logographic
Characters represent words
Logographic describes a writing system where symbols represent whole words or meanings rather than sounds.
Chinese characters are logographic—each character conveys a concept rather than spelling out pronunciation.
The term contrasts with alphabetic systems, where symbols represent individual sounds that combine to form words.
What something signifies
- conceptualOf or relating to ideas
- ideographicUsing symbols for concepts
- representationDepiction or likeness
- signifierMeaning-bearing form
morpheme · lexeme · pictorial · symbolic · rebus · determinative
Chinese symbols in Japanese
- hanziChinese logographic symbols
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
- charactersPersons in a narrative
glyphs · pictograms · ideographs · radicals · strokes · signs · notation
Earliest known civilization
- AkkadianAncient Semitic Mesopotamian language
- BabylonianOf ancient Mesopotamian empire
- EgyptianRelating to the pharaohs' land
- MesopotamianOf the two-rivers land
Phoenician · proto-writing · clay tablets · Rosetta Stone · inscriptions · papyrus · scribe · epigraphy
Ornamental handwriting art
- brushworkPainter's stroke method
- typographyArranging letters for display
- letteringStyled written characters
- fontCharacter style set
typeface · character design · stroke order · composition · engraving · ink · aesthetics
Relating to letters
- phoneticRelating to speech sounds
- syllabaryWriting using sound-units
- phonemicRelating to speech sounds
- spellingCorrect letter sequence
pronunciation · syllable · consonant · vowel · orthography · transliteration · romanization · pinyin
meaning
What something signifies
- conceptualOf or relating to ideas
- ideographicUsing symbols for concepts
- representationDepiction or likeness
signifier · morpheme · lexeme · pictorial · symbolic · rebus · determinative
kanji
Chinese symbols in Japanese
- hanziChinese logographic symbols
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
characters · glyphs · pictograms · ideographs · radicals · strokes · signs · notation
Sumerian
Earliest known civilization
- AkkadianAncient Semitic Mesopotamian language
- BabylonianOf ancient Mesopotamian empire
- EgyptianRelating to the pharaohs' land
Mesopotamian · Phoenician · proto-writing · clay tablets · Rosetta Stone · inscriptions · papyrus · scribe · epigraphy · decipherment
calligraphy
Ornamental handwriting art
- brushworkPainter's stroke method
- typographyArranging letters for display
- letteringStyled written characters
font · typeface · character design · stroke order · composition · engraving · ink · aesthetics
alphabetic
Relating to letters
- phoneticRelating to speech sounds
- syllabaryWriting using sound-units
- phonemicRelating to speech sounds
spelling · pronunciation · syllable · consonant · vowel · orthography · transliteration · romanization · pinyin
logographicalphabetic
Relating to letters
phonetic · phonemic · phonographic · syllabic · consonantal