Hiragana/Katakana

[konoyaro]

In japan is it accepted to write only in hiragana/katakana , or do you look less educated if you don't use kanji as well? Also, is hiragana/katakana generally used together when writing or do some use just hiragana or just katana?

arigatou!

[ChiAmaterasuNeko]

Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, whereas Katakana is used for words taken from English. For example. English "milk" translates to "miruku" in Japanese. A word like this would be written in Katakana. If I'm not mistaken, Katakana can also be used for emphasis. So in writing, they are used together.

With regards to Kanji, small hiragana is sometimes written above the Kanji. The smaller characters are called Furigana and are translations provided of the kanji, often for younger readers.

Even if I didn't answer your question exactly, I hope it helped. ^^

[MMM]

Originally Posted by konoyaro

In japan is it accepted to write only in hiragana/katakana , or do you look less educated if you don't use kanji as well? Also, is hiragana/katakana generally used together when writing or do some use just hiragana or just katana?

arigatou!

You would look more than uneducated if you used no kanji, and people would have a difficult time understanding what you were trying to communicate with absolutely no kanji.

All three forms are used together, and it is rare to see a sentence that doesn't use at least two writing forms.

[jesselt]

Originally Posted by ChiAmaterasuNeko

[b][color="DarkRed"][size="1"]Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, whereas Katakana is used for words taken from English. For example. English "milk" translates to "miruku" in Japanese.

No.


English isn't the only language that the Japanese imported; Katakana is used for a variety of foreign words from many different languages.

[ChiAmaterasuNeko]

Originally Posted by jesselt

No.


English isn't the only language that the Japanese imported; Katakana is used for a variety of foreign words from many different languages.

I was actually wondering about that as I posted. Thanks for clearing it up. ^^ Out of curiosity, what would an example be of a Japanese word imported from another language? My vocabulary isn't very big yet, and I don't know if I've ever come across a word imported from a language besides English.
(of course, the kanji were taken from China, but that is different.)

[MMM]

The words for bread, cigarettes, and part-time job are all from other languages (Portuguese, Portuguese and German)

[ChiAmaterasuNeko]

Originally Posted by MMM

The words for bread, cigarettes, and part-time job are all from other languages (Portuguese, Portuguese and German)

Ah, I see! Thank you very much!

[jesselt]

Originally Posted by MMM

The words for bread, cigarettes, and part-time job are all from other languages (Portuguese, Portuguese and German)

Did パン originate from Portuguese? They also use Pan in French and Spanish I believe~

[MMM]

Originally Posted by jesselt

Did パン originate from Portuguese? They also use Pan in French and Spanish I believe~

Yes, but the Japanese learned it from traders from Portugal in the 1500s.

[konoyaro]

So, that being known, should I gain a very good understanding of hiragana/katakana first(along with speaking which comes easier) , then move to learning the kanji , or should i incorporate kanji into my lesson plan as well?