DIRECTIONS: Read how the three systems began. The work starts on page 2.
1Read how the three began
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2Page 2: draw two signs
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3Pages 3–4: four questions
About 1,500 years ago Japan borrowed China’s characters. They didn’t fit:
Japanese words change their endings (like walk, walked, walking, only far more), and a character
cannot write an ending. So two more systems were built out of the characters themselves.
means “add” and was used for its sound, ka:
add
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the whole character, written fast until it went round
the left-hand piece , snapped off and kept
Hiragana: written fast for centuries until the corners rounded off. That is why it is loopy.
Katakana: one piece snapped off and the rest thrown away. That is why it is sharp.
Same Parent, Two Children
Japanese · Page 2 of 4
DIRECTIONS: Each kanji made two signs. Study the first three rows, then draw the missing sign in each empty box.
Loopy: the whole kanji written fast. Sharp: one piece of it.
roof, heaven
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the whole character, worn down to a curve
only the lid on top
heaven
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the whole character in one running stroke
the top of it, cut off and kept
keep
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the whole character, collapsed
the hiding in the bottom right
1. One sign is missing from each of these two rows. Draw it in the empty box.
world
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the whole character, rounded off
of (an old word)
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the three marks at the top
Not Always the Same Parent
Japanese · Page 3 of 4
DIRECTIONS: Read this, then answer.
Not always the same parent. Both of these say a, from different kanji:
calm, cheap
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the whole character, written fast until it went round
hiragana, the sound a (roughly)
used for its sound only
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the ear-shaped piece on the left
katakana, the sound a (roughly)
Nobody was in charge: different people, places and centuries. So the two mostly line up, not always.
Japanese borrowed Chinese characters and they did not fit. What exactly could the characters not do?
Hiragana is loopy and katakana is sharp. Say why, in one sentence each.
What It Was For
Japanese · Page 4 of 4
DIRECTIONS: Answer in your own words.
Look back at on page 1. Which of its two children is easier to write quickly, and why?
English has one alphabet and does fine. What did Japanese get out of having three systems that English does not have?