Hiragana (or Kanji) vs Katakana
 

Hey, im new to the forum. Just wanted to ask a question. When do they use katakana or hiragana. Is it ok to just switch from hiragana to katakana?

Its like, for example, i found this in the lyrics in the KAT-TUN song, REAL FACE. "このナミダ・ナゲキ→未来へのステップ" . Why is the ナミダ written in Katakana? Does it still mean the same as the なみだ or 涙? Also, i think Orange Range Sayonara is marketed in Katakana too? instead of Hiragana?

Why is this so? Thanks a lot.

Well, in Japanese, katakana is used for one main thing, and that's imported words. So like, their word for "printout" is written in katakana as "purinto-auto." There's a bunch of other words that are the same way. Those words I don't believe have kanji that they can be written with. Hiragana is used to write words that are of Japanese origin, but do not have a kanji. Also, I've seen in some video games, mostly for younger children, they seem to use more hiragana if they can, because younger children don't know as many kanji.

Hope that helps a bit.

Katakana-foreign words
Hiragana-local words.

There are never kanji that can be used for foreign words. However, you can turn hiragana words into kanji.

Yup, i thought so too. But what about the example i asked about? i saw the translation for the song, ナミダ is translated as tears too, just like なみだ and 涙. Why was the ナミダ (the katakana version) used and not the kanji or hiragana ones?

Another example would be YUI's movie or the Erika Sawajiri's drama Taiyou no Uta. Why is it market as タイヨウのうた and not 太陽の歌?

I have no clue why they would be :/

Yea, me neither. Sorry.

It`s a way to look cool or put stress on a specific word when used in lyrics like that.
It`s not at all normal for regular writing - sort of a modern "cool" way to write things in songs or titles.

It all means the same, and no one Japanese would have any trouble reading any of it - it`s just a way of adding flavor to the thing written.

That's interesting, i've never seen it in action though. I've always thought katakana had more of an edge than hiragana.

... thats bad...somehow i can never master my katagana... i prefer hiragana. Even kanji isnt that bad, because im chinese.

Thanks anyway.

That's weird, I always had more trouble with hiragana. But I've noticed that it's easier to learn the syllabary if you look at patterns, and if you don't try to officially "learn" it. If you just learn new vocabulary words in the syllabary, then you'll just start to pick up on what the letters mean. It works for me, anyway.

Sometimes you can think of katakana to Japanese like italics is to the alphabet. It's all about emphasis, and, as someone replied before me, it's about 'being cool' :D

hey just as a little extra thingy, isn't katakana used for names too, that is, if kanji isn't used

this is abbas
 

what i know they use hiragana or katagana is because u cannot find the word to write name n words of diffrent language in khanji so that is why they use hiragana n katakana eg. babar abbas when they write it will be babaru abbasu not in khanji but in hirahana n katagana i think u can understand now:mtongue:

if u want write names n word of diffrent language u wil not find in khanji but in hiragana n katagana

sumimasen
 

sumimasen
watashi wa suruton desu
indonesia kara kimashita
dozo yorosiku
:mtongue:

Katakana can also be used to emphasize words, kind of in the way that we use italics, or bold type in English.

There is an example of Katakana used for foreign words on this current Japanese advertisement here.
http://www.japannewbie.com/japanese_...kemon-manners/

An example of Katakana used for emphasis here. (風邪 has become カゼ)
http://www.japannewbie.com/japanese_...-is-your-cold/

Another here... きれい has become キレイhttp://www.japannewbie.com/japanese_...gue-with-breo/

Hope that helps!