hiragana

Japanese script

The hiragana is the kana (syllabary) used for writing native Japanese words, or parts of words, in script style. The katakana is the syllabary used for writing foreign-derived terms. Kanji (Chinese characters) are used for writing words or the roots of words. Romaji refers to the Roman alphabet, which is mainly used for the benefit of foreigners or to add a foreign flare to advertisements. The main word written on the lantern to the left is u-ya-ma, which means "respect."