A phonetic script developed in the early Heian period, designed to represent the sounds of the Japanese language, primarily used for native vocabulary and grammatical elements.

A simplified form of cursive kanji, originating as a writing system traditionally associated with women, characterized by its fluid strokes and used to transcribe native Japanese expressions.

A syllabary that emerged as a distinct writing system, evolving from cursive forms of kanji, which serves to convey the phonetic structure of Japanese without relying solely on logographic characters.

One of the two main kana systems in Japanese, it is primarily used to write words of Japanese origin and grammatical particles, contrasting with katakana, which is used for foreign words and emphasis.