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I am watching a [series](https://tezukaosamu.net/jp/about/story.html) of
videos about the life of 手塚【てづか】治虫【おさむ】. In the video number 8, the word アタマ
in 「子供のアタマ」 is spelled in katakana:

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZvYD.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JZvYD.jpg)

Is this a way to emphazise or highlight something? or what am I missing?

Also note that in the same slide, just some sentences before, あたま in 「頭のかたい」
is spelled in kanji, which makes it all the more intriguing. Why is the writer
spelling あたま in katakana only for one occurrence of the word, an not for the
others?

Thank you in advance!
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2020-08-11T10:27:50.943
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question
words katakana spelling
Why is アタマ written in katakana in the following passage?
Purely speculative though, I think it's somewhat condescending description of
children's head because the kanji :「頭」is normally used to describe an
important person.

  * [頭{かしら}](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E9%A0%AD_%28%E3%81%8B%E3%81%97%E3%82%89%29/#jn-40824) is the head of the group of carpenters.
  * [頭{とう}取{どり}](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A0%AD%E5%8F%96) is the CEO of bank.
  * [船頭{せんどう}](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E8%88%B9%E9%A0%AD_%28%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A9%E3%81%86%29/#jn-127066) is the captain of the ship.

So, the author wants to used「アタマ」for children's brain/mind/head in somewhat
self-humiliating way. I think it is similar nuance that parents calling one's
kid [愚息{ぐそく}](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E6%84%9A%E6%81%AF/#jn-61700)
or [豚児{とんじ}](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E8%B1%9A%E5%85%90/) in
Japanese culture.
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answer
It's exactly the same reason why マンガ is commonly written in katakana. For some
words, katakana makes them look "soft", "casual", "catchy", "friendly"...or
whatever. This is why アタマ is often used in product names and catchphrases, as
shown below:

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5CTKi.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5CTKi.png)

As you can see, this has nothing to do with respect or humbleness. You can
safely use アタマ referring to the brains of your (potential) customers.

Which word is commonly katakanized is fairly arbitrary, but アタマ, カラダ and ココロ
are all common. Similar examples include ヘタ (下手), クソ (糞), カンタン (簡単), ベンリ (便利),
オモテとウラ (表と裏), ミライ (未来), ワナ (罠) and タダ (只).

There are many other reasons to use katakana.

  * To add an international flavor: [ニンジャ, ニッポン, ヒキコモリ](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/17799/5010)
  * To add a "high-tech" flavor: [トヨタ, ホンダ](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/31078/5010)
  * To imply a derivative meaning is used: [オタク, ノド](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/46870/5010)
  * Simply the kanji is difficult and/or non-intuitive: [メチャクチャ, ツジツマ](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/15102/5010)
  * Plain emphasis (akin to all-caps): ゼッタイ
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answer