“Hentaigana” (variant kana) refers to a set of obsolete variant forms of the Japanese kana, which are syllabic scripts used in the Japanese writing system. provide a brief overview for those unfamiliar with Japanese culture: To
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Historical Context: Hentaigana emerged from the cursive style of kanji characters. Over time, certain kanji began to be used primarily or exclusively for their phonetic value, leading to the development of the kana scripts: hiragana and katakana. Hentaigana are essentially alternative forms of hiragana that were used in various written documents and literature in the past.
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Standardization: In the Meiji era (late 19th to early 20th century) and particularly in the early 20th century, the Japanese government sought to standardize and simplify the Japanese writing system. This led to the establishment of a set of official hiragana forms, and the non-standard forms, or hentaigana, gradually fell out of use.
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Usage: Prior to standardization, hentaigana were used in various contexts, including official documents, literature, and everyday writing. After standardization, their use became limited, but they can still be found in certain traditional contexts, such as shop signs, art, and cultural artifacts.
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Cultural Significance: While hentaigana are no longer commonly used in everyday writing, they hold cultural and historical significance. They represent a link to older forms of Japanese writing and are of interest to scholars, calligraphers, and those who appreciate the aesthetic and historical aspects of the Japanese script.
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Examples: Some hentaigana characters can look quite different from their standard hiragana counterparts, making them challenging for modern readers to recognize without specific training.
In a way, hentaigana can be likened to old English script variations in the Latin alphabet; while not commonly used in everyday life, they offer a glimpse into the historical evolution of written language and are treasured for their artistic and cultural value.
The term “variant kana” refers to an obsolete variant of Japanese kana. For those unfamiliar with Japanese culture, here is a brief explanation.
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Historical Background: Variant kana were derived from cursive in kanji. Over time, certain kanji came to be used primarily or exclusively for their phonetic value, leading to the development of kana characters, namely hiragana and katakana. The variant kana can be described as an alternative form of hiragana used in various written and literary texts in the past.
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Standardization: During the Meiji period (late 19th to early 20th century) and especially in the early 20th century, the Japanese government undertook an effort to standardize and simplify the Japanese script. This led to the establishment of official hiragana forms, and non-standard forms, or variant kana, gradually fell out of use.
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Usage: Before standardization, variant kana was used in a variety of contexts, including official documents, literature, and everyday writing. After standardization, their use became limited, but they can still be found in certain traditional contexts, such as store signs, art, and cultural artifacts.
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Cultural Significance: Although variant kana are not commonly used in everyday writing today, they do have cultural and historical significance. They represent a link to older forms of Japanese writing and are of interest to scholars, calligraphers, and those who appreciate the aesthetic and historical aspects of Japanese writing.
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E.g., some variant kana characters can be very different from standard hiragana forms and can be difficult for modern readers to recognize without specific training.
In some ways, variant kana resembles a variant of the Old English script of the Latin alphabet. Although not commonly used in everyday life, they represent a part of the historical evolution of the written language and are valuable for their artistic and cultural value.
http://codh.rois.ac.jp/char-shape/hentaigana/
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