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History
The development of writing in Japan has a fascinating history. The Japanese originally had no writing system of their own. They first encountered writing in Chinese Buddhist texts brought from China via Korea around the 4th and 5th centuries A.D.
Kanji
The Japanese first learned Chinese characters in order to read and write the Chinese language. Soon they began to use Chinese characters to write Japanese words. These borrowed Chinese characters are called kanji in Japanese. Kanji are symbols that represent the meaningsof Japanese words.
Kana
Besides kanji, Japanese use two sets of syllabaries, called kana, to write their language. Kana symbols work like letters of the alphabet, to represent soundsin the Japanese language.
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