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In the game Okami, the demon Yamata no Orochi is written
[here](http://okami.wikia.com/wiki/Orochi), and also in a separate game
[here](http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Yamata_no_Orochi) as ヤマタノオロチ, not
やまたのおろち. Even the particle の is in katakana. I'm curious as to why this is. I
know that it derives from a Japanese legend of Yamata no Orochi, so why is it
written in katakana?
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2013-12-19T23:24:00.483
13788
2015-06-15T15:00:59.377
2015-06-15T15:00:59.377
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katakana orthography hiragana
Why is "Yamata no Orochi" written in katakana?
You are actually thinking the other way around. It is written in katakana
BECAUSE the term is 100% Japanese.

Japanese mythology existed way before we encountered the Chinese. It existed
only in the oral tradition because we did not have a writing system back then.
In other words, only the sounds "yamatanoorochi" existed, so even after we
encountered the Chinese and learned Kanji and created kana, it just was not
very natural to write "yamatanoorochi" in kanji. With ヤマタノオロチ, we are just
using the katakana as the pronunciation symbols.

There are kanji versions （八岐大蛇、八俣遠呂智、八俣遠呂知） for this term but they are ALL
[当て字]{あてじ}. You may use one of them if you love kanji but it will not
necessarily make you look more intelligent or educated. Contrary to what some
Japanese-learners seem to blindly believe, writing in kanji the words that
have no Chinese roots is often regarded as not being in good taste.
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2013-12-20T18:52:50.153
13804
2013-12-20T18:52:50.153
13788
answer