EDITORIAL METHOD
Sources & method
Kana records
The main, voiced and combination kana come from the existing MojiMichi kana study set. Hiragana parent-character accounts are checked against the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics hentaigana index; katakana parent characters follow a Mie prefectural education handout, with disputed entries marked. Small and historical kana are also included.
Dates and uncertainty
A script’s broad history does not establish when each individual character first appeared in Japanese. We identify an entry-specific date only when an attached source gives one. Likewise, a character’s early sense is different from a dated history of every later meaning.
Kana are phonographic signs, so “meaning change” is usually the wrong category. Entries discuss changes in shape, spelling, pronunciation and use instead.