hiragana

[heer-uh-gah-nuh; Japanese hee-rah-gah-nah]

noun

the cursive and more widely used of the two Japanese syllabaries.

Compare katakana.

Origin of hiragana

1815–25; < Japanese, equivalent to hira ordinary (earlier f(y)ira < *pira) + -gana, combining form of kana kana

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for hiragana

hiragana

noun

one of the Japanese systems of syllabic writing based on Chinese cursive ideograms. The more widely used of the two current systems, it is employed in newspapers and general literatureCompare katakana

Word Origin for hiragana

from Japanese: flat kana

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

Word Origin and History for hiragana

from Japanese hiragana, from hira "plain" + kana "borrowed letter(s)."