one language, three alphabets, zero apologies.
means the writing systems used for japanese: kanji (borrowed chinese logograms), hiragana and katakana (native phonetic syllabaries), often mixed in a single sentence.
from kanji arrived from china via korea around the 5th century, adapted to a language that shares no grammar with chinese; hiragana and katakana were simplified from kanji shorthand around the 9th century, largely by court women writing literature men considered beneath them.
the tale of genji — 11th century novel written largely in hiragana by murasaki shikibu
joyo kanji list — government-mandated 2,136 characters, revised 2010
katakana loanwords — pan (bread), from portuguese, written in katakana daily
furigana — tiny hiragana printed above kanji to teach readers pronunciation