WRITTEN CHARACTERS. 9
consist of fragments of the square Chinese characters, and the Hira-gana, or " Easy Kana" so called because consisting of entire Chinese characters written in the most sketchy cursive hand. We cannot, within the limits of the present work, treat any further of this subject. Stud- ents desirous of pursuing it are recommended to begin by the Hira-gana, and then pass on to a study of the most usual Chinese square characters as given in Mr. Fukuzawa Yukichi's " Moji no Oshie" (three small vol- umes, to be obtained in Tokyo at the Chukindo, Ginza Nichome, or at Mita, Keio Gijuku). The whole subject of the Kana and Chinese characters is minutely treated in several of the " Readers" recently compiled for use in the primary schools. One of the best is Mr. Kudo Seiichi's " Shin Tokuhori' (eight small volumes, to be obtained in Tokyo at Okura Yasugoro's, No. 18, Nihon-bashi-dori, Itchome). The Kata-kana y though so much more simple- looking than the Hira-gana and the Chinese characters, is less commonly used. At the present day there is a party in favour of the adoption of the Roman alphabet. Its organ, the " Romaji Zasshi" gives articles in various styles, romanised according to a simple phonetic system, which is now generally followed by foreigners who write on Japanese subjects, and which has therefore been adopted in this Handbook.
8. It is possible to learn to speak Japanese quite correctly without studying the native system of writing. Unfor- tunately the acquirement of the Colloquial does not help much towards the comprehension of books, newspapers and letters, even supposing the student to have them read aloud to him. The Japanese are still in the state in which we were during the Middle Ages. They do not
