hiragana
[ heer-uh-gah-nuh; Japanese hee-rah-gah-nah ]
/ ˌhɪər əˈgɑ nə; Japanese ˈhi rɑˈgɑ nɑ /
noun
the cursive and more widely used of the two Japanese syllabaries.
Nearby words
hipshot, hipster, hipsterism, hipsters, hirable, hiragana, hirakata, hiram, hiranuma, hiranuma, kiichiro, baron, hiratsuka
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
/ (ˌhɪərəˈɡɑːnə) /
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
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