Hiragana vs. Katana — What's the Difference?

Hiragana (平仮名,ひらがな, Japanese pronunciation: [çiɾaɡaꜜna]) is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji and in some cases Latin script. It is a phonetic lettering system.

A katana (刀 or かたな) is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the tachi, it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the blade facing upward.

The cursive and flowing variety of kana used in most modern Japanese texts especially to represent inflectional endings and particles.

A long, single-edge sword for use with two hands, traditionally worn by samurai.

(uncountable) The main syllabary for the Japanese language, used to represent native Japanese words, including particles, and when kanji is used, to represent verb and adjective endings.

A type of Japanese longsword or tr=nihontō, having a single edge and slight curvature, historically used by samurai and ninja.

A letter of this syllabary.