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My understanding is that katakana is used for situations where it’s the sound that is important, not necessarily the meaning. So it’s used for loan words, but a
by hinoki 4y ago
My understanding is that katakana is used for situations where it’s the sound that is important, not necessarily the meaning. So it’s used for loan words, but also for onomatopoeia, and when writing your name down on a waitlist at a restaurant. (Often it is not clear how to pronounce a name from how it is written)
- enqk 4y agoKatakana is also used for the names of animals. Even when the name is native japanese.
- hinoki 4y agoYes! Sushi menus are often entirely in katakana.
- teek 4y agoThis is not correct. Sushi menus for restaurants in Tokyo use a mixture of kanji, hiragana, and katakana.
- innocentoldguy 4y agoThe reverse is true for words like たばこ (tobacco). It's a foreign word but is almost always spelled using hiragana.