katakana

[ kah-tuh-kah-nuh; Japanese kah-tah-kah-nah ]
/ ˌkɑ təˈkɑ nə; Japanese ˈkɑ tɑˈkɑ nɑ /

noun

the more angular, less commonly used of the two Japanese syllabaries.
Compare hiragana.

Origin of katakana

1720–30; < Japanese, equivalent to kata part (of kanji) + kana kana

Words nearby katakana

kata-, katabasis, katabatic, katabolism, katahdin, katakana, katal, katalase, katalysis, katalyst, katalyze

British Dictionary definitions for katakana

katakana
/ (ˌkɑːtəˈkɑːnə) /

noun

one of the two systems of syllabic writing employed for the representation of Japanese, based on Chinese ideograms. It is used mainly for foreign or foreign-derived words

Word Origin for katakana

Japanese, from kata side + kana