5 countries with interesting non-alphabetic writing systems
These languages possess their own names and special writing characters, so unfamiliar and unique that at first glance, you might be totally clueless about what they mean if you're not a native speaker or familiar with the language.
While some languages, such as Portuguese, French, Spanish, and several Nigerian local languages like Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba, have diacritics that blend the English alphabet with slight modifications in pronunciation, many other languages are completely different.
Without further ado, these are some of the languages with non-alphabetic writing systems:
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China - Mandarin Chinese (汉字)
China has a writing system that dates back thousands of years. The Chinese script, known as Mandarin Chinese or 汉字 (Hanzi), is a logographic writing system where each character represents a unique word or concept. Unlike alphabets that use individual letters, Mandarin Chinese uses these characters, each having its own meaning and pronunciation.
Impressively, there are over 50,000 characters in existence which just mean, mastery of Mandarin Chinese is no small feat. But to have basic literacy, like reading and writing, around 3,000 characters are enough. The beauty of Mandarin Chinese script lies not only in its aesthetics but also in the historical meaning each character carries.
Japan - Kanji (漢字), Hiragana (ひらがな), and Katakana (カタカナ)
Japan is a land known for its traditions, innovations, and special writing system. The Japanese writing system is of three scripts: Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. Kanji, borrowed from Chinese characters, is highly important as it represents the core of the Japanese writing system. It carries the core meaning of words and is often mixed with Hiragana and Katakana.
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Hiragana and Katakana are syllabic scripts, each having 46 characters. Hiragana is primarily used for native Japanese words and grammatical elements, while Katakana is used for foreign loanwords and onomatopoeic expressions. This three-part writing system combines to create a blend of Japanese written communication.
Egypt - Hieroglyphs (mdw-nṯr)
Ancient Egypt, with its pyramids and pharaohs, holds secrets written in a writing system called, Hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs, also known as mdw-nṯr, are a combination of logograms and phonetic symbols. This script was used for religious texts, monumental inscriptions, and important documents.
Hieroglyphs are written as symbols and pictures that carry both phonetic and semantic meaning. By decoding Hieroglyphs, the world got to unlock the secrets of Egyptian civilisation, shedding light on their religious beliefs, societal structure, and historical events. The discovery and translation of the Rosetta Stone played a big role in deciphering this ancient script and understanding the world of ancient Egypt.
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Korea - Hangul (한글)
Korea has a scientific writing system called Hangul. Created in the 15th century, Hangul was designed by King Sejong the Great and his scholars to be easily learned by all, promoting literacy among commoners. Hangul uses characters that represent the sounds of the Korean language, and according to reports, that makes it one of the most straightforward writing systems to master.
Hangul characters imitate the shape of the human mouth when pronouncing the sounds.
India - Devanagari (देवनागरी)
India is a land filled with countless languages, each with its own writing system. One of the most popular and widely used scripts is Devanagari. Devanagari is a type of writing system where each character has a consonant sound with a built-in vowel sound.
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Used for languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, and Marathi, Devanagari is a script with curved and flowing characters. Its versatility represents a wide range of sounds and phonetic styles.
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