katakana

American

[kah-tuh-kah-nuh, kah-tah-kah-nah] / ˌkɑ təˈkɑ nə, ˈkɑ tɑˈkɑ nɑ /

noun

the more angular, less commonly used of the two Japanese syllabaries.

katakana British

/ ˌkɑːtəˈkɑːnə /

noun

one of the two systems of syllabic writing employed for the representation of Japanese, based on Chinese ideograms. It is used mainly for foreign or foreign-derived words

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of katakana

1720–30; < Japanese, equivalent to kata part (of kanji) + kana kana

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Her mind had been scrambled in different languages and her environment splintered like Kanji, Hirigana, and Katakana.

From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Sills, Steven (Steven David Justin)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023