus

Kanjikirjoitus refers to the use of kanji, Chinese characters, in written Japanese. Kanji were introduced to Japan from China around the 5th century AD. Before the adoption of kanji, the Japanese language had no indigenous writing system, and spoken Japanese was primarily conveyed through oral traditions.

The introduction of kanji had a profound impact on Japanese culture and literacy. Kanji provided a means to record the Japanese language, translate Chinese texts, and develop a sophisticated literary tradition. However, Japanese grammar and pronunciation differ significantly from Chinese, leading to the development of unique ways to utilize kanji.

Initially, kanji were used to represent the meaning of words in Japanese. Over time, two syllabaries, hiragana and katakana, were developed from simplified kanji forms. Hiragana is primarily used for native Japanese words, grammatical elements like particles and verb endings, and as phonetic complements for kanji. Katakana is mainly used for foreign loanwords, emphasis, onomatopoeia, and scientific terminology.

Modern written Japanese is a complex system that integrates kanji, hiragana, and katakana. The average educated Japanese adult knows around 2,000 to 3,000 kanji. The study of kanji is a significant part of Japanese education, and mastering them is considered essential for fluency in reading and writing. The selection and usage of kanji are often guided by official lists, such as the Joyo kanji (常用漢字), which comprises 2,136 characters deemed necessary for daily use.