kana

noun

ka·​na ˈkä-nə 

plural kana

often attributive

: 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

Examples of kana in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The NEAC 2203, released in 1960 by NEC, could handle Roman characters and Japanese kana. —Laura Moorhead, WIRED, 24 Apr. 2007

Word History

Etymology

Japanese

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined above