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.
Compare katakana.

Origin of hiragana

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

Words nearby hiragana

hipshot, hipster, hipsterism, hipsters, hirable, hiragana, hirakata, hiram, hiranuma, hiratsuka, hircine

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 literature Compare katakana

Word Origin for hiragana

from Japanese: flat kana