Hiragana
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Invented by the Japanese women in the 8th century AD, it can express any native Japanese word. Its useful for writing poems like [haiku], as it allows only one way of reading, unlike [kanji]. It is in much heavier use now, as the kanji stops being as remarkable sign of tough knowledge as before. See also [Katakana].
Hiragana meaning & definition 1 of Hiragana.
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The more cursive form of kana (syllabic writing) used in Japanese, primarily used for function words and inflections.
Hiragana meaning & definition 2 of Hiragana.