* Different Writing Systems: Japanese uses three main writing systems:
* Hiragana: A syllabary (each symbol represents a syllable) for native Japanese words and grammatical particles.
* Katakana: Another syllabary, mostly used for foreign words, onomatopoeia, emphasis, and names.
* Kanji: Logograms (each symbol represents a word or concept) borrowed from Chinese, representing a large portion of Japanese vocabulary.
* The American alphabet (English) is based on the Latin alphabet, using letters to represent individual sounds.
Think of it this way:
* The American alphabet is like building blocks, each representing a single sound.
* Japanese writing systems are more like Lego sets, with different pieces that combine to create words and meaning.
While Japanese does use some characters similar to the Latin alphabet (like A, I, U, E, O), they are used differently within the context of hiragana and katakana.
Learning Japanese requires mastering these three writing systems, which takes time and effort.