1.
the Japanese syllabary; the fifty sounds; gojūon order
The systematic arrangement of Japanese kana characters in a grid of rows and columns. Also refers to the traditional ordering system used in dictionaries and indexes.
五十音順に並べる。
Arrange in gojūon (alphabetical) order.
子どもが五十音を覚え始めた。
The child has started learning the Japanese syllabary.
辞書は五十音順で単語が並んでいるので、読みがわかれば探しやすい。
Dictionaries list words in gojūon order, so they're easy to find if you know the reading.
FORMATION:
五十 (fifty) + 音 (sound). Named for the approximately fifty basic kana sounds, though the actual number is 46 in modern usage.
USAGE:
The 五十音表 (gojūon chart) arranges kana in a 5×10 grid with vowels (あいうえお) as columns and consonants as rows. 五十音順 (gojūon order) is the Japanese equivalent of alphabetical order and is used in dictionaries, phone books, and indexes.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 五十音順 (gojūon order, Japanese alphabetical order)
- 五十音表 (gojūon chart)
- 五十音を覚える (to learn the syllabary)