Vol. 2 No. 3 (2025), Articles
Vol. 2 No. 3 (2025)

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ENGLISH AND JAPANESE WRITING SYSTEMS

Articles
Published 2025-02-03
Shamsitdinova Mohinabonu Akbar qizi.
1st year student of Japanese Philology at Samarkand state institute of foreign languages
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Keywords

English writing system, Japanese writing system, Latin alphabet, Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana, Logographic characters, Syllabic scripts, Loanwords, Punctuation, Horizontal writing, Vertical writing, Phonetic representation, Introduction

Abstract

The English and Japanese writing systems differ significantly in structure, symbols, and usage, yet they share some similarities. English employs the Latin alphabet with 26 letters, while Japanese uses a combination of kanji (logographic characters), hiragana, and katakana (syllabic scripts). One key similarity is that both languages have adapted foreign words into their writing systems—English through loanwords and Japanese through katakana. Additionally, both systems use punctuation marks and spacing to enhance readability, though Japanese does so to a lesser extent.

The main differences lie in complexity and script variety. English follows a relatively simple alphabetic system where letters represent sounds, whereas Japanese requires mastery of thousands of kanji characters along with two syllabaries. Moreover, Japanese writing allows for both horizontal and vertical text orientation, unlike English, which is strictly horizontal. These distinctions highlight the unique linguistic evolution of each language, reflecting their cultural and historical contexts.

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