Japanese has some sets of characters which look very similar or even
identical. Obviously, context is usually more than enough to distinguish which
character is intended, but I'm wondering if there are subtle differences which
can be used to disambiguate. It's easy enough to compare characters in
computer fonts, so my question is really more about handwriting.

  * ー (katakana), 一 (kanji) and — (em dash)

The first two can be distinguished from the last one in Minchō-type fonts, and
usually it is possible to distinguish between all three. In vertical writing
the katakana _bō_ and the em dash are oriented vertically so is easily
distinguished from the kanji _ichi_.

What about in handwriting or Gothic-type fonts? I suspect they are
indistinguishable then, but counterexamples are welcome.

  * ロ (katakana) and 口 (kanji)

In print, katakana _ro_ is usually printed a little bit smaller than kanji
_kuchi_. In some of the fonts I have the final stroke of katakana _ro_
protrudes to the right, while the penultimate stroke of kanji _kuchi_
protrudes downwards.

  * カ (katakana) and 力 (kanji)

Like the above, katakana _ka_ is usually printed a little bit smaller than
kanji _chikara_ ; but I've also noticed that the little hook is subtly
different for katakana _ka_ , and that in some fonts katakana _ka_ has a bit
of a rightward slant or curvature.

  * ニ (katakana) and 二 (kanji)

  * エ (katakana) and 工 (kanji)
  * タ (katakana) and 夕 (kanji)
  * ト (katakana) and 卜 (kanji)

Other than size, it seems like the only way to distinguish these pairs in
Minchō-type fonts is to rely on the tendency for katakana to have more brush-
like strokes than the kanji.

  * ハ (katakana) and 八 (kanji)

These are usually easy to distinguish in print, even in brush-type fonts,
since the last stroke of katakana _ha_ is of a different type from the last
stroke of kanji _hachi_. What about in handwriting?

  * え (hiragana) and 之 (kanji)

These are easily distinguished in print and good handwriting, but I have
trouble making them distinct in _my_ handwriting.

  * へ (hiragana) and ヘ (katakana)

_Is_ there any difference between these two? They are identical in Hiragino
Mincho, for instance...
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kanji orthography kana handwriting
Distinguishing certain characters in handwriting and print (Similar-looking Kana and Kanji)
In the case of a kanji and kana that are similar as in your examples
(ロ、カ、ニ、エ、タ、ト、ハ), the kanji of the pair is slightly bigger, almost as if it's
been zoomed in on a little bit. Depending on your font, you can even see this
when placed side-by-side. However, I personally think `え` and `之` are
different enough that you should easily be able to distinguish them.

As far as the hiragana and katakana `へ`, I was always taught that in writing
them, the hiragana should be _slightly_ rounded at the top whereas katakana is
an exact point. Again, that's what I was taught and don't know if this is a
hard rule or not. But as you point out, many fonts show them to be exactly the
same, and even in practice I don't always round off the hiragana.
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2011-09-04T18:11:34.403
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I noticed that most of the pairs in your list are between kana (mostly
katakana) and kanji, with the only exception of へ. In my opinion, in most
situations you can infer whether it's the kana or kanji symbol from the
surrounding text. I think katakana symbols rarely sits alone on its own
because we would find them in a bunch of at least 2 characters in a sequence.
So if we find 私の力 and 入り口 then we would know that they are the kanji ちから and
くち because otherwise the katakana would be alone by themselves. On the other
hand, if we find バカ and クロ then we would know they are the katakana 'ka' and
'ro' for the same reason that the katakana バ and ク cannot be alone by
themselves. This is, however, just a theory of mine so I don't have anything
to back them up.
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2011-09-05T08:08:29.340
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**if you want good handwriting, you need to learn to write with a brush.**
(and when you buy one, don't make the mistake i made and go for the biggest
one. choose one that's as long, small-circumfrence, and thin as possible. 10
dollars, or five pounds, is a good price to pay. there's no need to pay for
ink or paper at this stage. black watercolor on white printer paper works
well. i store my [colors](http://www.jazzgreen.com/journal/pics/watercolours-
jamjar.jpg) in little jam jars, the kind they have at hotels.)

you can also write with something brushlike, such as a
[fudepen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fudepen) or a ballpoint pen, which can
approximate brushstrokes because it responds to pressure well. if you choose
to go with a fudepen, i recommend [this
one](http://www.jlist.com/product/STA113).

as a side note, i have seen some excellent ballpoint pen calligraphy. in
china, it became somewhat of a fad after the revolution. and comes under the
banner of
[硬筆書法](http://images.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=458&q=%E7%A1%AC%E7%AD%86%E6%9B%B8%E6%B3%95&gbv=2&oq=%E7%A1%AC%E7%AD%86%E6%9B%B8%E6%B3%95&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=2276l2276l0l3146l1l1l0l0l0l0l70l70l1l1l0).
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2011-09-11T20:48:59.600
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re: カ (katakana) and 力 (kanji)

Well, I can normally distinguish them _quite_ well. Now, that is. When you
draw an imaginary basic bottom line to the kana per line, the chikara kanji
normally looks a bit as if it is too far below, by fractions of an inch;
whilst the katakana ka does not cross that line by any means. Hmm, do I have
some back up? Yes I do. I had to translate a Japanese sentence using Google
Translate and both characters were in that text: the chikara kanji and the
katakana ka. My observations described above were plain to see once I had my
browser zoom cranked up quite a bit. So maybe they will help someone out there
after all... :)
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