noun
- Plural of katakana; one of the two main syllabic writing systems of Japanese, used primarily for foreign words, onomatopoeia, and technical terms.
Usage: linguistics; Japanese language
Examples
- Foreign words in Japanese are typically written in katakanas.
- The word 'computer' is written in katakanas as コンピューター.
- Students learning Japanese must master both hiragana and katakanas.
- Katakanas are angular in shape, unlike the rounded hiragana characters.
- Brand names and imported products often appear in katakanas on Japanese packaging.