Main Entry: ka·na

Pronunciation: \ˈkä-nə\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural kana

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Japanese

Date: 1727

: a Japanese system of syllabic writing having characters that can be used exclusively for writing foreign words or in combination with kanji (as for indicating pronunciations or grammatical inflections); also : a single character belonging to the kana system — compare hiragana, katakana