# Japanese (Travel) Glossary

Core terminology for this workspace. The three scripts and the units we use to
talk about them. Re-established prior knowledge for a returning learner.

## Scripts

**Hiragana**:
The curvy, rounded Japanese syllabary used for native words and grammar. 46 basic
characters, each one a sound. This is the first script we rebuild.
_Avoid_: "the cursive one"

**Katakana**:
The angular Japanese syllabary used mainly for foreign loanwords (コーヒー coffee,
タクシー taxi). Same sounds as hiragana, different shapes. High value for reading menus/signs.
_Avoid_: "the sharp alphabet"

**Kanji**:
Chinese-origin characters representing meaning (and one or more readings), e.g.
駅 = station. Thousands exist; for travel we learn only a high-value handful.
_Avoid_: "Chinese letters"

**Kana**:
Umbrella term for hiragana + katakana together (the two syllabaries).
_Avoid_: "the Japanese alphabet" (it's a syllabary, not an alphabet)

## Units

**Mora**:
The basic timing/sound unit of Japanese. Almost every kana = one mora (one beat).
か is one mora; かき is two. Why we say "syllabary," not "alphabet."
_Avoid_: syllable (close, but not identical in Japanese)

**Romaji**:
Japanese written in the Latin alphabet (ka, ki, ku). A crutch for pronunciation
only — the goal is to stop needing it once the scripts are read directly.
_Avoid_: "English spelling"