cursive form of Japanese writing, 1822, from Japanese hiragana, from hira "plain" + kana "borrowed letter(s)."
Entries linking to hiragana
katakana n.
one of the two traditional styles of writing Japanese (along with hiragana), 1727, from Japanese katakana, from kata "side" + kana "borrowed letter(s)," short for kari-na- "borrowed names." Used now largely for writing proper names and foreign words.